The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1892-09-10
A FORTUNATE ERROR.
The Happy Sequel That Grew Out
Of a Little Mistake.

The Happy Sequel That Grew Out
Of a Little Mistake.
Capt. Sprowl threw his hat on the
bed and sat down in his easy chair in
the cabin to light his pipe. Up curled
the smoke, and through it the captain
looked ruefully at the neat package
that lay on the table.
''Wbat fool was to buy that" he
thought. 'Old sextant was plenty
good enough, though I've had it nine
years. Bought it in Liverpool when
was second mate in the Julia A. Smith.
And now I've put out months earn
ings for now one. What possessed me
don't know"
And SO the captain went on.
Now Capt. Sprowl was not. rs you
might think from the name, bald
headed old man with bushy whiskers.
No. names are very misleading In
stead, he was tall and slender, with q
candy mustache, and had not a gray
hair in his head.
He came from Maine. and, although
but thirty years old. he had been for
six years captain OF the bark Edna
Dunn, which was now lying at Consti-
tuition wharf in Boston, discharging
her cargo Of sugar.
WELL" puffed the captain, nothing
to do now but to get rid of the old sex
tant. should go ashore next trip If
had two scxtants to navigate by. Must
work the old one off ON some landlub-
Der or some body"
The package was lying on an old
newspaper-a G1obe--which he had
read through and through on his last
tripout
"The very thing!" said he. ''1'll put
a notice in the paper: 'Sextant for sale
cheap and if somebody doesn't bite at
it miss my guess.
The next morning the only thing the
captain could see in the paper was this:
SExrASr for sale by q ship captain, nearly
- new and IN perfect order; will be solo cheap.
Address o Al. Globe ONCE.
And now my story's begun.
Eta Bourne had been at work in q
millinery store in Boston for nearly
two years. She and her older sister
Annie had learned the trade with the
village milliner down in Kennebunk.
But Annie, who had long been the
belle of the village, got married and
Eta concluded to try her fortune in
in Boston.
She was full of ambition.
So itfell that, in her two years in the
millinery store, she studied shorthand
and typewriting, with the intention Of
fitting herself to be confidential clerk.
One Sunday she saw in the Globe this
advertisement:
Ton sALE-Jones' Premier typewri,er 81 half
Il price. been used less than month; In per-
feet order Address o ~, Globe ONCE
Eta Bourne, being Maine Yankee.
knew a bargain when she saw it. She
wanted to own her own typewriter, and
so she wrote a brief note addressed to
20 ~, Globe Office" asking whore the
machine could be seen, and dropped it
into the letter box as she went to work
Monday morning.
The clerk was sorting the replies and
iast. ne ks,n in their appropriate
th&es Nord ne came to Eta Bourne's
letter to Kart" he read It 20 a." and
put it in tsfrpigeon hole as such.
That was q very, very little mistake,
of course; but you who have noticed
how things go M this world of ours
have discovered that the most serious
changes In TIE course of our lives'come
about from just such little happenings.
For It was that very day that Capt.
Sprowl advertised his sextant for sale.
And Capt. Sprowl was 20 IL"
Now, the tall captain was q very
busy man, and il was late that after
noon before he went to the Office to
gather in the replies from people who
were anxious to buy o scxtant But
the sextant market was apparently
rather dull, for all the clerk could give
him was one solitary letter. The cap
tain tore the envelope open and tossed
II upon the table.
81 saw your advertisement In the
Globe, read the captain II wish TO buy
a GOOD secondhand machine of standard
make and il the one you offer is in
perfect repair and the price Is satisfac-
tory, perhaps we can trade. But can
not give more than Fifty dollars; AID II
you ask moro you need not reply to
this. Send address, stating where ma
chine can be seen, to q. E. Bourne, $50
Winter street"
"well," soliloquized the captain,
"rve got one answer. anyhow. But
what does woman want OF sextant
for this is certainly woman's writ
ingl She seems to be in earnest
though. And fifty dollarsl Conscience!
I never expected to get moro than
TWENTY-FIVE dollars. Well. she'll have
70 come on board. ] suppose. 50 III
send her my address. And standing st
tbs public desk be wsotM