River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-11-25

and gave him Red Riding-Bood picture.
! book she had in her trunk. Jem was very
\ n uoh interested in his part as merchant
/ He said he had no more black-eyed.S
of his own, but he could go around TO sail
ors' houses and find some, he guessed, ii
the children would agree TO buy them
They were all eagerness, and ready to
promise anything. Ada said she wanted a
hundred TO take home when she went; 80
then, of course, Maggie wanted hundred
too, and so did May and Ben
" Well, Them 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 in their money Then
when You each have hundred, you can
each take 'em out I'll be banker, and
KEEP account"
The children thought this was charming
plan, only they wanted the bank where they
could look at il. Jem brought it over that
very afternoon, and christened IL the Bank
of Africa II was an old worn-out tea
pot of his mothers, with the cover fastened
down tight, and it was just the easiest thing
in the world to drop the eyed-Susans
one by one down the nose.
IF it wasn't for its being bank, said
Maggie, 81 wouldn't put mine in, for
want them TO play with. Now, Jem, 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
mi ght 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 l can't afford that
The children agreed, and felt very impor-
tant when he put their bank-boOks into
their hands. These were slips of blue pa
per, with name at the top of each one
Every time they made a deposit of black
eyed .Susans, they were to put down the
number on these slips, and then they could
tell any time by adding up how near they
were to a hundred. After 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 teapot there, even if it was the Bank
of Africa; y and in the next place, If she
did, every one who came in would be want
ing to open il. So il 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
brought fifteen. and said he had been away
up to Captain Macy's on the hill For these
he received boat from Benny, rag-doll
from May, four sandall-wood beads from
Ada, and a sugar heart from Maggie The
children played with their black-eyed-Su-
sans little while, and then very eontented-
" dropped them into the bank. All but
MAY. She reserved hers Just this once to
plant in a fower-pot, hoping that beauti-
full African bean vine would spring up there
and bear pods upon pods full of back-eyed-
Susans
1T does beat all" said Mrs. Bowen 10
Mrs. Gillett, {" 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
narm's 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-S usans
He came with the air of hero who 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 il 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
blacl-eyed-Susans were accommodating rap
| idly, that was the Joy aud triumph of II 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 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in the bank. Benny
had ninety-three, Maggie had ninety-six,
and little May had eighty four BY anoth-
er week they might safely calculate on each
having hundred Ada and Maggie ex-
pected to make a great sensation with their
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 in his room ~ said Susan
Towne that very day, as she came down
stairs; :" went TO put his stockings in his
chest, and it is half full of trinkets and
playthings l can't get a word out of him,
only that he is going to set up store
&" Pm sure | don't know said Mrs.
Towne, uneasily, " | 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 goi over TO Mrs. Bowen $
to zee about it, said Susan, energetically,
" for 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 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
that Jem brought to them every day
"And you know said Ada, very polite
ly, - il is a good deal of trouble for him TO
90 all over town, from house 10 house, 70