The Indianapolis journal., 1904-06-05

SponSe TO Brown S objection he answered
airily:
Paying off a bad debt-you see, you paid
my car fare yesterday"
Not me-" returned Brown. "Of course,
III you want TO pay my car fares IL goes
with me all right; but I'm not guilty of
paying yours
OF course, after that Mr.. Northside knew
ii must have been Robinson so when he
met that gentleman on the car few days
later he yanked out two tickets instead of
one and bestowed them on the conductor
before Mr.. Robinson could get his hand
into his pocket.
"Confound you, Northside, 1 don't want
you to pay my fare" was Mr.. Robinson s
gracious acceptance of Mr.. Northside's
courtesy.
''Wel. then, you haven't any business to
pay mine" responded Northside as he
opened his paper.
"Pay yours? l never paid your fare
"Oh. yes. you did" returned Mr.. North
side securely. You paid it the other day
when you and Jones and Brown were out on
both the other men already. and neither of
them paid it, so I'm certain of my man
now
'Wel you're just out another fare. that's
ALL replied Robinson. because / never
paid your car fare in my life.
Mr.. Northside reflected moment with a
downcast look. Well he said. i've used
up three tickets to pay back one, and I'm
still owing one somewhere-but this finishes
it. Whoever paid my car fare is out one
ticket, and he can stay out for all care
The society reporters life isn't all beer
and skittles; in fact to tell the plain. un-
vanished truth, 1t isn't even half beer and
skttles. She has troubles of her own, what
with keeping Mrs. IS party entirely out Of
her column, and putting in enough about
Mrs. BIS party to satisfy Mrs. BIS difficult
taste. But there is always the silver lining
to the cloud, and the funny experiences
help the hard-working society reporter to
worry through with the dreary ones.
The society reporter found a silver lining
the other day when she went to report a
wedding. Just exactly there are all
kinds of people, so are there all kinds of
weddings TO join the all kinds of people.
and this wedding was one of the other
kind. The house was half Of an unpreten-
tious little double dwelling with cheap
lace curtains at the window and glaring
paper on the walls. On top of the glar-
ing crayons of 1.-The family and one espe-
cially awful rendition of a staring-eyed
small boy, done in colors so fascinated the
eyes of the society reporter that she found
1t difficult to tear her gaze away from ii
as she took down statistics about the gift
of the groom, and the wedding gown. and
the out-of-town guests. The frame of the
picture was edged with smilax and
at of the lower corners was
stuck great clump of ferns
tied with trailing green ribbons. AN now
say in your article" said the mother of the
bride. after she had finished a detailed
account of the function. which was as
elaborate after its fashion as the weddings
of greater social Importance. 81 wisht
you'd put in something about little Johnny.
You see little Johnny he fell in the canal
last winter when he was out skatin' and
ne was drownded-yes' m he was drownded.
And he was awful fond of his sister, little
Johnny was, an she don't like to leave
him out of her weddin, so we put most
of the decoration around his pitcher, and
tonight they're goin to stand there while
the ceremonys announced. They's going
to be American Beauties stuck in with the
ferns-they're out in the ice box this
minute and we thought. her and me, that
it would be real pretty if you to say
something about little Johnny, who fell
in the canal and was drownded, and who
is in heaven, smilin' down from his pitcher
frame while the words of the beautiful.
but pathetic ceremony was said-make it
just kind of nice and easy like that you
know, so that twill read pretty"
The society reporter did not smile then;
she merely told, with tears in her voice,
about the peculiar ways of city editors,
who cut ones copy so, and about how
things were left out for lack of space, and
the other misfortunes that are apt to be-
fall the choicest points of a story, but she
promised for her own individual part to
do the best she could for little Johnny and
now undoubtedly think dark things about
unfeeling city editors, who will not per-
nit mention of little Johnny, who is in
heaven, in an account of wedding.
There is at least one person who enjoyed
the recent flood and its consequent un-
pleasantness and that is a genial old COL
ored woman who is cook in a family out
in the northeastern part of town. The old
woman is a genuine Southern darkey and
her ideas of hospitality are very like those
held by her kind ''befo the wah.'
Most of the people in the vicinity are
dependent upon the city for their water
supply but the kitchen over which Dinah
presides happened to be furnished with a
pump connecting with driven we'll, which
its owners are wont to declare furnishes the
best water in town. After the flood the
city water was. of course. undrinkable, and
early in the morning of the first day after
a neignbor appeared at the kitchen door
and asked Dinah if she might have a
pitcher of water. Later on another neigh
Dor came, and as the news drifted about
the neighborhood that the So-and-So's were
very nice about obliging all their neighbors
with water from their fine driven well a
perfect procession of neghbors came across
lots, through the alley gate, around the
house, all with the So-and-So kitchen as
their Mecca. Not only that day, but on the
succeeding days, did they come, and Mrs
So-and-So puzzled a bit over it. "Of couse
I'm perfectly willing for them to have ali
they need" she unused, but il seems to me
that they can hardly be as saving of water
as | myself would be under like circum-
stances. The Blanks cook has come oyer
five times to-day. / declare, and it does
seem odd to me-
Half an hour later Mrs. So-and-So hap-
pened to be in the pantry when she heard
neighborS voice In the kitchen. I've
come for another pail of that good water
Dinah-can l have it?'
kin youall have il, Mis- Brown-slItt'nIy
yo kin: jes' as many mo- as you wants
Seems like youall's folks must drink DOW
ful liddle watah, yo' comes seldom. Ah
know Mrs. S0-an'-SO she'd feel huht ef she
thought yo' stintin' yo'self o. watah-
yo was welcome TO de whole we'll Sc,
down an rest yo hat an coat won't yo'
Mis- Brown. n lemme get yo' a glass O.
Mis- So-an'-Sos grape juice-hit's pow-ful
good. | tell yo'? Welum. Ahm sorry yo'
won't stay; come in soon agin, Mis- Brown,
an make yo'self free of de watah. Kin YOU
see down de steps? Yessum; yore tt'nly
mos welcome. Come ag-in.''
We'll it's no wonder" murmured Mrs
So-and-So in the pantry.