St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-07-13
THE PRICE OF the =.
=. BARkER'S RABBITS
BY Carrot W. Rankin.

THE Bankers lived in little house
surrounded by big garden, about
midway between the high school build
ing and the church; and the little
Bankers always took decided interest
in whatever happened to be going on
in either establishment. If concert
was given in the schoolhouse, the little
Bankers gave one as nearly like it as
possible in their barn. If there was
q wedding at the church, the little
Bankers promptly duplicated it upon
the side porch of their house. Little
Katherine's baby doll had done duty
At SO many christenings that even its
own mother couldn't remember the
names it had accumulated.
Nothing ever "stumped" the little
Bankers. No imitation was ever too
difficult. Their Salvation Army was,
In their own opinion at least, a trifie
better than the real one that nightly
paraded the streets; and as for their
circus-but mere words could not ade-
quately describe that circus. 1t is
enough to say that no one who saw it
ever forgot it.
The older children outgrew these
pastimes in the course Of years. Alice
developed into a most proper young
woman, and no one would have suspect
ed that dandifed Harold's principal
ambition had once been to shine as
chimney-sweep. Katherine abandoned
the doll of many names, and grey into
4 stately and rather solemn young
person of Is, and it fell to Tom and
Grace to keep the neighborhood in
cheerful frame of mind. They did their
duty nobly, however, and managed to
have proper and easily shocked Alice
upon pins and needles most of the
time.
Mrs. Highcrest, the wife of the bank
er, who lived opposite the Bankers in
. big, beautiful house, furnished them
with many valuable ideas; and her
most gorgeous entertainments were
faithfully copied, down to the minutest
details. But as Grace and Tom grew
older, they, too, began to grow dis
satisfied with mere Limitations, and
to long for real weddings and funerals,
and real receptions, with something
more substantial in the way of re-
freshments than imaginary ice cream.
When Mrs. Highcrest entertained
distinguished novelist for a whole
week, giving dinners, and finally
huge reception to HMM spite of his
protests, for he was modest lion
the little Barkers were green with
envy. Mrs. Barker attended one of the
dinners; Alice and Harold were in
vited to the reception, but the only
invitation vouchsafed by Mrs. High
crest to the little Bankers was an
urgent one to remain upon their own
side of the street while these festiv-
tiles were in progress.
But Tom and Grace had reasons for
wishing to meet the novelist. Grace,
all unconscious that such speech
might be uncomplimentary was long
ing to tell the writer that she thought
the cover of his book was extremely
pretty, but that she didn't care great
deal for the story; while Tom, who
intended to be a novelist himself, in
order to have dinners given for him,
wanted to find out how the thing was
done.
Consequently, when Mr.. Barker dis
covered in the celebrity one Of his own
almost forgotten college mates, and
invited the great man to prolong his
stay for the purpose of paying him
visit and talking over old times, there
was Joy in the little Barkers' hearts.
Mrs. Barker, however, was not quite
so jubilant. She knew the resources Of
the little Bankers. Alice, for the same
reason, did considerable quaking in
her shoes; and Harold took it upon
himself to read his young brother and
sister a series of lectures upon eti-
quette in general, with a few i'm
promptu remarks upon the treatment
of celebrities in particular.
For the first three days all went well;
then Grace had an Inspiration. An in
spiration in Grace's hands was about
as safe as giant powder in q match fac
tory, and upon the appearance of the
first symptom Of anything like an in
epiration, Grace was usually ban
ished to bed. before the microbe should