New Orleans Republican., 1873-04-20

| day long; and Jessie was never tired OF
| looking at his curves and colors, and of
| course she never for moment believed
| that he was merely bird. With all these
| pets and playthings to attend to. and all
| the obscure unknown land which they peo
| pied Just beyond her ken. it was certainly a
long time before Jessie could count up her
chalk marks on the gate, and go to Uncle
| FeodorardU for her penny.
But when, at last, the penny was herS'
no more gaIden-work, or play either, LOT
that day. 1t was business, serious Dusl-
| ness. She had hied away with IL 70 the
corner grocery, and it was weary lore
noon TO the wretched clerk Dehihu tno
counter there, who must have grown 10
dread the sight of that little figure, II ne
did regard its approach as an explatlon OF
| his owR peccadlllOes among the CAKES anu
| sweatmeats. .,., -,
! ,Iessie WAS no. like those good little chill
| drep who put their pennies III the mission
| ary box: she felt, perhaps, that there was
| a little heather here at home that wanted
| the penny: and though she was any1hlng
| but starved. yet, except on the rare 0cca-
| siuns " hen she bought tiny china baby
! AZ naked as papOose, she always spen.
| that penny for her palate. But stlngE with
| her bargain-baIgain il was always jury
! of her peers could not have declared her:
| for though she uuarrelled and scutfled with
| basin or the towels, she always gave them
| a bite of her macarOOn, or her tart, or her
! pIuIn, in the afternOon-ery little bit
| if they took too big bite.
She would begin her bargaining by pric.
ing everything in all the jars deliberately,
until at last the half distracted clerk would
cry, Now yon know the price of every
thing in this shop, see here! And you can
buy or you can let it alone. The GibraltarS
a aniapp and sn the harley
sugar sticks, and the apples, and The gin
ger snaps. Aud we dOn't sell white grapes
by the cents worth. nor guava Jelly. And
/ shan't let you have ounce anyway, be-
cause it would give you collie, and your
ma wouldn't like it, and. besides. ounces
are two cents this Year,
How much is jIjube- paste ?" Jessie would
ask then, obliviOus of the slight to her dig
nitv involved in the reference to collie.
"Well. you can have stick Of tha: tor
cent"
II don't know as 1 like iujube paste"
hestatingly, and climbing higher with her
dangerous elbows on the show case.
Then what did you ask about it for s'
the clerk would say tartly. 1--WE have il
in all favors," he would add, from mere
habit. Then there's Jenny Lind chewing
gum" in tone halt questioning, half ad-
Vising.
II like real gum better than that" is the
reply.
We're all out of spruce" teetering back
and forth on his heels and toes
Haven't you any gum dropsl" Jessie
would ask.
"Oh, yes, plenty of those" snatchins at
relief.
"Six for cent? plainly and emphat-
ically.
II don't think that's quite enough" gent.
ly but full as decidedly.
VERY we'll That's the best we can do
for you" taking out his pocketcOmb now,
and soothing his mind by its use.
"Do you ever sell piece of an applet"
Good gracious! I'll give you 10 bite"
cries the clerk desperately.
"Oh, no." she answers sweetly; Il don't
want you TO give me anything. Not beg
ging; I'm buying" grand as II little arch
duchess.
"Well, then. what will you have!" he de.
mands, leaning over the counter in "a state
of exhaustion.
II suppose, Though you don't throw any.
thing in when people buy: slightly modify
ing her grandeur as even archduchesses
NAV.
Not your Sort" says this Bayard Of the
boxes.
u didn't ask YOU TO throw any thing in
Indignantly. u said ! supposed you
didn't.'
Come. times up"' cries her victim. as {.
last resort. "Whatll you take: IN going
to close. and go home to dinner
~ guess. then, III take a cocoanut cake.
You said they were -.'
"A cent apiece. Yes" with satisfaction
at the prospect. And then, as Jessie lays
Der little hand on the largest one, he is
obliged to remark, But that size is three
cents
Sometimes Jessie withdrew with her cent
at this point. outraged and insulted. and
made no purchase all that day. But she
carried the cent to bed with her; her first
thought on waking in the morning WIS con.
cernlng il; her first act was to feel for ii: it
lay beside her breakfast plate, and no
sooner was she her own mistress again than
she returned, bright and early. to her
charge, and renewed her haggling.
have known this state of things TO last
for a week, or, at any rate, till the next
penny made this one less precious, for she
had almost reduced her practice TO a sys-
TEN; she knew that the old woman under
the bridge gave you one more peanut for
your money than the man in the booth did:
she knew that i'll the shop down the street
they didn't say any thing if you did take the
biggest Nelson ball, ami she knew that, for
some occult reason, maple sugar was half
the price at the bakers that il was at the
confectioner's; but for all that she clung
chiefly to her clerk at the corner grocery,
whether it was for his patience or his bedur.
yeu-. At times there she was so long il
making up her mind that she would take a
seat and have the articles brought to her
for decision-all with q gravity sweetiy un.
pnsciuus that her purchase was not az i'm
portaDt as a millionaire's. One morning,
having established herself ON the top Of
pile of Connecticut clocks, during this Oper.
Il
and having fairly worn ont the poor clerk
with her doubts and her DESIRES she had
half resolved to tOrego the dainty cOntem.
plated and to effect the weighty purchase of
a leaden skillet. when another temptation
arrested her; and with a remembrance, pos
sibly, Of the variable price current Of the
article. she asked, GLOW many raisius Go
you give for cent now =
That many!" cried the oIerk, tbrusting
his arms into the cask beneath the counter
and showing her a double handful. with an
air that said lie would give the whole cask
to be nd OF her. and think it cheap at any
price.
The sight gladdcneh those greedy little
bright eyes of hers. She settled herself
firmly on the advantage. She was just
about TO conclude the bargain. when,
smash she sank through the uppermost
glass clock. and, extricating herself, ignC-
nhI"iVuSly' she ehatched the skillet. threw
down the penny. and ran! 4 costly skill.
let, by the way. it was, since Uncle Feodc-
rardo paid the price Of the clock for it in
the end.
At that disastrous occurrence Uncle
teodorado thought 1t best to discontinue
the penny. and make Jessie other amends
Tor her Iabors: and he presently brought to
light n marvellous hat that he had in
hiding somewhere. He had clapped this
hat on the imps lint-whitc locks, and she
was thoroughly confident there could have
been nothing in it but the lining-that it
was as empty. in fact, as Lydia Locket's