The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-06-23


them. Manhattan. the night blooming
cereus. was beginning to unfold its
dead white, heavy odored petals
Dulcie stopped in store where
goods were cheap and bought an imi-
tatiOn lace collar with her 80 cents
That money was to have been spent
| Otherwise-15 cents for supper, 10
cents for breakfast. 10 cents for lunch.
Another dime was to be added to her
| small store Of savings. and cents
was to be squandered for licorice drops
the kind that made your cheek look
like the toothache and last as long.
The licOrice was an neXtravagance-ai-
| most a carouse-but what Is life with
out pleasures?
Dulcie lived in a furnished room.
| There is this difference between a fur
nished room and boarding house.
in furnished room other people do
not know 1t when you 60 hungry.
Dulcie went up to her room-the
/ third floor back in west side brown
stone front. She lit the gas Scien-
lists tell us that the diamond is the
hardest substance known. Their mis-
take. Landladies know of a compound
beside which the diamond is as putty.
They pack it in the tips of gas burn.
ers, and one may stand on chair and
dig at it in vain until ones fingers are
pink and bruised. A hairpin will not
remove it; therefore let us call it Inn
movable.
So Dulcie lit the gas. In Its one
fourth candle power glow we will OBJ
serve the room.
Couch bed. dresser, table. washstand.
chair-of this much the landlady was
guilty. The rest was Dulcie's.
| On the dresser were her treasures
a gilt china vase presented to her by
Sadie. calendar issued by pickle
works, book on the divination Of
dreams. some rice powder in a glass
dish and cluster of artificial cherries
tied with pink ribbon.
| Against the wrinkly mirror stood
pictures Of General Kitchener. William
Muldoon. the Duchess of Marlborough
and BenvenutO Cellini. Against one
wall was plaster of paris plaque Of
an O'Callahan in Roman helmet
| Near it was violent oleOgraph of a
lemon colored child assaulting an in
flammatory butterfly. This was Dul.
cie's final judgment In art. but it had
never been upset. Her rest had never
been disturbed by whispers of stolen
copes; no critic had elevated his eye.
brows at her infantile cntomologist.
/ PIGGY was to call for her mt {. While
she swiftly makes ready let us dis
creetly face the other way and Cos
sip.
For the room Dulcie paid 81 pei
week. On week days her breakf fast
costs 10 cents. She made coffee and
cooked an egg over the gaslight Will.
she was dressing. On Sunday morn
ings she feasted royalty OH veal chop.
and pineapple fritters at "Billy's" res
taurant at q cost of p cents and tip
ped the waitress 10 cents New Yori
presents so many temptations for ONT
to run into extravaganza.
She had her lunches In the depart
ment store restaurant ut cost Of &
cents for the week. Dinners were
$l.O5. The evening papers show M
n New Yorker going without his daily
paper!-- came to 6 cents. and two Sun
day papers. one for the personal col
umn and the other to read. were II
cents. The total amounts to $4.70
Now, one has to buy clothes. And
| give it up. l hear of wonderful
bargains in fabrics and Of miracle.
performed with needle and thread. bu
! am In doubt. hold my pen poisct
in vain when would aid to Dulcie',
life some of those joys that belong t
woman by virtue of all the unwritten
sacred. natural, inactive ordinances O
the equity of heaven. Twice she hat
been to Coney Island and had riddel
the hobbyhorses. "Tis weary thin,
to count your pleasures by summer
instead Of by hours.
PIGGY needs but a word When tn
girls named him an undeserving stig
ina was cast upon the noble famil,
Of swine.
The words Of three letters lesson Il
the old blue spelling book begins witt
Piggy's biography. He was fat: b
had the soul of rat. the habits of {
bat and the magnanimity of a cat. 81
wore expensive clothes and was con
noisseur In starvation. He could lool
at Il shopgirl and tell you to an hou
how long it had been since she hat
eaten anything more nourishing thai
marshmallows and tea.
} He hung about the shopping dis
tricts and prowled around In depart
ment stores with his invitations t
dinner
Men who escort dogs upon the street
: at the end of string look down upo
him.
He Is type. can dwell upon hil
) no longer. My pen is not the kind II
tended for him. am no carpenter.
At ten minutes to Z Dulcie wa
. ready. She looked at herself In Il,
wrinkly mirror. The reflection wa
satisfactory. The dark blue dress, q
: ting without wrinkle. the hat wit
Its jaunty black feather. the but Sigh
. ~ soiled gloves-all representing SCI
, denial, even Of food itself-were vastl
; becoming.
Dulcie forgot everything else for
, moment except that she was beautif'
2 and that life was about to lift cOrnt
of its mysterious veil for her to Ol
!. serve it's wonders. No gentleman ha
ever asked her out before. Now 81
5 was going for brief moment into tt
glitter and exalted show.
: The girls said that Piggy was
. ''spender." There would be a graI