The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-03-08

to me as he walked down the
street. Of course the simile was alb
surd. He. was tall and lean and un-
calmly; the tails of his long coat did
not flap as gracefully as many another
coat close by. Charley said he was
knock-kneed; perhaps he was; / don't.
know what the term means He might
have been knock-kneed, but to me that
day he was all that was desirable in
man. es 4ssF1 -s- .Ef ft. tr..l2
The way he managed Charley after
that was miraculous; there is no other
word for it. The boy was as wild and
untamable as. a young colt when Mr..
Slade took hold of him, and shortly af-
terward he was the most tractable and
orderly of mortals. could see, though,
the time and trouble it cost to work
such wonders with him. In the spring
they went fishing together, and Mr..
Slade taught Charley how to manage
his hook and line, and wheedle the poor
little. fish to his bait. In midsummer
hey got up a collection of beetles and
bugs and butterflies and all sorts of
things. 1t was terrible to the poor in
sects, | suppose; but, oh, dear Heaven!
what rest and comfort it was to me to
have Charley amused and kept out of
rouble.
| began to rest upon Mr.. Slade, to
contide in him, to ask his advice, and
invariably take it, upon all occasions,
to gratefully take advantage of his
knack in repairing things about the
house, and putting in order trouble
some domestic utensils. He always put
up the shades in house-cleaning time,
and hung the pictures; and what I
should have done without him that
time the machine got out of order,
Heaven only knows. I had dress to fin
ish for Mrs. Chapel, and was work
the machine 5i began 80 to 90 squeak ae
dreadfully. 1t was q rasping noise, fit
to raise the hair on ones head, and
mine had aehed dreadfully all the
morning. Ioiled and fused at it, but
all to no purpose it seueaked more and
more. And, to crown all, the nice
pumpkin pie 1 had made for Mr.. Slade's
luncheon was burned to a crisp. Il
smelled it, and rushed to the stove, but
too late. 1t was a nasty black ru-
in, and just sat down and cried over
it. 1t seemed to me SO sad and terrible,
l wanted to lie down and die, when in
walked Mr.. Slade to his luncheon.
"It's nc. use coming in,''' said. 81
don't know how you can stand board
ing here, any way, IN such miserable
housekeeper. 1t would be so much bet
ter if Charley and were dead.'
"What has happened?" said Mr..
Slade and was ashamed when saw
the look of alarm in his face. r., atae
sit is very sad," said, '.to burn the
crust of a nice pie all to a crisp" a.
"Do you think so?' said Mr.. Slade.
&C Now for me it is q most excellent
mischance. Of all things in the world
I revere the burned crust of a pie. l
have hesitated to declare this predilec-
ton, because | know it is remarkable
one, and not at all likely to be shared
by the majority of people but fortune
has favored me to-day, Mrs. Sweet,
let us have the pie by all means!" s,
. And he actually lifted the horrible
black thing to the table, and ate it--yes
he did, he ate (which was the most
perfect and graceful piece of martyr
dom / ever saw in a man. And then /
got courage to tell him how / burned
it that Mrs. Chapel must have that
dress, and the machine had begun to
squeak in the most terrible way. that
I'd oiled it and fused with it, all to no
purpose, and how I was to finish that
dress of Mrs. Chappel's, with that
dreadful noise distracting my poor
brain, didn't know. rs ..sd
"We'll look at it,' he said, in that
resting, comforting, soul-chcering way
of his; and as | followed him into the
sitting room, I knew in my heart he
would exercise that sqeaking demon
from the machine. And he did.
"It's the ball,'' he said "i it becomes
smooth from friction, and if you'll bring
me little flour or meal, Mrs. Sweet
stay! here is piece of chalk, which is
better than ala" and with that little
white lump he took from his waistcoat
pocket, he made the machine perfect in
five-in two minutes. .ss f,..r
7 Now how could l help watching him
from the door again, as he walked
away to school; and let his coat tails
flap as they may, or he be knock-kneed
to eternity, how could I help sending
after him my heartiest benediction and
blessingp sea . !le.sls
And can it be wondered at that when,
only two or three months after, he told
me he was going away, I was like one
stunned nd bewilderedP We were sit
ting in the little front-room, and I was
finishing off that diagonal over-skirtfol
Mrs. Chapel. Charley had gone nut
ting to the woods, for it was already