The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-02-26

they ii be OF my mind.
ssHere, DEAR" she said to her little
daughter, "put on your cloak and tip
pet, and go down to Mr.. Todd's book
store, and give him $3.50 owe him.
He will give you the change out of this
bill, and from there you can go around
to Mrs. Weeks and pay her $40 out of
it, and bring back to me S1.75; or, stay
it is such long walk for you to both
places in the rain, you may pay Mr..
Todd and come directly home. 1 will
send Clara to pay Mrs. Weeks, or will
perhaps 60 myself this afternoon. Now,
be careful and don't get in the mud ;
the walking is so bad on this side of the
street, perhaps you had better 90 past
DR.. Gross's-it's nice and dry down
that way. And oh, goodness! that re-
minds me that promised to send my
dollar for the missionary society to Mrs.
Gross early this week. 1t was due last
month, but couldn't possibly pay it,
and it won't do to let it run on any
longer" So; Kitty, you'll have to stop
there and give her dollar. / don't
see that there's any other way" and
with sigh at the remembrance of this
unexpected debt, Mrs. Waters took her
busting cloth and went to work, solilo-
quizing: ''That ends the chance of
buying Clara the scarf; but it would
never have done to let that missionary
money 60 unpaid. Mrs. Gross is Presi-
dent now, and they say she has made a
rule that if any are in arrears she will
read out their names before the whole
society. l don't believe in any body
being so fierce, for my part!"
She went on vigorously with her
work, and had just completed her dust
ing when Kitty returned with the
change, and somewhat ambiguous
message of thanks from Mrs. Gross
"that she was much obliged for the
dollar, as it was better late than never, ~
which only elected from Mrs. Waters a
dry "ahem!n
"Well, Kitty she said, after a
pause, "you may run and play now
This afternoon you can 90 with Clara
to pay Mrs. Weeks. 1 feel really
ashamed to think how long 1 have kept
that poor woman waiting for that tri-
fling amount. She told me she needed
it to pay on her winters coal, and her
rent would soon be due, too, and she
scarcely knew how she was going to
get along. If we could afford to hire
our sewing done, l would always en-
ploy her, for she seems so conscientious
and anxious to please. I've been try
ing to interest some of the ladies in our
set in her behalf and secure work for
her."
And just here I must reveal to the
reader that this fact of being regarded
as member of this same "set'' to
which she had just referred, was a
source of infinite satisfaction to Mrs.
Waters. 1t was a sort of panacea for
the inconvenience of having a limited
purse-a soothing balm for all life's
annoyances. This coterie consisted of
the wives of nearly all the well-to do
men OF the village, as well as few 9TH
ers of more slender means, whose gen.
tility and general responsibility, like that
of our friend Mrs. Waters, gave them a
footing.
Counting over the money that Kitty
had placed in her hand, she was in the
act of dropping it into her purse when a
peal from the door-bell announced an
arrival.
"Who can it be, this drizzly dayP"
she calculated. 81 wonder what brings
people out so early in the morning! |
do hope it is no one to call on me, for
I'D almost as soon see a sewing-machine
man or book agent coming, as lady
caller, this time Of day."
The visitor proved to be Mrs. Judge
Jones, the acknowledged leader of the
ton of Millville, who, after the usual ex-
change of compliments, apologized for
her unreasonable call. "Of course YOU
have heard that we are going to lose
Mrs. Wilcox" she began, " and told
some of our ladies that it wouldn't do
to let her 60 away without making her
. present. We have been talking of
nice water-set. What do you think Of
it?''
Mrs. Waters was aghast. She was
expected to contribute toward silver
goblets and salver! How
could she confess to her fashionable
friend that she had not cent to give
that the little, pitiful sum in her purse
belonged to another, because she osUed
it to anotherp Fortunately for her, Mrs.
Jones did not wait for reply, but rat
lied glibly on. 81 have headed the list
with So; Mrs. Gross and Mrs. Richards
each gave me So, and Mrs. Martin 50;
but what do you think? Mrs. Elgin
would only contribute a dollar! / de-
clare wouldn't act as small and as
mean as that for any thing. 1 didn't
iream she was SO stingy, although I
lid hear once that she wouldn't allow
her hired help to eat butter. Well,''
ylancing over the list which she held in
ler hand, GIVE done pretty we'll for
stormy morning. l have $14 already,
md if you have five dollars to give it
will help matters along nicely" and she
,eamed a gracious smile on Mrs. Wa
ers.
Poor Mrs. Waters! To have turned
away an importunate book agent or
Troublesome peddler, with the confession
hat she had no money or "couldn't
lfford it," was an easy task, but to ac-
knowledge to Mrs. Judge Jones, above
vi persons, that she was too poor to
lid in making this present, required an
lmount of moral courage of which she
vas not capable. Confused thoughts of !