The Bossier banner., 1894-09-06

| my iiCAeCo lu dlT. DuL at leaSL Uno
awful want from which he and his lit
tie sister and his sick mother were all
three suffering would be appeased for
short time.
FIFTY cents meant SO muchl Ten
cents would buy lots of bread. Twenty
cents would buy good deal of meat
And then there would be twenty cents
left. And that for tomorrow might
stave off actual starvation at least an
other day.
Then, if has father really stopped
drinking, he might stay sober again
| for month, and even longer, and get
| work, and change all this awful fam
inc and trouble into at least compara-
| tive comfort and peace. And that lit
| tie girl, with the dancing eyes and the
breezy, yellow hair, would somehow
have brought the whole happy change
| about!
AS he thought this thought the pale
| boy, speeding to his miserable home a
few streets away, blessed that same
little girl from the lowest deeps of his
grateful and astonished heart.
Meanwhile Millie went buoyantly
on. with the old crumpled rose on her
hat bobbing up and down in the sum-
mer wind.
Soon she met two girls who seemed
to be quarreling. One was larger than
! the other and appeared to be very old
indeed, She was possibly sixteen
years old, while her companion could
not have been more than fourteen.
II won't go back home, Kate" said
the younger girl, who was pretty,
with face pink as seasheu and
great liquid eyes, full of dark, starry
shadow. Fathers drunk half the
year. OF course / love mother, but
she's always got the young ones to
mind. No, I'll earn my own living the
| best way l can"
''Susie!'' cried the other girl, with a
horrified accent.
eyes. l will! Oh! you go along,
Kate. l know what I'm talking about.
Amt I got first-class chance?"
NO; it's wrong"
Wrong? Oh! go along with your
notions. Won't the Bowery Paradise
give me eight dollars week 20 dance
| only about a halfhour every night in
the new pantomime? I'm to be one of
the Moonlight Fairies. Why, Kate,
just think! My dress'll be all white
lace and silver, and a pair o. silver
wings and spangled slippers and a
wand and big half-moon on the top
o. nv head!'
Don't go, Susie!' urged Kate. It'll
bring you into bad company"
Bad company! Any worse than my
| father-drunk most always?"
Your mother needs you at home"
Kate persevered. ut would break her
| heart for you to run away and leave
her.
But she won't let me join the show
if | keep on living at home, said Susie,
with an obstinate pout.
"She's right; she's right, Susie Oh!
say, do give up all this! What are
your little brothers and sisters going
to do without you? Why, they can't
never go out at all if you go. No more
play for them-oh! say, Susie"
just then Millie paused and looked,
with her infantile candor, full into the
faces of the two girls.
I'm going to have green peas for
dinner to-day, am. I've been good
and my mothers cooking the green
peas now"
Instantly the attention of the two
| was caught by the child's confidence
and beauty.
'Ain't she funny little thing?" said
Kate, kneeling beside the child.
Il amt always good" said Millie
gravely.
''Oh. guess you amt ever very bad
are you?" said Susie, looking down,
her pout lost in amusement, so facile
was her disposition
Millie pondered this seriously for
three seconds.
Il fret and worry my mother, she
replied, conscientiously, and looking
down with shame and wonder whether
her elders would speak to her after
such confession. Both girls laughed
with delight in the child's pretty sim
plicity.
Its very wrong for little girl to
fret her mother that's what my
mother says" said Millie, stoutly per-
sisting.
And what if you was a big girl?"
said Kate, not looking at Susie.
mo matter if was as big-as big"
Mile paused and her eyes roved for a
comparisons big as the engine
house." she ended, surprised by her
own imagination of attaining such
size.
You dear little girl. Whose girl
are you?" said Susie, trying to clutch
and kiss the child.
But at the tone of praise all Miles
Joy came rushing back to her.
But now I'm good-and I'm going
toshare green peas for dinner!" cried
Millie, skipping with delight past
Susie's reach, and then strutting i'm
portantly away.
AS the girls watched her their faces
were sweet with smiles of delight and
humor-smiles that gave them again
for few moments the looks of their
less troubled childhood. When Kate,
turning, caught this look on Susie's
face, deeper satisfaction came into
her own