The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-09-30
A CAR ROMANCE.
A Hot Day, an Accident, and the
Result. D..

AlI-conauerng heat. o intermit thy wrath,
And on my throbbing temples potent thus.
pesm not so fierce. e.'-Th0msOn's Seasons.
If was a warm summer afternoon.
The sun was sinking behind the tall
roofs and the shadows were falling full
halfway across the deserted street.
Not one of them appeared to be able to
stand up. They crawled, stretched out,
and in every way wrestled with the
strn decree of nature which makes,
shadows always fall; but their only
progress was toward the limpid gutter
and the granite curbstone opposite.
One grizzlrd old man with a palm-leaf
fan, white sun-umbrella, a seersucker
coat, and a contNgent reminder of
wardrobe making the usual compile
ment. was the only person visible. He
lodged forward from house to house.
pausing where the shade was thickest
and driving ahead with reckless energy
where intervening spaces let the sun at
him. He had nobody to express his
opinion to, but he was apparently
slightly displeased with the weather.
At the third corner from the place
where he was discovered by the gentle
reader, he sat down. A broad, cold
expanse of marble steps received him
and he uttered a sigh OF pleasure. Sud-
denly he got up again. The servant
had been washing the steps and had
forgotten to dry them. With a wild
despairing cry he was about to make
public the sentiment: IS Death, l am
undone,n when the cheerful tinkle of a
bell was heard. He turned and it
turned 1t came round the corner and
moved full force toward him. Attached
toit was a mule, and to the mule, a
street ear. Two minutes later, any old
resident of Philadelphia standing near
this point of vantage would have ad-
mitted that it was one of the palatial
vehicles of the Nineteenth street line.
He raised the signal of distress and
whistled to be taken on board, butfor
q moment his damp bandanna batfied
the breezes in vain. The driver. eVi-
IDENTITY did not notice him; he had the
front door open and was talking po-
ltaly-as is the habit of Philadelphia
street car drivers--but firmly to some
one inside the car. One or two pas
sengers were ON their feet, and there
seemed to be. a gmutiny in progress.
The mule, which at first seemed to be
listening to the drivers remarks with
appreciation, turned away for q mo-
ment to aim his tail at fly, and caught
sight OF the neglected fare. He hesi-
tated, waited for encouragement and
stopped. An old colored woman with
amarket basket, who had been stand
ing near the back door trying to clutch
the bell-strap, shot out into the sun and
kissed the cobblestones very suddenly;
but there was no other visible damage,
and the old gentleman and his umbrella
climbed into the car
10 marry wife, If we regard the truth.
an evil; but it is necessary eyil."-Mesl-
Gnder .Fz 4 - 4t-.,-.s &.
Bya sudden movement the mule
continued to stand still, and as it is
too hot to stand around with him.
readers who are interested may as well
come in off the hot bricks to the home
OF Archibald McFadden. They will
hnd it more comfortable still, if
they make the time about eight a. M,
when Archibald rose from his tardy
breakfast. He had no coat on, and in
stead OF palm-leaf fan, he had a fork
y his hand; but they would need no
n'roduetion to him, for he had al
ready been introduced, later in the
way pulling along the hot street, sit
sng on the wet steps and climbing into
aae Dob-tail car. He was through
aeakfasting when he rose up, for
archibald never left a good thing wh1e
+, |, msted, but he was evidently panied.
re heldthe waist band of his trousers.
Two buttons had departed and his sus-
pcaaers were left in the 1urch. Cen
seilen who have been unfortunate
slougll to have led a bachelors life,
slu ladies' who have heard them growl,
ale aware that the loss of two buttons
~ one side approaches the awful pro-
foI''ons OF fatal accident. Two but
sas SO distributed as to make one de-
gafture on each side of the meridian
q. aas are not of SO much consequence,
~ statistics show that 738 out OF
e1y i,oUD bachelors live, move and
,;aa dass 'nelr being in that perilous condi-
pa; a anyhow. But two on one side!
-. sd'h and desolation! There would be
Z ,sast three inches difference visible
eass;a L punilc IN the amount of striped
sIIs'aaere T. " on duty at the ankles.
siraos.,,lhls .,lls case, that three inches applied
Neray Nrs.iy 20 the ankles of Mr.. Archibald
aauen, and with that piercing,