The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1903-10-10

said to be suffering Nom acute alco-
holsm. The expression Is more Gu
phonious to a fastidfous ear.
It was evening. Lower Broadway
was deserted. Outside Of the large Of
fee buildings the janitors sat on easy
cane seated chairs smoking aromatic
pipes and peacefully contemplating
life. The sidewalks were cool and wet
from their evening wash. An occasional
belated office boy, burdened with mail,
made his laborious way to the post
office. All was darkness All was
quiet. The building seemed to be sunk
in heavy slumber after the feverish
activity of the day.
In the Office of Poorly & Co., work.
Ing under green shaded electric light.
Philander Poorly was facing a crisis.
lie had surveyed the road to wealth.
particularly noting the inviting little
short cuts that are frequently used.
His campaign was carefully arranged.
The time was propit;ous, and instead
Of shrinking from the crisis he delib-
erately winked at it with as much
ROBUSTNESS as he had in his system.
Philander put few finishing
touches to his ledger and turned again
to the profit and loss account. This
account showed a heavy loss. Phil
ander smiled at this in superior kind
of way and patted his waistcoat like
n ~; r. hot
was more to this thing than appeared
on the surface. There was Poorly &
Co. were about to become bankrupt.
Faster & Son owe us $4,000 men,
toned Philander to himself; their
check is due tomorrow morning. AS
soon as l get my hands on that money
I'll hide it away and then apply for
bankruptcy proceedings. And then
there will be wedding he added as
joyful afterthought.
That night he dreamed that he saw
Dame Fortune looking his way with
the love light in her eyes. Philander
considered this a good sign, but it is
obviously natural that any woman
who is courted overmuch is bound to
become a tantalizing and capricious
coquette.
The next morning Philander started
for his office with an anxious cast OF
countenance. This was his first fail
ure, and he was as nervous as very
young chap who has taken secret and
fn LII alden
choice. AS he got off the car at Cedar
street he was already, in his fevered
Imagination. cashing Faster & Sons
$4,000 check and adding Miss La
vinia's 5OO00 dot to this comfortable
little nest egg.
I'VE will entertain society consid-
erably," he promised himself, as he
daintily and gracefully walked along
to his Office building.
A writhing, screaming, strenuous,
blatant, pantomimic and convulslve
young newsboy suddenly injected him
self upon the scene. He seemed to
have lungs of leather and throat OF
resounding brass. His face was en-
purpled with the intensity of his sweet
cries. The look of hysterical concern
on his face was an unconscious work
of art, and he noised himself abroad
even as a group of college children
bibulous with beer
"Extra!" he howled, big failure
Wall Street.
"Is some one else bankrupt, too?'
Philander humorously asked himself
as he bought paper.
Faster & Son bankrupt" he read.
Merry Hades!" he CALCULATED. why,
that knocks the stuffing clear out OF
my little scheme"
He tottered up to his office and
found one OF his creditors waiting for
him.
II understand that you are pretty
hard hit by Faster & Sons failure re-
marked this ncsy and irritating credi-
tor. Would you mind letting me look
over your books for few minutes?'
Philander thought of those bankrupt
books which he had so adroitly cooked
up. He picked up bottle of black ink
and hurled it with unerring aim at
the buckle of the creditors belt.
I'll show you," howled Philander as
he strategically followed up his ad-
vantage with bottle of red.
And If drop of ink can make mill
lion think, it cannot be logically dis
puted that two bottles of ink VIII
make one single creditor exceedingly
thoughtful.
That is how Poorly & Co.'s failure
came to be reported by the CONNER
cial agencies the other afternoon.
And in conclusion it may be men-
toned that Fortune smiles only upon
her favorites. and when masher goes
up to her and asks her If she wouldn't
like to take walk with him this beau
tiful evening the chances are that ne
will suddenly find himself ignomini'
ously reclining in the cobbled spaces
between the car tracks, with large ano
varied bumps upon his head.-Ne"
York Evening Sun.
What a Woman Can Do.
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