Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-11-26

and gave him a Red Riding-H Hood picture
book she had in her trunk. Jem was very
much interested in his part as merchant.
He said he had no more black-eyed- Susans
of his own, but he could go around to sail
ors' houses and find some, he guessed, If
the children would agree to buy them.
They were all eagerness, and ready to
promise anything. Ada said she wanted
hundred to take home when she went SO
then, of course, Maggie wanted a hundred
too, and so did May and Ben.
well, then,o said Jem, "why don't you
have bank and put your Susans in as fast
as you get them, SO you won't lose them,
just as the people put N their money? Then
when you each nave a hundred, you can
each take 'em out. I'll be banker, and
keep account
The children thought this was a charming
plan, only they wanted the bank where they
could look at it. Jem brought it over that
very afternoon and christened it the Bank
of Africa It was an old WORKOUT tea
pot of his mothers, with the cover fastened
down tight and it was just the easiest thing
in the world to drop the black-eyed- Susans
one by one down the nose.
"If it wasn't for its being a bank,n said
Maggie, Il wouldn't put mine in, for [
Wdnt bIltI W play WILL 1Non, cCIIi, you
hurry and bring us more as fast as you can,
SO we can get our hundreds quick and take
them out"
Jem said he would. He should have to
GO all over the town, he expected, to every
captains house and every sailors house, to
see who had ever brought any home, and he
might have to pay high for them, but he
would do it. Then he told them the rules
of the bank: they must never open it to
look in, and never shake any of the Susans
out, or some might get lost. They might
lift it, and they might rattle it, but they
never must open it,
"'Cause if any gets lost, you know" he
exclaimed, & | shall have to make 'em up,
and I can't afford that
The children agreed, and felt very impor-
tant when ne put their bank-books into
their hands These were slips of blue pa
per, with a name at the top of each one,
Every time they made deposit of black
eyed -Susans, they weie to put down the
number on these Slips and then they could
tell any time by adding up how near they
were to hundred. After a great deal of
debate it was decided to keep the bank in
the wood-shed. This was always locked at
night, SO it would be perfectly SAFE Ada
wanted to keep 1t in the sitting-room but of
course that never would do. In the first
place, Mrs. Bowen never would allow an
old tea pot there, even if it was the "Bank
Of Africa" and in the next place, if she
did, every one who came in would be want
ing to open it. So it was decided to keep
it in the wood-shed behind an empty raisin
box.
Jem was fairly established as a black.
eyed-Susans merchant. The next day he
q ! L
up to Captain Macy's on the hill. For these
he received a boat from Benny, a rag-doll
from May, four sandall-wood beads from
Ada, and sugar heart from Maggie The
children played with their black-eyed-Su-
sans little while, and then very contented-
" dropped them into the bank. All but
May. She reserved hers just this once to
plant in fower-pot, hoping that a beauti-
full African bean vine would spring up there
and bear pods upon pods full of back-eyed-
Susans.
DIT does beat all" said Mrs. Bowen to
Mrs Gillett, 4" to see how crazy those chill
dren are over those little red beans -
Mrs. Gillett smiled languidly she did
not care what Ada and Maggie were about,
as long as they were happy and out of
harms way.
The enthusiasm increased. Not day pass
ed that Jem did not appear, now with ten,
now with fifteen, now perhaps with only
five or six of the precious black-eyed- Susans.
He came with the air of hero VINO had
been through tolls innumerable, and the
children in their fervor were ready to sacri-
flee everything to his demands. One by
one went all the little treasures they had
hitherto dotted on. Now it was Maggie's
beautiful little ivory box, now it was Mays
small chairs and table, all of Benny's lead
soldiers had to go, and his trumpet and his
old knife. Ada parted with bead-basket,
and four elegant paper dolls. But the
black-eyed-Susan were accommodating rap
idly, that was the joy aud triumph of it to
the children. They actually began to feel
like misers over their hoard, 1t was their
greatest pleasure to go every little while to
the bank, and lift it and rattle it, and notice
that it was really getting heavier all the
while. The day Ada sold her four paper dolls
she counted up and found she had ninety
five black-eyed-Susans in the bank. Benny
had ninetythree, Maggie had ninety-six,
and little May had eighty four. By anoth-
having a hundred. Ada and Maggie ex-
friends when they went back to the city.
Where on earth, mother, do you sup
pose Jem gets all those things that are
slowed away up "a his room p said Susan
Towne that very day, as she came down
stairs; 6 l went to put his stockings in his
chest, and it is half full of trinkets and
playthings I can't get word out of him,
only that he is going to set up a store!
" I'm sure [ don't know said Mrs.
Towne, uneasily, :" I can't keep track of all
his mischief. He ran through here just
now, and upset my pan of dried peas all
over the shelf. guess those Gillett chill
dren over to Mrs. Bowen's let him have
some of those things. He told me he was
getting ready to be peddler."
"Well, Pm going over to Mrs. Bowen's
to see about it,'' said Susan, theoretically,
" for l don't believe he has any business
with that ivory box, and all those fancy
notions !"
And over she went. The children were
all called in, and in very straightforward
way told her about the black-eyed-Susans
that Jem brought to them every day
"And you know,O said Ada, very polite
ly, g it is good deal of trouble for him to
go all over town, from house to house, to
get them for US, and so we give him things
to pay him."
Gail over town. from house to house y
exclaimed Susan Towne, why he has been
claiming and fishing every day for fort