The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-12-09

tildt uity IL ndyCdfl, WITH Two DiS WOEh-
horses, stood drawn up before the
fashionable. establishment. The bottom
of the cart was strewen thickly with
fragrant hay, while old Farmer Miller,
in his shirt-sleeves, held the reins.
Cynthia Adams was one of the last to
leave the school-room. Who can de-
scribe her astonishment when, upon
gaining the yard, she beheld Wild
Becky standing upon horse block and
actually inviting those city girls to
'hitch on" Most of the scholars
looked as Mortified as Cynthia expected,
but Millie King and four or five other
jolly souls tumbled in for the fur Of it.
Farmer Miller shouted to Miss 1eters
that he'd bring 'em home safe and
sound afore bedtime, and, cracking his
whip, they were soon rattling down
the hill, the girls getting such shake
up as they had never had before; but
they held on to the poles like monkeys,
filling the way with their merry shouts
and laughter. and by the time they had
reached the long winding road through
the pine woods they were thoroughly
enchanted with their novel mode OF
riding.
Such queer, homely house as it was
before which they stopped! Becky
didn't try to hide any part of it, but
made them welcome to the whole, and
to the great barn. too, with its number
less hiding places, initiating them at
once into the most approved way OF
sliding down hay-mows and riding on
the barn doors. She took them across
the meadows to the stream. with the
little grove beside it, and there they
fished for trout; not that they caught
enough to boast of, for only the most
venturesome of fishes would bite in
that uproar of voices When they got
tired of that sport they chased the colts
in the orchard and hunted out the
squirrels, with whom Becky carried on
such droll ke-believe conversation
that the girls. as they said. ''almost
died of laughing" The sun was get
ting low and the grass was all purple
with shadows when she brought out a
table and said that they would have
their supper under the shade of q great
butternut tree.
'This is the time they'll laugh" p"
thought Becky; "but let 'em.: Icouldn't
get up a genteel tea to saws my life,
and l shan't try"
And sure enough-'the girls did
laugh. To see such great solatters OF
smoking hot sweet corn. ssuch huge
pitchers of creamy milk. s,lch stacks
of freshly picked berries, was enough
to make any hungry girl Laugh. and in
a way very pleasant to Fear. Then
followed shakedown on she smooth
floor of the barn. accomplished by the
aid of Farmer Miller, who gnistled the
tune of ''Over the Hills and Far Away
from the corn-bin. 1t wasl't until the
young moon shone out cleag and silvery
that the young girls found: themselves
in the haycart riding brissly forward
to the school.
81 believe / never had ss,eh good
time in my life before" CRIED Millie.
as she saw, with regret, tlse outline oi
| the building through the tsees.
'.Nor 1, nor /, nor L, Vas heard in
answer.
Farmer Miller recognizsd one of the
voices. and blessed it in ksss heart. II
was Wild Becky's. AS ths others left
them she crawled over ts her grand
fathers side and laid hefshand, warm
from the grateful grasp Of the school
girls. on his arm.
This started better stats of things
with Becky. She begansto truly like
the girls, then she lovedsone or two
dearly in true schoolgirl fashion; ant
to be worthy of their lows she tried tc
improve her manners. Next came
ambition in her studies, snd, as under
it all lay deep affectiols for the goos
grandfather, she came ost at the enc
of the year one of the Brightest. hap
pest girls in the school,
There were outbreaks of mischie
now and then. AS the GID man roaret
to the teacher one dav. @'She couldn'
be tanned all at once;" but this littl'
! girl had at last found the golden key
And so, in Frightening she lives of th'
unhappy, and in making sunshine TO
all. Becky became, in time, lady il
every sense of that msused term. -
| ChicG1o Tribune.