The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-01-20
A VALUABLE PACKAGE.

A VALUABLE PACkAGE.
The express agent in San Francisco
smiled very pleasantly when the pack
age was brought to him with directed
express tag properly tied on it. But it
was not so strange for him to smile,
since he knew all about that package,
and had foretold the exact time re-
quired for package to reach New
York. But the clerk who pasted a
green label on the tag. and marked on
one end in blue ink mo. 1O7, Paid so
and so much, why should he be amused
And why should the two express-wagon
drivers who were in the office at the
time declare that that package would
be something like surprise?
Then an errand-boy came into the
Office to express valise, having left
seven other boys standing on the near
est street corner before a hand-organ
that was playing the newest airs, which
those seven boys were learning to
whistle. But why should that Grand
boy, who was usually very quiet boy,
Immediately run to the office street
door, and call, and beckon, and wave
his hat furiously for those seven boys to
come and look at package No. 107?
Then those seven boys, in spite of the
attraction of the hand organ, came on a
run, and stood eagerly around the ex-
press Office door. And why wouldn't
those boys 60 away until that package
was taken with other packages to the
railroad station in one of the express
wagons? And what, also, greatly in
terested five other passing boys. Chi
nese laundry-man, two apple-women
and policeman?
Well. it was the same cause, which
will soon appear, that made curious and
smiling the express people of Omaha,
Chicago and other places where the
package was seen on its way East to
New York.
About a month previous to this. Mr..
Benson had written to his wife from
California that, owing to the slow set
Element of the business that had taken
him there, he was beginning to fear he
and Guy would not be able to reach
home even by the holidays. ''But Guy
says" wrote Mr.. Benson, "that if we
only had mother here we would get
along splendidly."
A week later the unwelcome news
came to Mrs. Benson in New York ex-
planning that Mr.. Benson's business
would further detain him in California
until the middle of March three months
to come. You may be certain that Mrs.
Benson was very sorry to think of pass
ing Christmas and New Years with
three thousand miles separating her
from her husband and boy. But she
was forced to smile as she read GUYS
letter-mailed with his fathers-ex-
planning how they might dine together
on Christmas day, Notwithstanding the
three thousand miles.
Il have found OUT wrote Guv, in
his best handwriting, "that the differ
ence in time between New York and
San Francisco is about three hours and
a quarter. So if you sit down to your
dinner at quarter past four o'clock,
your time, and we sit down to our din
ner at one O'Clock, our time, we can in
that way be dining together. We are
going to have for dinner exactly what
we had at home on last Christmas. But
you will have the best time, for grand
father and grandmother will be with
you, and Uncle Tom and Aunt Mary,
and Ben, Tom, Bertha, Sadie, Uncle
Seth and all the rest of them
A few days after this letter was sent
MIR. Benson mailed another one. in
which he told his wife that Guv had
made a discovery on the previous day,
and they were going to send her a
pleasant surprise in fact. Christmas
present. 1.-The package.will be sent nv
express, directed to your address in
New York, wrote Mr.. Benson, land
we have so timed its journey East that
1t will reach you some time on the day
before Christmas"
This was package No. 1O7.
But didn't Mrs. Benson wonder and
wonder what was coming to her for a
surprise present? And didn't she i'm
aglne that it might be nest of Chi
nese tables. or package of fine Russian
tea, or an ivory castle, or a bunch of
California grapes weighing fifteen or
twenty pounds, or five-and-twentyo other
possible things? Then Guys New York
cousins, when they heard of that ex-
pected package, didn't they all fall to
And they guessed and
guessed until, as we say in IDIOT Butter
and Blue Beans, please come to Supper. ),
they were "cold," Every cold," and
"freezing.'
Cousin Ben finally decided, after
changing his mind a dozen times a day.
that the package would prove to contain
either the skin of the grizzly bear that
Guy, before leaving home. had thought