The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1908-11-05

~ the ropes by Molly Nc
w keever's blue black eyes he
withdrew from the Stove
pipe gang. So much for the power Of
a colleen's blanderin' tongue and stub
born true heartedness. II you are q
man who read this, may such an in
| fiuence be sent you before 2 o'clock
tomorrow; if you are woman, may
your Pomeranian greet you this morn
ing with a cold nose-a sign Of dog
health and your happiness.
The Stovepipe gang borrowed its
name from subdistrict of the city
called the Stovepipe, which is mar
row and natural extension of the famil-
lar district known as Hell's Kitchen.
The Stovepipe strip Of town runs along
Eleventh and Twelfth avenues on the
river and bends hard and sooty el-
bow around little, lost, homeless De
Witt Clinton park Consider that 4
stovepipe Is an important factor In
any kitchen and the situation is an
alyzed. The chefs in Helrs Kitchen
are many, and the Stoyepipe gang
wears the Gordon bleu..
The members of this unchartered but
widely known brotherhood appeared to
pass their time on street corners ar.
rayed like the lilies OF the conserva-
tory and busy with nail files and PEN
knives. Thus displayed as guaran-
tee of good faith, they carried on an
innocuous conversation in a 200 word
vocabulary, to the casual observer as
innocent and immaterial as that heard
in the clubs seven blocks to the east.
But off exhibition .the Stovepipes
were not mere street corner ornaments
addicted to posing and manicurlng.
; Their serious occupation was the sep
arating of citizens from their coin and
valuables. Preferablyff this was done
by weird and singular tricks without
; noise or bloodshed, but whenever the
citizen honored by their attentions re-
fused to impoverish himself gracefully
his objections came to be spread finally
, upon some police station blotter or hos
. pital register.
The police held the sStovepipe gang
in perpetual suspicion and respect As
, the nightingales liquid note is heard
, in the deepest shadows,so along the
Stovepipe's dark and harrow confines
the whistle for reserveQs nnctures the
, dull ear of night. W..s1eser there was
, smoke in the Stovepipe the tasseled
men in blue knew there was fire in
Helrs Kitchen.
, Kid Brady promised Molly to be
, good Kid was the vainest, the strong.
est the wariest and the most sue
cessful plotter in the gang. Therefore
, the boys We're sorry to give him up.
. But they witnessed his fall to vir.
tuous life without protest, for In the
! Kitchen it is considered neither un.
, manly nor improper for guy to Dc
, as his girl advises.
Black her eye for loves sake, if you
!. will, but it is all-to-the-g good business
. to do Il thing when she wants you tc
!. do it.
",Turn off the hydrant," said th,
Kid one night when Molly, fearful
? besought him to amend his ways
. Pm going to cut out the gang. Yor
for mine, and the simple life on thu
side. I'll tell you, Moll-I'll get work
? and in a year We'll get married. II
; do it for you. Well get a fiat and {
flute and a sewing machine and rub
Der plant and live as honest as VI
cam"
; ooh, Kid" sighed Molly. wiping th'
J powder off his shoulder with her hand
4 kerchief, "I'd rather hear you say tina
: than to own all of New York. Ant
3 we can be happy on so littlep'
J The Kid looked down at his speck
] less cuffs and shining patent leather
2 with a suspicion of melancholy.
2 It'll hurt hardest in the rags depart
ment" said he 1--WE kind of alway
) liked to rig out swell when | could
2 You know how | hate cheap things
> Moll This suit set me back sixty-fivt
3 Anything in the wearing apparel lin
5 has got to be just so or it's to the mis-
2 fit parlors for it for mine. If work
= won't have SO much coin to hand owe
: to the little man with the big shears.
: Never mind, Kid. I'll like you jus
: as much in blue jumper as I woul
= in red automobile
: Before the Kid had grown larg
s enough to knock out his father he ha
been compelled to learn the plumber
3 art. So, now, back to this honOrab
: and useful profession he returned. Bu
= it was as an assistant that he el
8 gagged himself, and it is the mastt
8 plumber and not the assistant WI
= wears diamonds as large as hailstont
s and looks contemptuously upon IL
= marble colonades of Senator Clark
. mansion
= Eight months went by as smooth
s and surely as though they had 'elap
Z ed'' on theater programme. The K
= worked away at his pipes and sold'
= with no symptoms of backsliding. II
S Stovepipe gang continued its piracy {
q the high avenues, cracked policemen
= heads. held up late travellers, inventt
9 new methods of peaceful plunderin
= copied Fifth avenues cut of cloth
= and neckwear fancies and comports
= itself according to its lawless bylaw
3 But the Kid stood firm and faithful
IS his Molly. even though the polish WI
i. gone from his finger nails and it to'
= him fifteen minutes to tie his purp
. silk ascot so that the worn plac
would not show.
2 One evening he brought mysteriO
= bundle with him to Molly's house.
"Open that. Mollv' he said in I
= large. quiet way. ITS for you"
g Molly's eager fingers tore OF t
- wrapp;ngs. She shrieked aloud, Al