The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-05-12
TOMMY TUCKER,s IUcK.

the city OF New Y DIRK, a ear tile Central
Park. Same people make fun of. Tom
my's way of living, and cali his place
the "sunken lots," and say his.iamily
are squatters; but it makes very little
difference to Tommy what remarks
were made about his homeeor his peo-
PIE 50 long as they We're happy. And
they were happy for very long time,
SO happy that they ldidn' t. kltow what It
was to be miserable and it mikes. a
wonderful difference to- be able to ten
one from the other.3 Up tdsthe begin,
ming Of this winter they had the longest
run of luck on record in any family mi
that neighborhood. IA long while.since,r
horse had been turned out to die in a
lot near the fuckers. It wasn't such d
very old horse, but it ~wasH dread ully
sick, and something was the matter
with its wjndpipe, SO that. Mr.. Tucker
heard it wheeling away while he was
at werN ION the farnL % He had, a very
kind heart, and always did what he
could for poor dtinib creatures, IS welf
as those that ceuldetells what was the
matter with them; and what with kind
treatment and a wonderful skill Nj
Fucker had with animals. that horse
came around so that YOU d hardly know
It from a spirited charger of Mr.
Gr9susr.a gentleman who lives up in
that neighborhood. 1t grew, so. strong
that it was able to drag a fcart-load q
vegetables down town to Mr.. Tucker's
customers, and Mr.. Tucker was
able to put another lot or two
under cultivation, IA And oe if the
lots were little rough and sunken. it
was very pretty to see them fun 81
,''green things argrowing.' 20 Up to this
last winter there was almost always
something to sell, and pretty soon after
MI. Tucker cured his horse lie got
cow. She wasn't Q first-class cow whent
Mr.. Tucker first traded off some pics
for her. and gave some silver to- boot
out of Mother fuckers stocking. What,
little milk she had seemed to be turned
to gall, and even that couldn't be got
from her until she was tied to the side,
of the house; then she would have
Kicked the whole mansion down If id
hadn't been founded on a. rock. like the !.
wise mans house Mr.. Tucker read
about in the Bible. Mr. Tucker an6n
tommy think there are only two books
worth reading in the whole World: one
Is the Bible, and the other is Robinson i
Crusoe.s Tommy hadn't minded de.
pending on his goats for milk, because
1t seemed SO much like ,Crusoe' way of
living, but Mrs. Tucker and Tommy,s
three little brothers liked cows milk
the best; for one thing, there was 80
much more OF it, and Tommy's tlthreelI
little brothers had such excellent appe,,
tiles. For Mr.. fuckers wisdom ex-
tented to the udders of the cow aandi
pretty soon she was almost as good as.
an Alderney COW around the corner. 50 50
called, MIR. Tucker said,i because She
be longged to an Alderman. Il
Tommy fuckers family prospered
The fhorse drew m6reiI
and more vegetables to market. the |
cow gave more and more MIX the Men 1.
laid more and more eggs, a ,and.sthe
CHEEKY chink. in Mother Tucker stock
ing became more and more musical to,
the ear, until the last winter set in |
Then the Tucker luck, which was pro- |
verbal in that nsighborhood. suddenly,
took an evil turn. SS5s-tS~l4asi s1if@ % -
!, First, and worst. Mr., aTuckerrfell on
the ice and broke his leg. You NAV.
Know it was particular kind Office that
could bring Mr.. Tucker down. 1t, was
about dozen, layers thick. and very
The winter had CLOSED IN
some time before inayery anusual way,
1t was bitter cold. day in and day out:
the heavens opened, and the snow feNa
and opened again, and more snow came |
down, and kept on opening. and more
snow kept falling, until, the familiar
gullles were all filled up, and the coun-
-ry around there grew white ana ie yellII
and changed, SO that Tommy wondered.I
sometimes if the world had lost its
and stopped turnine when II
the north pole, ;,y.i .,t,.,t,.-
AND it gave. Tommy dreadful sicklv
ceiling to know that his fathers 1er.
'ouet break. It-Wasn't natural to see Il
nm lying on the bed in othet corner, /
When he had always been up and do
ng Nothing ever seemed 30 far pone;I
hat his father couldn't fetch, it around,
md it shook Tommy's confidence con.
a6erably to see the obstinaoy OF that
ega Tommy had always, gone to bed
before his father, and his father had al
Ways got up before Tommy, so that It
vas new experience to Tommy to see
lis father down. :. -
1t took the heart out of all of them.
nd everythiur went wrrpr II x,ro,,t