The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-04-16
IN PARENTHESIS.
A Conversation Incident to a Ger
tain Morning Call.

The scene is an elegant drawing-room
in a large city of the Northwest. Mrs.
Newrich is making a morning call upon
Mrs Van Highton, who exclaims, in her
most gushing manner:
Il am delighted to see you in such
exuberant health and spirits, my dear
Mrs, Newrich. How is your charming
family2'
20, sorter middlin'. Pretty well tired
out with Serafiny, who's gettin' ready
to be married, and is a-pesterin' us to
pieces about her trosser. She don't
seem to think nothin' here is good
enough for her. and wants everything
from Paris. Her par says if this we'd
ding don't land us in the poor-house he
shall bless his stars. Girls is awfully
expensive and unreasonable.
'But you, with your millions, need
not mind few thousands lavished on
that lovely girl.n aside "What a
shame to throw away fine clothes and
costly jewelry upon that tallow-haired,
freckled, dull-eyed, scrawny. stupid
creature! No man would think of mar
rying her if it were not for her father S
money,"O E
Il s'pose my husband is rich as Gre
osus, but that don't keep him from
groanin' over the money it takes to keep
up the style we live in. :. He wants it in
land and stocks, where it will be bringin'
in somethin' The more he has, the
more he bankers arter"
"He knows that here in the North
west the dollar is almighty. Therefore
he wisely reaches out for it in all direc-
tions, replies Mrs. Van Highton,
suayely, with this mental commentary:
Giles a cold -blooded, horrid, rascally
old Shylock, bound to have his pound
OF flesh; and everybody says so.'O
"Uriah says that money is the one
thing needful in this world" remarked
Mrs. Newrich; "that nobody can't be
nothin' without it.
"a very wise observation returns
Mrs. Van Highton, adding, beneath hel
breath, CHE certainly can not. won.
der if he has forgotten The time when
ne worked as day laborer on the rail
road and his wife boarded the hands
and did their washingP'') Thinking il
well to change the subject, sore one
to her just then, she said, sweetly: 81
hear that you have been investing some
what largely in paintings and statuary
knowing your aesthetic tastes, am
anxious to see these rare works of art. ,
''Yes. we have. When we was in
1urrup last year we bought lots ot
statutes and picturs of the ole
marsters -and good many articles oi
virtue, as Serafiny calls 'em."
Mrs. Van Highton, aside-("A great
deal goa know of the old masters! Yor
have no doubt been wofully taken in
and it serves you rightly
I'VE bought 'em in job lot, and o.
art connoshers, who swore that they
were geniwin. They orter be, consid
erin the money they cost
''Will you kindly name some of the
paintings?"
There's Madonny with heavenl,
cherlbubs by Rattle, seulptur piece BY
ira Dlavolo, Venus arisin, from thu
sea oy Leonard Winchy, and lots ot
other high-up things by old fellers witt
outlandish names that | disremember
ano couldn't pronounce nohow. Sera
my pegs me never to try. She can tel
ge all about EN-. She reads the ar
BOOKS and has the art linoo at ba,
tongues end, She says she wouldn't
give house-room to picture painted II
have heard that your daughter i,
most admirable art connoisse1r !,
'Fretentious mink! She doesn't know
liie Greeks from the Romans. She car
not tell an old master from a tea-stor,
chromo.' was Mrs. Van Hiobton,,
Mghsa ..m criticism; but shessaid, blandlv
a NOW proud you must be of youl
uaaShters accomplishments
= ~ smile OF gratified maternal yanit,
NNradlated the broad. red face of Mrs
Sewrlch. Yes, Serafiny knows /,
heap' she said; ''but she has no ide,
o. the yalew of money, and | can't trns
ner 70 buy things, promised to sho,
with her this mornins, and I g,a,,et - n h,
son I've ten thousand other thing
with Your large establishment an,
ratended pe le visiting list your time must b
more than occupied. y
WITH housekeeper to see to THINGS
anu q corpse of trained servants. I hay,
nothing to do to home but To DIV,
oIaers' But my outside duties is fre
to-day" pio'"" ~