The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-08-17


rags. L got very pretty. tings in my
basket. Laty, any old clos, old shoes
anything else, laty? Little laty, want
pretty tings out NV my basket"
''Here's a frock," said Fanny, "and Il
vest of Uncle Johns, and shawl of
mas"
"Ah!" grunted the man. "The frock
is no good-not worth nothings. The
vest was no use nit me- The shawl was
leetle peter, laty. Vot you want for
him."
IL want pretty vase" said Fanny.
"Ah! leetle laty," said the peddler,"
81 makes no monish nit you-you too
hard on me. Veil, veil, 1 takes de
clos. Dey ish worth nothing, most
nothing, laty, and 1 will give you dis
vase. make myself poor bargain, leetle
laty. Ughl make no monish NIT you;"
and with innumerable jerks and moves
and gesticulations he thrust little vase,
with very gaudy pattern printed on the
front, into the child's hand and began to
gather up the articles from the floor
where he had dropped them.
Just then l happened to glance through
the window, and saw to my chagrin two
of my most fashionable acquaintance
coming up the street; and really, for the
moment, l would not have cared how
much the man had cheated me, so that /
got him out of the house before they came
up. He did go at last, although he
came back after they were in the hall to
say:
"Next time you has peter tings, lady;
then we make peter bargains. l make
no monish nit you this day, laty. Good
by. l come next week-den you hash
peter tings."
At which speech Mrs. Japonica rolled
up her eyes and asked me what the man
meant; and Miss Cornelia Japonica
''wondered l didn't move nearer Fifth
avenue, where | would not be subject to
the intrusions of such people"
The Japonicas stood a good while and
talked away about all manner of fashion
able nothings-the last concert and the
last party at Mrs. Highfyer's - how
sweetly Screeholini sang, and how Gle
gantly Miss Wilkins was dressed the other
day. By the time they went Clara and |
Rosa and Dick were home from school, |
and Fanny was crying for lunch. So |
my time was pretty well occupied for an !
hour or more, and forgot all about the |
old peddler until Rosa began to fidget |
about the room and rummage my work |
box and desk for something she had lost.
''What are you looking for, Rosa?" l |
said, rather impatiently, as she overset a
box of cotton. 81 wish you would be
more careful"
ats all Fanny's fault, ma 1 told her
not to touch it till l came home" an
swered Rosa.
81 don't care, said Fanny; sit was
mine, too"
at was more mine" said Rosa, ''be-
cause I'm the biggest-warn't it, MAJ"
"What are you speaking off," / in
quired. "What was more yoursl"
"Why, the money pa gave us to play
store with" said Rosa. "The bank-bill,
you know, ma"
Psalter had received bad SIS bill some
time before, and, after marking it with
red ink, had kept it in his pocketbook
until a few days before, when he gave it
to the children as a plaything. 1 had
seen it in Fannys hand that very morn
ing, just before the clothes man passed
the window, and the moment remem-
bered that guessed where the note had
vanished.
"Did you have 1t when you saw your
little vase in the mans basket, Fanny" I
said
"Oh yes, ma" said Fanny. Il recol-
lect now, put it on the hall table when
| opened the door. Ill go and look
there"
She went. but of course didn't find Il
| do declare l had to laugh when l
thought how disappointed the old ped