The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1909-01-28
&1r3
TH!!K!|'':|T']93eENElTHE Il
TAlNl!lKqDIEelNNER
By O. HENRY.

ONEY talks. But you may
|" think that the conversation
of little old ten dollar bill
In New York would be moth
Ing more than whisper. Oh. very
well! Pass up this soto voce autobiog-
raphy of an \ ii you like II You are
one of the kind that prefers to listen to
John IS check book roar at you through
a megaphone as it passes by, all right
But don't forget that small change can
say a word to the point now and then
The next time you tip your grocer's
clerk silver quarter to give you extra
weight Of his boss goods read the four
words above the lady's head. How are
they for repartee?
am Il ten dollar treasury note. Sc
ries of 1901. You may have seen one in
a friends hand. On my face. In the
center. is a picture of the Bison ameri-
canus, miscalled a buffalo by fifty or
sixty millions of Americans. The heads
of Captain Lewis and Captain Clark
adorn the ends. On my back Is the
graceful figure of Liberty or Ceres or
Maxine Elliott standing in the center
Of the stage on a conservatory plant
My references is-or are-section 1888.
revised statutes. Ten cold. hard dol
lars-I don't say whether silver, gold.
lead or iron-Uncle Sam will hand you
over his counter II You want to cash
me in.
beg you will excuse any converse
tional breaks that make Thanks:
knew you would. Got that sneaking
little respect and agreeable feeling to-
ward even an X. haven't you? You
see. a tainted bill doesn't have much
preston. never knew really cul-
tured and educated person that could
afford to hold ten spot any longer
than it would take to do an Arthur
Duffy to the nearest that's all sign or
lelicatessen store
and gorgeous circulation. guess I've
paid as many debts as the man who
dies I've been owned by good many
kinds of people. but little old ragged.
damp. dingy five dollar silver certifi-
cate gave me a jar one day. was next
tc 1t i'll the fat and bad smelling purse
Of butcher.
''Hey, you Sitting Bull" says /,
don't scrouge so. Anyhow, don't you
think it's about time you went In on a
customs payment and got reissued7 !
For q series &C 1850 you.re q sight
"Oh. don't get crackly just because
you're buffalo billr' says the fiver.
You'd be limp, too, II you'd been stuff
ed down in q thick cotton and isle
thread under an elastic all day and
the thermometer not a degree under S.
in the store
that" says |. who carried your
"A shopgirl," says the five spot.
whats that?" had to ask.
you'll never know till their miilen-
MUM comes" says the fiver.
Just then two dollar bill behind
me with George Washington head
spoke up to the fiver:
Jaw, cut out yer kicks. Amt Isle
thread good enough for yer? II you
was under all cotton like I've been to.
day and choked up with factory dust
till the lady with the cornucopia on me
sneezed half dozen times you'd have
some reason to complain"
That was the next day after l arriv
ed in New York. came in $5O(
package Of tens to a Brooklyn bank
from one of its Pennsylvania CORE
spondents, and | haven't made the ac
| quaintance of any of the five and TIVE
spots friends pocketbooks yet Sill
for mine every time.
l was lucky money. l kept on th'
| move. Sometimes | changed hands
| twenty times day. saw the inside
of every business. fought for M!
owners every pleasure. 1t seemed tina
on Saturday nights never missed be
Ing slapped down on bar. Tens wer
always slapped down. while ones AM
twos were slid over to the bartender
folded. got in the habit Of looking
for mine. ard managed to soak In
little straight or some spilled Martin
or Manhattan whenever could. Ono
/ | got tied up In great greasy roll
! bills in pushcart peddlers jeans.
/ thought never would get In circuls
ton again. for the future departmen
store owner lived on 8 cents worth Q
dog meat and onions a day. But thi
peddler got into trouble one day on AZ
count OF having his cart too near
crossing. and was rescued. l alway
will feel grateful to the cop that ge
me. He changed me at cigar stor
near the Bowery that was running
/ crap game in the back room. So 1t wa
| the captain Of the precinct, after al
that did me the best turn when he gt
his. Tie blew me for wine the ne,
| evening in Broadway restaurant, an
really felt as glad to get back agai
! as an Astor does when he sees tn
lisnts OF Charing Cross.
a tainted ten certainly does get a.
ton on Broadway. was alimon
once and got folded in little dogski
purse among lot of dimes Inc
we're Dragging about the busy time
there were In Ossining whenever thre
girls got hold oi one of them durfn
the ice cream season But It's slo'
| moving vehicles keep TO the right K
the little box tips when you th1nk
the way we bison plasters refuse
stick to anything during the rush lo
ster hour.
The first ever heard of tainte
Z | .frrESf xy~hn n
thing with Van to his name thre
me over with some other bills to bu
a stack Of blues.
About midnight big. easy goin
..xsxI, q f..f fano lilso n lnnIlk'S III