The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-09-07


ing, half-hour or so"
Tom gave her an apprehensive look.
| well, you see them warm mornings /
thought it wouldn't make any difference.
| You sec"
But isn't bargain a bargain?" she
asked, calmly. "You know you agreed
to be here every morning at half past six
and don't you think had right to ex-
pect you at that timer may be wrong,
but it scents to me it was none of your
business what the weather was"
"Oh, we'll, if you look at it that way
-"
"And another thing" she interrupted
him, in the same even tone. Yesterday
morning you left the furnace with only
a very little coal in it. saying you would
come back after breakfast. am afraid
your mother was worse, or you certainly
would have come, especially as it was
such cold day"
| "N-no, ma'am, mother wasn't worse,
but--Tll tell you. One of our neighbors
came in and wanted me to put up her
stove-just thank-you job--and
thought just for once maybe it wouldn't
BIZ any hardship for you to put on a
shovelful or two, till"
mo hardship at all, assure you, for
| didn't do it. was out most of the day
+! and all the evening. Didn't you find the
FIRE rather low when you came in the
EVENING""
eyes, ma'am, but | coaxed it TIP as
we'll as could, and l thought it would
be-"
II imagined so, for the house seemed
cold to me when / came in. Don't you
think it is little below normal this
morning, even?"
She led him into the dining room; it
| was as cold as sawmill Perhaps il
would be as we'll to go down now and
see what can be done to improve mat
ters," she said, and with the same dan
gerous sweetness of manner she opened
the cellar door and followed close be-
hind him down the stairs.
"Oh! Oh! Ohr'
At the foot of the stairway Tom stop
ped, pale, speechless, overwhelmed. The
cellar was flooded with water, and q
small cataract was still pouring into it
The water-pipe had burst.
Mrs. Byrd, close beside him, uttered &
cry of fresh dismay. Bad as the situa-
ton had been fifteen minutes earlier, il
was worse now. Her voice reused Ton
from his stupor, and he splashed away
through the water to the cutoff, turned
it, and so stopped the rush. Then h
waded to the furnace; it was freless
and had been so since the night before
There, staring him out of countenance
was the vacant space into which he hat
promised to put pane two weeks ago
Il thought few more day
wouldn't matter-and wasn't expecting
the freeze yet, and anyhow put boart
against it last night 1t must hav,
blown in," he muttered, trying to ex
cuse himself
"And you are the one that never wen
back on bargainp'
| Some of Mrs. Byrd's friends had neve
seen her angry, but she had her full
share of human nature, and now sh
was fairly ablaze with wrath and scorn
Her tone and the look she gave Ton
made him burn with shame. Their
could be no possible doubt about he
opinion of him, and for the first tim
in his life he felt that it was the opinion
he deserved.
Never went back on a bargain!" sh
repeated "You never did anything else
knew your record, but | thought yo
might have learned lesson at last, so
gave you one more chance; and this
the use you have made of it You hav
cheated every friend recommended yo
to. Even patient Judge Grey could nc
put Up with your dilly- dallying! Yo
are an out-and-out swindler from frs
to lastp'
"No, ma am, l amt! Excuse me, br
|. | ain'tp He came and looked straigf
, into her angry eyes. There was a me-
: sort of dignity in his respectful tone an
in his pale face Il was, but my luck
changed, and amt now"
Go! | have no patience for an
, more experiments. Cor
r He went meekly up the stairs. Sh
, followed him slowly, with the uncon
, Portable feeling every sensible perso
has after a fit of anger; she had sal
more than the occasion called for B,
sides, there had been ring of sincerii
in his voice and a look in his eyes tn;
| added to her discomfort.
, When she reached the kitchen TOT
was at the door, ready to go out. H
t faced her, and in a businesslike tor
| said the most unexpected thing poss
bic: what plumber shall go for
' That pipe must be fixed right away"
"What have you to do with that
Don't you understand? You are di
> charged"
I "No, ma'am, I amt Excuse re, b,
really / amt. You see it's just tn
way. I've got to keep on working f
you, and for all the rest of the foil
that's dropped me, so as to make up fl
the way I've been doing. Understand
| amt asking pay from you or fro
them; only to make it up to you. ! c;
, see now that I'm in debt, and | want
prove that my luck's changed"
She wavered an instant, then laught
in spite of herself II really believe yo'
, luck has changed! 1t used to be tn
. you wouldn't stay in situation, al
now you won't stay out of onel We
run off and get Brown, the plumbe
here as soon as you can. Then con
back and build that furnace fire. II
house is as cold as barn, and wa
S my breakfast
He went and came. And all winter
kept coming and going, not only
, that house, but to one after another
, the houses that had dispensed with hi
\ His employers wondered if the refor
E would last; but long before spring
| mace rorv;rred that his luck h: