The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-04-10
Ethel's New Memory:

Once on time a friend ,vu..
that he had had more ebildron se ne
house all summer than he conlS = ms
sibly ''shake stick at.a Now POS.
not had so many as that; for slEkolnaa
the house was pretty full some sIo"4
could shake stick at them al I's
wished. And l did it occas;o1,.nnA
when they were very noisv ; indy
only, ! was in fun, and thew ali IA Ii
It, and therefore did not stop. Al nv
! said one day: do keep Quiet o I'M
dren, and let,me hear myself tbinL G1i'-
''Oh, yes" said Charlie, III yon ,;u
only think aloud and let US hear Won
too" Sou'
And his sister Gertie, added: ..Ya.
and please think of the little Ftbal 49,.
you used to tell us stories aboutm
Little Ethel, indeed!" replied
'Why she is seventeen years old. and
being High-Sehool senior, win not
thank you for calling her little. How.
ever, if you viii keep quiet, / will Il.
you hear me think aloud about EtheTs
Book of Remembrance.
And this is the story told them.
when Ethel was about twelve vo.r.
old she used to run into our house yerv
often, and tell us about her schoolmate:y
But, somehow, she got to telling the nm
pleasant things which they would not
like to have repeated; and we beoan r.
hear who had missed, who had been
punished, orwho had been cross. stunid.
mean and hateful, until | said at last!
Suppose you turn to the next chapter
and tell me just as many good things
about these boys and girls
81 don't remember those half "a
WELL she answered, quickly.
If that is the case, replied. Won
have a very poor memory. and the text
time | go to Boston I'll buy you new
one. 'zf5 E1Ift
'.And a day or two after that CONVEX,
sation l bought blank book with red
covers on the outside of which cot
somebody to print in gilt letters: Eth
els Book of Remembrance and this
together with two bottle'sof ink. gave
to the young girl. There's your new
memory, said L Fill it up with stories
about your classmates, if you WISH
But what's the use of two bottles
of inkp' oh, / want you to write the
good things they say or do in red ink.
and the other things in blue ink; and
be as careful to put down all the good
as well the bad.
''She promised; and to my surprise.
the new book came back in the course
of week, with simply these words on
the wrapper: All full That was
harvest concert night; and the book was
put away in my desk, where it lay un1
touched until the next Christmas eNeJ
Then I opened it, while Ethel was with
me, and found about two-thirds Of the
pages filled with red ink items, which
showed how many good things she had
recorded--a long: list of kind words aud
generous deeds, which / read aloud, as
she sat quietly on cricket by the open
fire. That's the end of the red pas
sages, said |, as | finished, 'and now for
the blue ones, which will tell me how
stupid and hateful those same children
can be!' aIsf1g
"'No, no! Don't read those she
cried. 4 am ashamed to have you see
them, and l wished [ hadn't written
them down. Give me the book, please,
without reading the rest
so / handed it to her with o smile,
and watched her great establishment at
finding one-third Of the book blank; fol-
the blue ink, which recorded the IN.
pleasant items, had entirely faded out
and left the pages almost as white AZ
they were when | bought the book.
Why she exclaimed, what doe
it meana'
% Only that had the ink made ex
pressly for you. It is called Fault-fne
er's Ink, and fades out in a few day.
If you must write down all these uF
pleasant items, be very sure and as
this kind of ink; and if you can not &c
your bottle filled up again, use water
and it will answer every purpose.
''Soon after that Christmas Ethl
moved TO another town, and / did nc
see her until I went West last yeal
She showed me the little red book, and
said she really did get a new memory
when she received that present. Ano
l think she did. For, when | asked
her about the High-School girls. she
told me how pretty this one was. and
how smart that one, and the third was
so good, and fourth SO obliging, until
/ finally inquired if they were all per
feet, and had not single fault. Thai
brought the old TIMES back TO her vesy
strongly. aud she .blushed great deal
as she replied: ~
q The blue ink that you gave me
faded out SO quickly that did not tAlnE
it paid to write the faults down on my
memory at all. So I looked for every
body's best things, and wrote these
only in my new Book OF RememJ
brance. '''-Reu. r. Mccall, IN Cbf5sssHs
Register.