The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1883-12-28

L nave no time 10 make a dime for
myself, how maRy little things l
have to perplex me-oh psbaw,
What do you want me to be SO fool
ish tor,' bursting out airesh. And
away started Eugene second time,
but not to escape SO easily. In the
hall he was met by bis little daugh-
ter Pearl, bright-cyed rosy cheek
ell girl ten years old.
AOh Papa, do give me two bitsr
"WMt I.
~ want two bits Do please give
IL to me.n
"What in the world do you want
ii fori'
~ want to buy mo a hoop. Laura
Taylor has got one, and so has
Georgia Roberts. Mr.. Bromberg
has got some pretty ones to sell.
Mayn't get onei'
"Nonsense, l can't afford to be
buying hoops for you to trundle
about the Streets
sPlease, papa. please sir.n
"No, tell you.'
The bright eyes we're filed With
tears, aud as her sobs broke on his
ear, Eugene hurried from the house
with some very impatient words
upon his lips.
This was In the morning. At
noon when he came to dinicr there
was cloud over the household.
His wife was serious, aud he was ST.
lent, and even little Pearl, usually
80 gay and blitbsome, was sad and
still. But these things could not
last long in that household, for the
husband aud wife loved each other
devotedly and were really ut heart
kind and forbearing.
When Eugene came home to tea
Lille greeted him with u kiss and
in u moment the sunshine had come
back, and had the hsscn ended
there the husband might have fan.
cied he had done nothing wrong,
that the cloud had been but the
exhalatlon of q domestic fer1nent
for which no one was particularly
responsible, though be might not
Danish the conviction that woman's
fashions were not u nuisance, as
well as u draft upon husbands
pockets.
After tea Eugene lighted his pipe
and walked out. He had gone but
a few steps when bo met Pearl. In
her right hand she dragged an old
hoop which had been taken from a
dilapidated flour barrel, while with
her left she was rubbing her red
and swollen eyes. She WAS in deep
grief, for she was sobbing painful
ly. He stopped his child and asked
her what was the matter. She an.
swered as we'll rs her sobs would
let her, that the other girls had
laughed at her, and made fun OF
her hoop, they had, all, nice pretty
hoops while hers was old, common
and ugly.
"Ncver mind,' said Eugene, pat
ting his little darling on the head,
for the chlld's grief touched bin,
"perhaps you'll have q new hoop
too, some time.p
"Mayn't l have one now, papai
Mr.. Bromberg has but one left, aud
its such a pretty one.n
The sobbiDg had ceased as the
child caught her fathers hand ca.
gcrly.
"Not now, Pearl, not now, I'll
think of il though"
Sobbing again, the child moved
on towards home dragging her old
hoop after her.
Presently Eugene met some Of
bis friends on Royal street.
swell, Eugene, what's upf
"Nothing particular"
"What do you say 10 a game Of
billiardsr
"Good, rm in for that.o
And away went Eugene to the
Battle House billiard saloon, where
he had glorious time with his
trends. He liked billiards. it was
a healthy, pretty game, and Capt.
Charpentier allowed no bad conduct
in the hall. They had played four
games; Eugene had won two aud
his opponent, Blackman, had won
two. "That's two and two, says B.,
what do you say to one more, the
loser to pay forall and the treats at
the bar n
"All right, 60 on,7 said Eugene,
full of animation. Another fifth
game was played. 1t was an excl
ting contest, both made capital
shots, but in the end Eugene was
beaten by three points, and with a
light laugh he went up to settle the
bill, which, with the treats, came to
one dollar and a half. Not much for
such sport, and he payed the bill
with a good graces
"Have cigar" says Blackman.
"Yes.n
They lighted their cigars aud
sauntered back to the saloon to look
at the players. BY aud by Eugene
found himself seated by q table at
which some OF his friends were play
| ing, and close by him stood two
gentIemen--both strangers to him.
one of them was explaining to the
other the. mysteries of the game.
Alt is a healthy pastime,n said he
who had been explaining. the game,
.sand one which h's no evil tenden-
cics.p