The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-12-07
the last and most difficult part of the

That morning Mrs. Rogers spent in
visiting. She needed the sympathv oi
her friends, she told herself. there arc
always enough who are ready ami viii
ing TO widen the breach between a man
ana a. ms wife, and on this occasion Mrs.
Rogers friends We're unusually helpful.
well should go, if I were in your
pace SAID one. 80 would I, if / had
TO borrow the money! said another.
III a man finds OUT that his wife is de-
termlned, he will generally come to
terms'' still another suggested ..Men
I thlnk great deal more of their business
IMAM they do of their wives, ANYWAY. -
In this congenial atmosphere Mrs.
Rogers forgot all the decencies of life as
Well as the higher obligation of LOYALTY
from wife to her husband. She told Of
past dlsagreements. and dwelt with real
pleasure on the occasions when she had
ne ner own way in spite of her husband.
me gentie, generous, dignifed and
nara-worklng Ia Mr.. Rogers became an ogre
With plethoric money-bags, a tyrant. a
bluebeard, a miser who begrudged his
iamlly the, necessaries of life. At least
this was the impression which could not
put prevail, when Mrs. Rogers had
emptied her budget of complaints. Not
that she meant to SO entirely misrepre-
| sent her husband, but, carried awav by
her desire to do as her neighbors did.
and believing that the pleasure could be
hers if her husband only thought so. if
| came to pass that it was not Mr.. ROGERS
whom she had held up to her svmpa-
thlzlng friends, but an entirely different
| man. sssa I -.e - s1-,, -
Before twelve clock Mrs, Rogers had
firmly decided to carry her point in spite
OF any such slight obstacle as her hus-
bands inability 10 supply her with
money. ua. Gfsstiss'l & s
About tive O'clock, Mr.. Rogers, who
mad been too busy to even think Of
luncheon, received the following note by
a messenger:
DEAR wILLIAM: Ihaye decided IT is abso
iutely necessary for me and the children to
nave change. | shalfborrow the amount for
our trip from brother Harry, who know will
be willing to obi ge me- i think i can sret
ready to start to morrow. IT you can let me
have the money, / shall Of course, be better
pleased than to get it in the way have men
toned. ! any case, I shall go. NARY"
On the desk in front Of Mr.. Rogers Law
s'brother Harry's" check for FIVE hun
dred dollars. Fearing he could not de-
pend upon collecting enough money to
meet note due that day, Mr.. Rogers
had borrowed the amount from his
brother-in-law. Eowsh wife informed
him that she was about to solicit a loan
from the same source. All day Mr..
Rogers had planned, and counted, and
taken IN every bit of sail that the endan-
gered business craft would stand and still
go on, and now his wife, who should be
his best friend and real helpmeet, had
proved not only indifferent to the situa-
ton, but absolutely without feeling for,
or faith in her husband.
! The messenger waited for an answer,
sas Mr.. Rogers, with flushed face and
trembling hands, fumbled over his pen
and paper. The man seemed to have
become suddenly numb and powerless.
At last he wrote as follows: -
''Do not doit. ] am already in Harry's
debt, and cannot stand any more. 1t
seems to me that as.wife who will ask her
husband to raise money for pleasure,
when she knows it is with the greatest
difficulty that he can pay his honest
debts, is fatal hindrance instead of the |
help that every honest man has right
to expect.n q
This MIR. Rogers sealed and dispatched,
and then, with a shudder of shame,
glanced over his wife's communication. |
:. In his ne1wousness and abstraction he |
had torn it up-had, previously tucked |
the check in the envelope, and now let
ter, envelope and check, torn into inch |
bits, reposed in the waste basket. Then |
Mr. Rogers put ON his hat to go to the
bank, and at last discovered that the
check was missing. Twenty minutes
past two now! Forty minutes in which
to raise five hundred dollars. This was,
bhefirsts time that Mr.. Rogers had eversF
lost his head, but it was gone now COM
pletely. Three . clock and his note
would be protested and his business
credit ruined After searching every
nook and corner of the. desk. and the
ioor under the desk, and peering into
,he most impossible places, MFR. Rogers
started for his brother-in-law' S Office. 1t
vas barely possible that he might
,e there. But no, and not a single
;riend who would be likely to oblige him
,ould be found. Twenty minutes of
hree, fifteen minutes of three, and Mr.
Rogers in despair, hurried back to his
,ffice to have another hunt for. the miss
ng check. Seven minutes of three and
brother Harry entered the. Office. Mr..
rogers seemed uow like a man petifed
t was very hard work to explain What
lad happened, but the man with clear
lead looked into the waste basket and
ound What he looked for. Then the
wo men rushed. to- the bank. and had
ust one minute and twenty seconds to
pare after the money was deposited
Lightly. seconds only between safely and
uin. .-s.s. .-.s-s.- .s-
Mr.. Rogers reeled like drunken man
fter the excitement was over, and his
was obliged to call ears
iage and take him home. Mrs. Rogers, {
nth the stains of tears upon her face
gain, was packing her. trunk, when her !
usband, leaning heavily on her brothers j
rm, entered the house. s.usSz .
Congestion of the brain," the doctors {
aid, and for long, sIongs weeks Mr.. +
.ogerss struggled YEARLY for Life and