The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-06-21
The Widows Reform
Nv Keziah Shelton.
Observation-Disclosures

N0OD morning, DcHs uecH "dtG'i-
I ing with old Brigham, eh? /
xondcr if the widder-well, / s'pose
sle sin't that quite-has emmy idee
how well OFF she n Mari-Jane's goia'
{ to be?''
.yis, I've ben up all night. He'll
drop aout toward sundown, l guess.
No. don't think they know what's
waitin' for 'em, for he's KEEP a still
tongue in his head, es well es tite
rein on 'em. l kinder figgered up his
vuth while he lay a-mullin', an Is
Ae amt never spent nothin', his en-
trest must count up to nigh on twen-
" thonsan'. sure!"
alNell, well, he's ben sly, an KEEP
X from his wimmen folks an the
! 'sessors!" said a listening neighbor.
aYes, he's lived off what the widow
and Mari-Jane has earned a-taking
.sin and a-going out, and has boasted
that by SO doing he could salt his
own wages! l don't know what
1 Heaven can offer such man in place
of the pleasure he has taken here
h scrimping and 'salting,' as he
called it," chimed in one of the more
Intelligent of the neighbors.
The news of old Brigham's immi-
nent departure from his narrow
sphere here, to the unknown land
that awaits us all, was discussed at
every breakfast table in the little
neighborhood, where even smaller af-
fairs than an. occasional death in
their midst created a neighborly rip
+ PIE, that served them in place of a
ware of enthusiasm such as now and
then stirs the life stream that bears
On its bosom broader lives.
The widder's ben hard-workin'
psshunt woman, an hes bore with
him better'n should, I'm willin' to
say that, an I don't mind a-sayin' ',
= long es he's got to go whuther
I'm willin' or not, that I'm resigned,
g Old Mis- Howard said, when her
dsrter Susan's drunken coot of has-
bsnd died an Suke balled and took
On, es ef he'd ben sum use to her.
ga her mother to her: Sukie, I'm
ashamed o. 70: 'tain't rite to ball 50.
Aes better off, es the elders ben
a-tellin' on We. an the Lord knows
You bel An es fur Mari-Jane, hope
shell enj'y her freedum awhile afore
sae ties herself down to a man u
1 - own; not but what Jim Reed ;s
vel enuff, but there's good deal to
g put up with, if one has the best cf
neh. There's wus things to my mind
wan bein' left widder, or even than
oesR IN ole maid! / wonder eff they'll
uafe let Jim come to the funeral:
y oe afraid that the copse would
eome to life. an I wouldn't run nc
fesk o that, eff was her! I'd let
ven enun alone!"
At another table the father said:
1 ~ usual, Harris hez run in ON q
cAeap ticket
Ndnt git return one, though
dad, did he?"
"a, ha! that's pritty good, 'siderine
aige, Joe. But as I wuz a-sayin
- cheated the doctors an sponget
"a belonged to them an the nusses
9 his naybors who've watched an
soed him out O. pity fur poor Mis-
nam, tho they've felt like tellin
some plain truths! An there!
Mari-Jane: ole Harris hadn'
ennythin' ag' in Jim Reed, only hi
there rendered the WINNER
- about their work. as callers allu
"a. nut man needn't be a hog, if h
4 Know how! An Harris begrujet
sss:g extry ole punk an bresh that wa
q he come in to set up awhil,
z = material fur young folks to do
- the best on 'em: We mite es wei
% make water run up hill by whist
% It, es to try to change human
Ter can squelch 'em es flu
s g. can see-but don't We furgit it. We
80 to git left in the end. an tn
On his grave won't need cuttin
sss Jfm Reed will hev . rite to Gu
ore rite therel Did I ever tell y
d Brigham said when he heard tha
yhors had got hold Of his takini
8 the wimuen folkses' aT1