The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-02-17


pickle tomorrow. And now, il you'll
allow me to be your guest. we'll have
supper"
He drew up the other chair. The tea
frightened the girls eyes and brought
back some Of her color. She began to
eat with sort of dainty ferocity like
some starved animal. She seemed to
regard the young man and the aid
he had rendered her as natural thing
mot as though she undervalued the
conventions, but as one whose great
stress gave her the right to put aside
the artificial for the human. But grad
ually with the return of strength and
comfort came also a sense of the little
conventions that belong. and she be-
gan to tell him her little story. 1t was
one of thousand such as the city
yawns at every day-the shopgirPs
story of insufficient wages, further re-
duced by fines" that go to swell the
stores profits; of time lost through ILL
ness and then of lost positions, lost
hope and-the knock Of the adventurer
upon the green door.
But to Rudolf the history sounded as
big as the lliad or the crisis in "Junie's
Love Test
ITO think of you going through all
that!' he exclaimed.
1T was something terce." said the
girl solemnly.
"And you have no relatives or
friends in the citV2"
"None whatever"
Il am all alone in the world. too,"
said Rudolf after pause.
II am glad of that" said the girl
promptly, and somehow it pleased the
young man to hear that she approved
of his bereft condition.
Very suddenly her eyelids dropped.
and she sighed deeply.
II am awfuIly sleepy" she said,
land feel so good"
Rudolf rose and took his hat.
"Then I'll say good night. A long
nights sleep will be fine for you"
He held out his hand, and she took
it and said Good night" But her
eyes asked question so eloquently,
so frankly and pathetically that he
answered it with words.
"Oh. I'm coming back tomorrow to
see how you are getting along. You
can't get rid of me so easily"
Then at the door. as though the way
| of his coming had been so much less
important than the fact that he had
come, she asked. "How did you come
to knock ut my door?"
He looked at her for moment, re-
membering the cards. and felt sud-
den jealous pain. What If they had
fallen into other hands as adventurous
as his? Quickly he decided that she
must never know the truth. He would
never let her know that he was aware
Of the strange expedient to which she
had been driven by her great distress.
zone of our piano tuners lives in
this house," he said. II knocked al
your door by mistake"
The last thing he saw in the room
before the green door closed was hel
smile.
At the head Of the stairway he paus
ed and looked curiously about him
And then he went along the hallway
to its other end aud, coming back, as
cended to the floor above and contin
ued his puzzled explorations. Every
door that he found in the house was
painted green.
Wondering. he descended to the
sidewalk. The fantastic African wa:
still there. Rudolf confronted hin
with his two cards in his hand.
Twill you tell me why you gave me
these cards and what they mean" h
asked.
In broad, good natured grin th'
negro exhibited splendid advertise
ment of his masters profession.
"Dar it is, boss" he said. pointin.
down the street. But 'spect you i
q little late for de fust act.''
Looking the way he pointed. Rndol1
saw above the entrance to il theate
the blazing electric sign of It's new
play, ''The Green Door,
T'm Informed dat it's a fust rat
show. sah." said the negro. "De agen