The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-03-17

calendar on the wall kept crying to
her: "Springtime is here, Sarah;
springtime is here, tell you! Look
at me, Sarah! My figures show it!
You've got neat figure yourself.
Sarah-a nice springtime figure! Why
do you look out the window so sadlyT'
Sarah's room was at the back Of the
house. Looking out the window she
could see the windowless rear brick
wall Of the box factory on the next
street. But the wall was clearest crys-
tai, and Sarah was looking down q
grassy lane shaded with cherry trees
and elms and bordered with raspberry
bushes and Cherokee roses.
Springs real harbingers are too sub
have the Towering crocus, the wood
starring dogwood. the voice OF blue
bird. even so gross reminder as the
farewell handshake of the retiring
buckwheat and oyster. before they can
welcome the lady in green to their dull
bosoms. But to old earths choicest
kin there come straight, sweet mes
sages from his newest bride, telling
them they shall be no stepchildren un-
less they choose to be.
On the previous summer Sarah had
gone into the country and loved q
farmer.
I'm writing your story never bark
back thus. 1t is bad art and cripples
| interest. Let it march, march.)
Sarah stayed two weeks at Sunny
| brook farm. There she learned to love
| old Farmer Franklin's son Walter.
| Farmers have been loved and welded
| and turned out to grass in less time.
But young Walter Franklin was q
modern agriculturist. He had tele-
phone in his COW house, and he could
figure up exactly what effect next
years Canada wheat crop would have
on potatoes planted in the dark of the
moon.
1t was in this shaded and raspber-
ried lane that Walter had wooed and
won her. And together they had sat
| and woven crown Of dandelions for
her hair. He had immoderately prais-
ed the effect Of the yellow blossoms
| against her brown tresses, and she had
left the chaplet there and walked back
to the house swinging her straw sailor
in her hand.
They We're to marry in the spring
at the very first sign of spring. Walter
said And Sarah came back to the
city to pound her typewriter.
A knock at the door dispelled Sarah's
visions of that happy day. A waiter
had brought the rough pencil draft OF
the home restaurants next day fare
in old Schulenberg's angular hand.
Sarah sat down to her typewriter
and slipped card between the rollers.
She was nimble worker. Generally
in an hour and half the twenty-one
menu cards were written and ready.
Today there were more changes on
the bill of fare than usual. The soups
were lighter. Pork was eliminated from
the entrees. figuring only with Rus
sian turnips among the roasts. The
gracious spirit of spring pervaded thu
entire menu. Lamb that lately ca
pered on the greening hillsides was
becomingly exploited with the sauce
that commemorated it's gambols. The
song of the oyster, though not silenced
was diminuendo con amore. The fry
ing pan seemed to be held inactive be
hind the beneticent bars of the broiler
The pie list swelled; the richer pud
dings had vanished; the sausage, will
his drapery wrapped about him, bare
ly fingered in a pleasant thanatopsis
with the buckwheats and the swee
but doomed maple.
Sarah's fingers danced like midget:
above a summer stream. DowI
through the courses she worked, Civ
ing each item its position according t
it's length with an accurate eye.
Just above the desserts came tn
list of vegetables-carrots and peas
asparagus on toast. the perennial to
matoes and corn and succotash. lin;
beans. cabbage-and then
Sarah was crying over her bill o
fare. Tears from the depths of som
divine despair rose in her heart ant
gathered to her eyes. Down went he
head on the little typewriter stand
and the keyboard ratified dry accom-
paniment to her moist sobs
For she had received no letter fron
Walter in two weeks, and the mex
item on the bill Of fare was dandelion
-dandelions with some kind of ege
But bother the egg! Dandelions, wit
whose golden blooms Walter ha
y crowned her his queen of love and II
ture bride: dandelions, the harbinger
of spring, her sorrows crown OF sol
row, reminder of her happiest days!
Madam, dare you to smile unit
. you suffer this test: Let the Marechs
Mel roses that Percy brought you o
= the night you gave him your heart b
= served as salad with French dressin
before your eyes at a Schulenber
table d'hote Had Juliet so seen be
love tokens dishonored the soont
: would she have sought the lethea
= herbs of the good apothecary.
But what witch is spring! Int
the great cold city Of stone and tro
a message had to be sent. There WI
:. none to convey it but the little hard
= courier of the fields with his roue
g green coat and modest air. He is
\ true soldier of fortune, this dent-de-lie
g this lions tooth, as the French che
call him. Flowered he will assist
= lovemaking wreathed in my lady's n
IS brown hair: young and callow and u
= blossomed, he goes into the boiling p
70 and delivers the word of his sovereit
20 mistress.
= pr ond hv Sarah forced hack h