The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-03-13
Bv ELLIS PARKER BUTLER

"~Twould do NO good E have . wee bit Of t." said
Casey sadly I'VE would DO all sold out OF 1t before
tn middle Of tn day. Twoud take ons Of It tn peo
Pile would be crazy to get tt It's no use thAktn
OF It. Let it go!'
Seems hike pity not to make money when there
n't-mightn't make some confetti, MI Caseyr"
AN listen to that now!" exclaimed Casey. Joy
fully Sure, it takes you { think Of things. Mr..
Blnngs But no!' he said. dropping into sadness -
suddenly he had been reused to 10y. It's not { hs
thought Of Ye would get tired before III lob "a.
make enough for carnival. an too little II worse
than at all. Ye would tire out before 70 made
enough Mr.. Billings. Lot it go"
II wouldn't tire out" said Old Billings. eagerly.
MAXIM confetti amt harder than sawn' wood,
IL it?' I used t be fno wood-sawer when l WAS
young. hadn't my beat At sawtn wood, them days"
sat rubbing one ear and .pparentiy thinking de.py
At length.
Dog me II wouldn't! What-what might this here
confetti be like?'
when yere havin' carnival throw At each other
till tn streets Is full Of it. That's tn beauty OF
havin' the monopoly OF tn confetti business MIR.
than old waste paper. an tn profit is all profit 'T1s
. grand business for tn likes Of u"
Il can tear up paper well as another man." b.
Tear it," he exclaimed An who ever heard Of
torn-up confetti? 'Twould be agin tn law. Mr. Bill
tnes. Would tn law be alowtn' 70 + throw around
torn paper with tn sharp Of It gettin into
every,hody's eye. an nebby putin out hundred
eyes or 50? No. indeed! IT'S round tn confetti has
to be- each confetti as big around - tn blunt end
Of lead pencil 'Twould never do t tear it: 1would
have t be cut
and what would I cut it WITH" asked OLD Bill
dngS.
.:scissorz.- said Casey But twouid Do
pense for We have two pair in tn Times. once. an
could sneak ye one pair when Davis wasn't lookin'
Ye have fine long fingers t work . pair Of shears
with MIR Bill,pgs!"
Old Billings worked his rheumatic fingers open and
Shut and looked at them with moro pride than ho
had ever imagined they could give him.
II could cut out lot OF confetti. # 50 Be had
time enough and paper" he said wstfully x ~isht
you'd let try 1t, Mr. Casey"
III was { git . room for factory now. said
Casey. meditativey. might git ahod Of some young
teller that would be wHlin' go into tn factory an
stay till ! had enough confetti wouldn't want
word OF what was dom to get out till had enough
confetti made to do for tn whole carnival An q
young Teller l could lock in an hand him in his
meals Twoud be 1ue job for some young Teller.
nothn' DO but sit easy all day an shear out con-
fetti an have his meals handed right in to him an
him eettin half OF tn profit when We sold til seu1
Ye don't know any young Teller like that do ye. MI
Billings. that could get hold OF auick7'
Old Billings worked his fingers sDryly open and
shut In front OF Casey's face.
There amt young Teller in Ktlo got SIGH long
fingers as them" he said bragstnsy. "ner no young
Teller atm. eoin t. have tn patience what I've got
A young tellers always wantin Z move around. an
amt Sitt,n' stills Of strong points You'd
ought to take me as pardner in this here confetti
well" said Casey reluctantly. Il amt askin' ye
{ 60 into IT, an ain coaxin' ye an II ye go into
It ye1l have T be locked In like would lock In =
young feller"
Z ain't ask1n' noth,n oetter,- declared Ola BIZ.
nngs
Well don't cay nothin. about it." said Casey
AN come round to tn Times ONCE this svenin
after supper. an We'll get { work At It"
Tha, was Tuesday. and the Times came out
every Thursday. and tie very next Thursday Old
Billings began to live up to he value Tues
day night Casey Old BiEings alone At the
Times ONCE. and Thursday morning the Times"
came out with euprb red headlines the first
page It was a Mysterious Disappearance" Of the
most thrilling kind and Davis was in his glory He
shook hands with Casey . dozen times Wedne>
day between his visits to the usual sitting places OF
Old Billings, and thanked him for drawing his At
tention to Ola Billings absence from the wsllworn
public benches and chairs, He sadd be guessed
that Old Billings had got the h1htng fever and had
to the river after bass but that he good for
. scarehead In Thursdays paper anyway. And all
the time Old Billings down cellar With q kero-
sene lamp and pair Of once shears fourteen inches
long and weighing about pound. cutting out oon'
fetd the size Of the end Of . lead pencil He cut
nearly . cigar box full Wednesday.
Thursday moving Kilo read the 1SaRes and
shifted disdainfuuy about the mysterious dis0ppsaT
ance Of Old Billings. and then went down 70 the
grocery talk It With him. but he wasn't there!
KNo was surprised. but not halt % surprbed - Dsv
= waa He couldn't make Z out Hs had been