The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-05-11

r.
sitting alone in the dinnino-room in tn,
middle of the big dining-table. surround
ed by all the pickle and marmalade lar
and fruit cans and catsup bottles ant
jam pots out OF the store-room. For i
was the monthly ghouse-eleanine day
ana the store-room fell to Lefty 5 share
the foreign help being gifted with tor
great talent for smashing and breaking
70 say nothing.of an equally great talen,
TOT aostractlng and devouring botf
sweets and sours.t Lefty spran9 from
the lounge. thrust. her feet into her slip
pers, and fastened where duty had beer
calling her for some time. Baby sat. q.
good as gold, nursing a bottle of tomato
sauce, snugly wrapped in dish-towel
In the very spot where she had been
when Kicks ring summoned her sister
to the door. Only one small flask Law
broken on the floor, filling the air with
! the subtle fragrance of garlic, "Thal
won't be missed, y said Lefty. "Thank
fortune, there is no worse miscbiet
| aone. But the thank was scarcely
uttered when her eyes fell upon the last
jar OF the famous peach marmalade, the
secret OF the making of which died with
grandmamma, and which was being
carefully kept for Aunt Emory's (Aunt
Emory was an old maid worth thirty
thousand edoHars) birthday. There Il
stood directly in, front of Baby. with
more than half of its thick paper hat torn
| OH, and yawning cavity made in its
precious contents by little scooping fin
gers.
30, Baby, why couldn't you have
taken any jar but that?', asked Lefty.
reproachfully and dramatically.
But Baby evidently had no excuse to
offer for not doing so, for she kent on
Grooming to her bottle-doll, while her
sister hastily fashioned another paper
hat and tied it securely over what re-
manned over the original covering.
Then said Baby, = Rick tiss I-nice
Rickr'
Q, that is what he was doing when she
foolishly imagined he was waiting for
her to come and imp1ore his forgive
ness-bidding good-by to Baby. She
might have known it, for he had always
loved Baby dearly. -
Yes, Baby, nice Rick, good Rick.
dear Rick, but for all that, the ring he
gave me goes back to him tomorrow
unless hear from him tonight How
dare he wish that we had never met?''
But she did not hear from him that
night, and the next day the little band
OF gold was released from it's hiding
place in her thick brown hair, and too
faithful messenger placed it in Rick's
hands as he left his place of business.
But. ah! what silent, sorrowful maiden
wandered about the Lounsberry dwelling
thereafter! what a listless, weary voice
repeated the nursery rhymes that BABY
demanded fifty times day!
+" No nice-no moro, said Babv.
missing the merry tones and the happy
laugh.
But Mrs. sLounsberry was not at all
displeased with the turn affairs had fax
en-. Brougham Brown suited her much
better asa prospective son-in-law than
Richard Creighton. One was wealthy
young brewer, the. other poor clerk in
a counting house. $3.50
:" Lefty will soon get over it, she
said to Letty's father, whose heart ached
at the sight of his daughters sad face.
g A first-love disappointment is ALWAYS
hard to bear for while. / thought
should have died when Stephen Ford |
married my cousin, but didn't; lived
% marry you, and l have seal-skin
cloak and Mrs. Ford hasn't even q
acket.n
And so Brougham Brown, who was
'eally manly, generous, good-hearted
ellow in spite Of his beer and wealth.
encouraged by the maternal head of the
lonse, began devoting- himself in the
most ardent fashion to Lefty, and she,
eeing her mother pleasure thereat
md hearing no word from Rick, received
us attentions in a passive, unresponsive
way. ss.... s.
Three months went by, and it was
aunt Emory's birthday, and that eccen-
ric old lady had decided to divide it
mong the family, lunching with one
ortion, dining with another, and sup
ing with third. The lunch party was
iven at her sister Letitia's (Mrs. Louns-
erry, and some halfa dozen old friends
nd some dozen relatives were hidden
} the feast. Lefty, in sea a-green gown
Rick's favorite gown, with spray of
ink hyacinths (Rick's favorite spring
ower) in her hair, went quietly about
'elcoming the guests, Brougham Brown
slowing her like her shadow, until
inch was announced. Then taking her
lace at the table, the young man still J
ear her, she raised the cover from and !
ipped spoon into the last jar of grand
Iamma's famousp spesch fnarmalade (she
nd had it placed before her, trusting to {
} able to hide the mischief Baby had |
one, when somebody said, addressing
er mother: sHave you heardthat Rich s
d Creighton is going abroad for his
salthp He has given up his situation,
I'd sails in day Ortwo. They say he |
IS failed fast lately" q
And the very next moment Aunt I
mory fixed her spectacled eyes upon I
" niece's poor pale face, and asked,
arply: whats the matter, child?I
. YOU sees anything dreadful in the, a
7eets?'' i
mo, ma am answered Lefty, with S
pitiful attempt at q smile, when the b
DON struck something harder than pre- b
rved peaches should be. III
.sLet me help you,' said Brougham; c
d with one turn of his wrist he placed b
-.