St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-08-09
POLLY CROHER'S SALE STOCKINGS
A Fourth of July Story.

"Roman candles There they be, Tim,
In that blue box, on the next to the top
sshelf Not that one-that's got jaw break
- and taffy in it, nor that one-that's
NS1ap wicks. sakes alive, that amt the
a5sls now that's the box full of Polly Gro
za1Sr's stockings that there warn't no sale
Mr. silas Prime. the storekeeper, was
Erecting his clerk, while Hcsy Trimmer
4Ssited. with Fourth of July anticipations
*winkling in h 8 eyes. The storekeeper
hat on his spectacles now with great de-
liberation and surveyed the box of stock
5nes which his clerk had thrown on to the
Nounter.
ssThem had ought to q been packed
AWAY In campfire, " he said otis wonder
The moths h'aint got hold of 'em yet,
sThey've been here ever sence Thankgivin'
time. and before. Polly Cromer, she
1otted on sellin' 'em to help pay for u
wooden leg for Joe, and Joe h'ainr got his
leg yet and don't seem likely to. Nary
pair of them stockings sold !"
"What was the reasonf" asked Hosy
Trimmer.
He knew Joe and Polly Cromer. They
were about his own age and he had been
to school with them.
Their father and mother were dead, and
they lived with their grandmother. Joe's
leg had been cut off by moving machine.
and they were very poor.
sThe reason7 Why, there's SO much
machine knittin' In the market that sells
cheap. calkerlated to get sixty cents
pair for them stockings-I agreed to allow
Polly forty-and they're worth it. Gram
ma'am Cromer herself spun the yarn you
don't often get hand spinning nowerdays !;
and Polly knit 'em, and Polly amt the
kind that drops stitches. But Ia there
amt NO sale for 'em. I told Polly she
might as well take 'em home, but she said
she couldn't bear to, 'twould make Joe and
Gran'ma' am feel SO bad. Joe thinks he
could make that farm pay and keep them
all conf table IL he onlyshad two legs to
STAN on, and expect he could, too, for
he's smart and strong-There here's your
Roman candles. told you twas green
box, Tim. Better take the whole lot l
expect Beechville is goin' to have rouser
of q celebration termorrer."
Hosy looked at the Roman candles, but
the twinkle had died out of his eyes.
"How much will you take for the whole
lott No, I don't mean the Roman candles,
the stockings" he said.
"The stockings? Now you don't want
to buy lot of blue wooden stockin's for
the Fourth, do you? said the storekeepe1
with laugh. "But mebbe you've got O
tradin' bump, and declare you could
make something on them, sellin' 'em In
some places. I'll tell you what I'll do
I'll take fifty cents q pair for the six
pairs!"
''And give the three dollars all to Polly
Cromer 2" asked Hosy.
"Wen now, Master Hosy, business IL
business, and ought to get nv commits
sion, perticklerly after all the trouble I've
had shown them stockin's, but consid
erin the wilder n the fatherless, n the
trouble of keepin' them over-there
I'll agree to send the hull of the money
to Polly Tonight
Hosy drew from his pocket o great dea
of change, pennies and five cent pieces
mostly he had been saving up ever sinc'
Christmas for the Fourth Of July celebra'
ton. There were just three dollars.
And Hosy went away without so much
az torpedo with which to celebrate tn
glorious Fourth, but with half dozel
pairs of blue yarn stockings |
What should he do with themf His biz
brother, Bm, would laugh ut him If b.
should carry them home; so would hi
the Peters Settlement to spend the Fourtl
where there was something going ON.
Aurilla had said she did hope they woul'
have plenty of noise !; she dearly loved +
hear things 20 off. BIN had spent all hi
money in building fancy" hen-house
he had thought it safe to depend upol
Hosy for Fourth of July noise. Wha
would Aurilla thinkf
Hosy felt that he should do the sam
thing again, he pitied Joe and Poll.
Cromer so much but nevertheless 1t CAV
him cold chills to think of cIackles
Fourth Of July, and those stockings wer
q white elephant on his hands. He 90
down behind big tree and opened tn
box. The stockings were all too large 70
him or for Bim. but he couldn't thro,
them away or bury them; he had to
much Yankee thrift for that. he thre'
away the box and stuffed the stocking
into his pockets; he was glad that he ha
always insisted upon having plenty {
pockets; one pair would 60 into each, an
If the pockets did bulge nobody woul
think 1t strange. Hosy's pockets were ar
to bulge; and now they would think {
torpedos and crackers, and expect
glorious Fourth to come out of tho
pockets.
"Halloo, Hosy |" called voice as Hos
emerged from his retirement behind ii
tree trunk. you're just the Teller v
were looking for"
Nate Greedy and Hal Fenton and Boise
Forbes were coming along.
"Don't you think it's mean shame Il
that lazy old sexton not to ring the be
till almost seven o'clock Fourth of Jul
morningf And then he just tolls
smoking his pipe all the time |" said Bo
sey Forbes In an excited manner.
Last year folks thought twas tollir
because Danny Raft, who was hundre
was dead" said Nate Greedy.
at is too bad" said Hosy. He felt
II he had no right to criticize Sandy Do'
Titles bell ringing since he could mot eve
fire cracker in his country's honor.
"Too bad We amt going to stand 1t
said Hal Fenton. Were going to get Il
start Of Sandy and ring that bell befo
Eve O'Clock to morrow morning-ring
lively, tool We're going into the chnra
tonight when it's open for the pray
meeting, and stay ali night. II Beecl
vile isn't walked up early tomorrow
won't be our fault You will come, wol
your"
Hosy thought he would. He didn't iii
TO sneak into the church In that way, b
It YVES his opinion that Sandy Dooliti