The Bossier banner., 1894-04-19

counterpart OIL LnaL Wnlcn he ndQ given
to his Betty.
you've a pretty ring. monseer," he
said, with sort of catching of the
breath MAY l ask where you got it?''
"Ah, but, certainly" said the French
man. "One does not boast, but pref
ty girl gave me that. Yes, and kiss
also"
John turned as pale as his florid face
could turn. He made no answer but
marched straight out of the tap-room
and into Betty's kitchen.
She stood near the door in her holi-
day dress, with her white cotton gloves
on. The magpies were chattering over
head, and afar the church bells were
ringing.
You are going to church with me,
John?" she asked, softly and with
smile.
THAT depends" said John Leaf
Then he walked straight up to her
and looked full into her honest eyes.
"You don't look like a cheat" he
said; "but who knows woman? Take
off your gloves, Betty"
She obeyed.
where's your ring" he asked
Betty burst into tears.
Its lost, john" she said IT can
find it nowhere"
You haven't looked on monseer's
finger, then" said John "You poor
fool, to give it to him and think l
shouldn't know itr'
'Oh, I'll swear / never didr' sobbed
Betty. 81 give your ring to anyone
else! Why. John"
But he pushed her from him with his
rough hand, and would hear no word
from her; and the next day he left the
inn and enlisted once more, and was
sent away again to India And Betty
left the inn also and took service with
a farmers wife hard by; and whatever
the magpies chattered about, it was no
more of the love making that they
heard when John and Betty sat to-
gether beneath the old oak tree.
Five years went by. At last John re-
ceived letter from England, telling
him that his father was dead, and had
left all his little possessions to his only
son.
John Leafs fighting days We're over,
in any case, and he was on the invalid
list for life. He had fought as desper-
ate men do, had been commended and
promoted. and had some medals and
ribbons to show and boast of as com
pensations for wooden leg So he
went home again and settled down as
proprietor of the '.Magpie's Nest" and
was sort of hero among his neighbors,
but he was very lonely. Men do not
quite forget in five years. He could
still see Betty's buxom form fitting
about the kitchen in imagination, and
when the magpies chartered in their
nests, he could fancy that he sat with
her still under the oak branches. Then
he grew wroth with the magpies, who
seemed to mock him, and ordered his
little serving boy to tear the nests
down.
In vain the lad pleaded for the birds.
In vain he declared that, even if the
new nests went, the old one in the top
most branches should be left ''for
luck"
'If the old magpies that built that
D
eyes out in the night time," said the
boy. 'It's been known to be done
often"
But John Leaf, the soldier, had cast
away his country's superstitions
"Ill have those magpies chattering
about my ears no MORE" he said. "Up,
and leave not a nest of them all. Some
of the noisy devils will take possession
of that old rag if it is left hanging"
So the boy obeyed. He planted
ladder against the tree and then
swung out upon the branches. There
was grievous noise; and doubtless to
this day old magpies tell their children
of that massacre of the innocents at the
great oak tree. But there were no
birds to chatter and scream in that
great rag of nest which the lads
hand clutched at last. He came down
with the relic in his hand, and stood
before his master with grin.
''Eh, master! may l have all found
in the old nest?" he asked.
IF it's not magpie's egg" said
John Leaf
IL . pCGlCI Gudu tudls SdIu Glio Idus
"It's silver ring"
Let me see it," cried John Leaf, and
snatched it from his hand.
1t was the ring with which he had
plighted his troth to Betty under the
old oak, and he knew now that the
magpies had stolen it, and that the
Frenchman wore only one that re-
sembled 1t.
The first thing that John did was to