The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-11-15

"alos
"aIayn't have 10 cents to buy a
cake? There's place to the corner
and things in the winder-cakes wi
raisins in-splend.d. Mayn,t IT,
We'll see. Leel: we'll see.' The
grinder, embarrassed by too many
presences, looked wildly at the front
walls before him and the Lack walls
behind him, as II nleditating an escape
''P;i, mayn't II"
Bread and rent come before cake.
Wait till we see what we have over at
night" said the grinder, driven to deil-
mite reply.
Mrs. Hedge darted upstairs and ran
sacked her pantry. The cake box was
empty, but there were a few swce:
crackers. These and q bundle unsl1ill-
fully wrapped IN morning paper she
offered to the child just as the grinder
was taking leave.
SIS it cake?"
"No, dear: dress, which hope You
can wear"
"Long enough, do you think? Pa
says I'm getting tall as shot tower:
but. then, I'm very old-most seven"
\ week later Mr.. and Mrs. Hedge,
walking on Gcary street, met the same
pair, father and daughter. Leel looked
up brightly. recognizing the friendly
face. and said:
''The dress was too short for me-
Wasn't 1t lover
Corn colored, with white lace. yes"
sighed Mrs. Hedge, remembering how
her little brown eyed Lissie had looked
in it.
$50 had to take it round to Israers,
you know. Pa said should spend ev-
cry cent l got for it myself, SO I
bought this calico for six bits. Amt
1t nice and long? And this hat for two
bits. It's not in the fashion, but it's
big-lots big. And then / got lovely
cake wi raisins in-not big, but 50
sweet. gave some to pa and some to
Molly Brown, and l ate some, and 1t
was gooder than popcorn
"Spillmouth! If you ever gets hus
band you'll chatter him dead" said the
grinder, pushing the child along, but
Mrs. Hedge stopped them with ges-
t,lre and cried out:
what are you talking about, child7
Do you mean to say that you sold that
Old dress for more than dollar? It
was nice. to be sure, but so oldu'
"Oh. the dress sold fer two bits, and
the thing that was in the pocket-that
thing that opens and thes a picture
inside, you know-why, that brought a
dollar''
"Oh. you don't mean-it can't be-
oh-oh-oh-how could l be so care
less? The locket! The locketw almost
screamed Mrs. Hedge. "Get it for me,
Adam; get it again. / shall never rest
until have it safe in my own hands.
Oh, oh, Oh!'
Its only bit Of folly, like the dress
ITSELF" expostulated Adam, but his
wife, when she heard these words,
locked rs if she might faint right
there on the street, so that Adam, in
alarm, promised to recover the locket
if possible.
Leel locked frightened and moved a
pace away, but was persuaded by a
promise of more cake to go with Adam
Hedge in quest Of the trinket
Mr.. Israel remembered selling the
locket because it brought him luck, he
said. He had sold it below cost, be-
cause the person who wanted 1t was
the first customer on Monday morning.
| and he would have been ruined for q
| week had she gone out without making
purchase Mr.. Israel did not know
her name or address. She bought moth
| ing else, and Of course she carried the
lockct away herself. so there lrad been
| no delivery address left. She was q
short woman and wore her hair in
| curls. It was brown and hung over
her shoulders. That was all he could
| remember about her looks.
IT'S no good hunting the thing"
Adam reported to his wife that night.
Best let 1t go aud never mind 1t
isn't worth the fuss you're making"
.Oh, Adam!'
81 say it isn't. You never wear 1t
anyway. I wouldn't give 5 cents a
dozen for such trinkets. When you've
| got bird right in your cage. the thing
| itself, it's nonsense to want picture
Of it. so I say the birds better than
| the picture"
'Oh, but l haven't really got It! It's
lost to me; lost forcver-lost, lost, lost"'
Mrs. Hedge began crying and cried a
good deal Of the night. In the mornin.
Adam visited three newspaper Offices
and with subdued wrath saw his little
store Of money melting away in advcr-
| tisements Every man who did busi-
ness with Adam was compelled to hear
such calculations as:
"Ecats the world for downright tom
foo'ery! The picture Of a squash faced
| little girl that looks as it she'd believe
any blamed thing you'd mind to tell
her isn't patch beside our handsome
grownup Lissie. with fine boy in her
arms, SO say
/ Besides advertising, Adam bethought
him that curls worn over the shoulder
by full grown woman are no longer
common and might make Identification
easy Then he reflected upon the places
where women go and was forced tn
admit that they go everywhere except.
| ing to the caucus. He couldn't 60 ev-
erywhcre. but he went to the wharf
and the railway station; he visited tho
park ut the hour of crowds, the
"Wednesday afternoon open air concerts
| He stood in theater vestibules from
7:31 till S:1o; lie visited garment fac.
tories, churches, restaurants: lie stood
on the busy corners. The search be
came interesting, not so much for the