The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-08-07
STINGY DICK.

Daisy Drummond's black eyes were
flashing and her cheeks were crimson
as she stood listening to what Miss Gyp-
sum said.
"It's not true-not one word of it is
true, and / won't listen to such mean,
venomous slander!"
She had sweet, ringing voice. She
was graceful girl.
Her face was joyous and piquant, and
very pretty, wide saucy eyes and dim
pied chin; and yet she was nobody but
Miss Josie Gypsum's seamstress for the
time being.
She had been sewing merrily away,
singing little snatches of songs, feeling
so gay and happy, and thinking with
all her heart of Dick Kenneth, when
Miss Gypsum came into the room for a
little chat with Daisy, that had turned
quite naturally on Mr.. Kenneth, whom
Miss Gypsum had dared to asperse to
Daisy's face.
swell, you needn't look as if you
were going to knock me down, Daisy
Pm sure I've only said what's the truth,
and what every body knows. Kenneth
is q regular miser."
The crimson frightened on Daisy's
cheeks and she spraDg up from her
chair. eel
''It is not true-not one word of it is
true, and wont listen to such slander!"
Miss Gypsum Involuntary settled
further back in her chair.
"Dear me! you needn't be 80 touchy
about it, need you?"
"Touchy! l am insulted, and you
shall not repeat such cruel gossip to
met"
Miss Gypsum shrugged her shout
ders.
"But suppose it's not cruel, but true
kindness to tell youP I'm considerably
older than you are"
81 should say sol" flashed out Daisy,
sarcastically. '.'
"And have had more experience in
the ways of the world" Miss Gypsum
went on, disereetly ignoring Daisy's
caustic little slashing, ''and 1 tell you
that when young man of Kenneth's
age begins to be as close and avaricious
as he is-as every body sees and knows
now, Daisy!-I tell you he will end
by being too contemptibly stingy and
misery to live with"
"But tell you he is not close and
avaricious!'
"Well, then,'' and Miss Gypsum's
eyes twinkled maliciously, sswhy is it
that, on the salary we all know he gets,
he never spends penny on you? You
never get an invitation to 60 on an ex-
cursion; he never gives you as much as
a ribbon or flower, and when the en-
ployees IN his house contributed to the
monument he was the only one of a
hundred who declined to give any
thing"
THAT was his business, not YOURS"
blazed out Daisy; "and when frankie
Walland lay dying of diphtheria, and
ms own mother could not endure the
child's agony and every body else was
frightened away, it was my Dick who
watched three nights by the boy and
held him in his arms when he died-so
there, now!"
'Oh. OF course that was very nice
indeed OF him-very nice; but when it
comes to the money question, you'll find
your Dick will not put his hand in his
pocket. Mark my words, Daisy Drum.
mond; you'd better stay as you are and
earn your own dresses than to have your
husband refuse to give them to you, and
make you earn them after all. 30
Daisy swallowed q host of furious
words that came rushing to her trem-
bling lips. Then she took off her little
white ruffled apron and rolled it up.
"Mlss GYPSUM, you can find some
one else to finish your sewing. When
you insult my betrothed husband You
are.' '0N
So she went away, trembling with
anger and pain, leaving Miss Gypsum
dumbfounded and perhaps justly cha
grined.
Daisy's cheeks were still crimson
when she went into the tidy little sit
ting-room at home, where her mother
sat-
Daisy, what are you doing at home
at this time of day? What is the mat
ter?"