The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-01-27

dying poverty and dirt. He passed in
to many houses, with perhaps thought
to see his wife and daughter. Many a
family that day blessed the Captain and
their Maker, for merrier Christmas
than they had seen for years. Passing
| along dark, narrow, dirty street, sud-
denly he caught sight of a tail, dark
bottle, half hidden by the snow. He
gazed at it a. little while, passed on,
hesitated, and returned. Visions of a
dark night, an awful night, the cry of
pirates!' hard pressed fight, the
defeat, the message in the bottle, his
escape, thrown on an island, discovery
| of the pirates treasure, captured by the
villains, five years in bondage, escape
| at last, carrying off the treasure, two
weeks afloat in an open boat, seen by a
ship, picked up, thank Heaveni and ar
rived safe in England, chase each other
with the rapidity Of lightning through
| his mind. He uncovers the bottle.
Heaven! it is the same! The three
| rings around the mouth, the triangular
chip from the second, the crack across
the "B," there it all was; how many
his wife got his message then? If so,
here was clew, and he might find her.
But how impossible it was that the
bottle had come safe to her. Dare he
hope? He might be successful, he
might find them. Yes, he would try.
Rushing like an insane man, into a pro-
vision store opposite, he fiourished the
bottle and nervously inquired if they
had seen that bottle before. Thinking
him to be some detective, they earnest
ly assured him they hadn't. He treated
every house for three blocks in the same
manner. He asked at every door, but
without the least success. He gave it up
in despair. To be thus thrown down
after hoping so much, was awful. He
never was to find them, never to press
them again in his arms. What misery
was his.
Slowly, sadly he walked on. Some
how or other the bottle felt fidgety in
his pocket. He took it out, and looked
at it attentively; it awakened old memo
ries. And right here now, won't say
for certain, mind you, but whether it
was the bottle speaking, or the bells
Ginning, or the Captains heated imagi-
nation, or the wind whistling in the bot
tie mouth, certain it is that something
seemed to sing, "Six hundred and
nine! Six hundred and nine! Up in
the attic! Up in the attic! Go back!
Go back! Six hundred and nine!n 1t
made such an impression on the Cap
tain's mind, that, jamming the bottle in
the jacket, back he dashed, down the
street, overturning two men in the
snow, and knocking right up, against
every second man he met. He gained
six hundred and nine. He banged the
door open. He dashed up the stairs.
You wouldn't have thought those stairs
could have stood it. Bang! dash!
stumbling up. No man ever went up
stairs like he did; six at a bound was
nothing. If you had seen all the ten
ants rushing out of their rooms, you
would have thought sure that a baby
had fallen down the stairs, or that Mr..
Mulcachy had ''cum hum dhrunk agin. "
Up he went five stories, shaking the
house like an earthquake. Up the sixth
| fight of stairs he dashed-seven at a
bound was nowhere now. He reached
the top. He stopped for breath-he
hadn't taken a mouthful since he start
ed. The door of the attic was locked.
He raped. No answer. He was ex-
cited. "Six hundred and nine. attic
up stairs" ran in his mind. He drew
back his foot. Down went the door,
kicked through. And there, there, right
on the floor, just recovering from the
ruffian-uncle's blow, lay his poor, dear,
long lost daughter. Howl he Rugged and
squeezed her. How the mother got well
so soon. How the Captain had dozen
doctors waiting on her, when himself
and good food were the only doctors
she needed. There was never merrier
Christmas in any family-I don't care a
snap what family it was in-there never
was merrier Christmas than they had
that same day. What grand house
they had. How rich the Captain was.
How happy they all are. Onthe parlor
mantel, underneath costly pictures, and
beside rich gifts and ornaments, in the
very center, stands the old bottle. There
it is, the fat old shining sides, the TRAN
gular chip, and the good natured, smil-
ing crack. The poor and needy were
never turned away from those grand
doors; but met with kind reception.
But how did it all come about? You
may think one thing, and l may think
another. But the Captain and always
said ''that we thought it was the bottle
did it''
| Greenland Dogs.