The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-05-12
PUSSY.

person than Miss Martha Monckton.
She had never done anything to shock
the people in all her life, and
thought she never should; but man
proposes and the fates dispose; and lit
tie did Miss Monckton know what
she should come to, as, on a Friday
afternoon-Friday is an unlucky day
she sat at her window, working on
a crochet scrap bag, and watching the
movements of her opposite neighbor, or
rather other opposite nelghbor's young
est daughter, Miss Letitia Quirk.
Miss Letitia, eighteen years old,
blaek-eyed, black-haired, rosy-cheeked,
"a forward looking GIRL" Miss Martha
Monckton pronounced her, sat at an
upper window, habited in pale, pink
muslin, with pink shell pin and earrings,
and pale blue bow in her hair Be-
low, in his garden her excellent papa
pottered about, with large Panama
hat on his bald head, expending all his
energy of mind and body on two dozen
tomatoes, pair of pumpkins and other
products OF his amateur farming opera
tlons. In the dining room window sat
the young lady's mamma, counting
napkins and cultivating large wrinkle
between the eyes because napkins num-
Der twenty-one, two and three had been
used at dinner instead of napkins twen-
ty-four, five and six.
Behind her, in the open pantry, the
jams and Jellies, the potted beef and
canned salmon. stood in rows. All that
was eatable or drinkable, all that was
made OF glass, silver, china, or linen,
was evidently well-ordered in the man
sion. But that piece of pink and white
prettiness. the daughter of the house
was it so with her?
Miss Monckton thought not.
I'D like to tell her ma" she said to
herself, as she rubbed her glasses, ssbut
suppose l shouldn't be thanked for
Then she looked again, and felt sure
Miss Letltla was talking in pantomime,
WIN some use of the finger alphabet, to
ail unseen young man.
IL might-since the person was un-
seeh-have been young woman; but
Miss Monckton felt sure it was not.
Shes going through signs of putting
on her hat and cloak said she to her,
sen. !" Now she's pointing down stairs
ana shaking her head. She means her
pa and ma. How disrespectful! And
y I'VE had her in my Sunday school class.
now NO she's saying something with her
IIngefs. I. Now she's kissing her hand.
II ever see Letitia Quirk again ru
m .alk to her. She's flirting with some
~. an II Miss Monckton had but known!
rllrtatlon = is bad enough but Letitia
Qulrk had gone still farther. Had that
elaerly lady's glasses been stronger, or
I haa she understood the finger alphabet
Detter she would have known that at
'nat moment Letitia was arranging an
eIopement for that evening. On the
looi OF his parents residence, hidden
peiilhd chimney, Humphrey Horton,
oaly son OF DR.. Giles Horton, the prin-
clpal physician of Strawberrytown. was.
aa a. snat instant, saying with his thumb
and fingers:
will be at the cross roads with a
wagon at two o'clock tonight"
- was certainly time that Letitia's
~ parents Sc left their cabbages and jam-pots
,;, ~ themselves for awhile, and took
h't,e ~ heed of their daughter.
T. however, as we said, Miss Monckton
plu p not guess the worst. She crotcheted
~ aes Scrap-bag until it was time to put
h - crimson row, and then laid it in
~ .el oasket and went out into her garden
~ gaeher saucer full of Strawberries.
,ha Inc table was already spread. Minty,
M sae oid black woman who .did Miss
ta. ttaonckton housework,'' had baked
aOlr oo tea biscuits and four small cup
oaAes' lanes the little china teapot held three
.aps OF tea. 1t was all verv pretty; no
t". poverty no pinching. The whole room
"as bright with fancy work and flower
paihIlngs, but it was lonely.
: wish" said Miss Monckton, mild
.y' as she looked down into her tea
cup, :" | wish that somebody had hap
pened to stop i'm
toa aln not sure that seeing Miss Monck-
su;a sun every day, watching her solitary
sspiaster Ppm state, and half laughing at her,
Ian ha plying her for her tiny house
! iHeephg arrangements, had not helped
1eIitia to the conclusion that she would