The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-01-19
BENTON LA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1893

swell, I'll take that money laid up
before | was married out of the bank,
| and when your payday comes you will
put every cent of your money into the
bank
"Well, l will-on your bookr
| 'Oh, no. that would spoil every thing.
Promise me you won't ever try to re-
| place my money!
"Well, ! promise" said Mr.. Delame-
| ter, laughing at her earnestness
Then he looked thoughtful for sew
eral minutes.
How long must the experiment last,
to convince you?"
''Well, | think a month would do,
don't you?"
Il think it would" he answered drily.
Mr.. Delameter forgot his agreement
till just as he was being paid off the
next night. and then, being a man of
his word, he stopped on the way home
and emptied his pockets into the Golfers
of the bank, carrying away with him a
solitary nickel, which he had over
| looked, in the pocket where he kept his
ear fares. Then the whole affair
| slipped from his mind
The next morning he parted with the
nickel to the car conductor with cheer
| full Inconsistencies, and realized not
| that he was penniless.
He was opening his lunch box at
| noon, when, as luck would have it,
there suddenly appeared before him a
| friend of his boyhood days who had
! grown rich and aristocratic in the years
since they had met. Mr.. Delameter, in
an exuberance of hospitality, immedi-
diately conducted him to the highest
priced restaurant in the vicinity, ordered
a dinner in keeping with the place, leis-
urely discussed it with his friend, and
at its close complacently drew forth
and opened his pocketbook. His feel
| ing at that interesting moment may be
better imagined than described, as the
novelists say.
That night he was glum all supper
time, and afterwards buried himself in
| the day before's newspaper till bedtime.
| When morning came, he fingered about
after breakfast was over, with no os-
| tensible reason, at last made feint of
|
"Oh, by the way" he said, with a
fine air of carelessness, 81 had to bor-
row some money yesterday"
''Ilow much?" asked his better half,
with little blush
Five dollars"
'What for?" trembled on Mrs. Della
meters lips, but she did not say it. She
simply handed him the exact sum.
Il guess you'd better let me have a
little for car fares while you're about
| its
A ten-cent piece was carefully select
| ed and laid in his palm.
Mr.. Delameter did not forget his
straitened condition that day. He re-
membered it, of course, when he sent
the bill to his friend; he felt it when
he passed a fruit stand on which were
displayed some particularly fine
oranges; it was recalled to his atten-
ton when the little lame boy with
candy made his usual rounds of the
office; it was painfully present to his
mind when a man with subscrip-
tion paper whereon figured the name
OF Delamcter came to collect the
money subscribed: and the lack was
keenly appreciated when he had to
forego buying his usual evening paper.
The third day he braced up. and
with a reluctance he was wholly una
ble to conceal requested the means
wherewith to buy pair of light trous-
ers. He secretly decided to go without
| the necktie and socks he had intended
getting at the same time till another
month, and as the garment was of
cheaper quality than he had originally
thought Of having he had enough to
carry him through the day.
The fourth day was Sunday. Mr..
Delameter thought Of the contribution
box, and decided he wouldn't attend
church. His head felt badly, he said.
The fifth day the grocer called at the
office for his pay, and Mr.. Delameter,
mumbling something about pocket
book and ''other pants" sent him to
the house, though In former days he
| had pooh-poohed the idea of that being
the more convenient way, and had de-
creed that the grocer should come to
the Office for his money.
The sixth day Mrs. Delameter, with
unlooked-for generosity, gave him fifty
cents when he asked for car fare, and
on the strength of this he hailed man
with straw berries, on the way home at
night, bought two boxes, and found he
was six cents short
| The seventh day Mr.. Delameter real
lied that the experiment was not work.
ing quite in the way he meant it should,
so he pulled himself together and bold
ly asked for ten-dollar bill.
What for?' queried his wife, as
though with an effort.
"I-wel, l want to get a pair of
| boots"
Mems boots come high, don't
they?" faltered Mrs. Delameter, with
an artificial smile, as she opened her
poclletbook.
"Oh, the boots won't be more than
four dollars, probably, but guess can
make away with the rest"
| Mrs. Delameter hesitated, blushed
bit Ler lip, then slowly handed out
two two-dollar bills and silver ha,f
dollar
| Il guess that will do Won this time >;