Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-12-15
PART l-continued.

Herbert at once withdrew few
steps, placing his hands behind him.
Listen, here" he said, "you think we
got time to read q lot O. writin' in
your ole handwritin' that nobody can
read anyhow, and then go to work and
toll and mol to print it on the printin'
press? 1 guess we got work enough
printin' what we wrote for our news
paper our own selves My goodness,
Florence, 1 told you this isn't any
child's play"
Florence appeared to be somewhat
baffied. 'Well," she said. "Well, you
better put this poem in your ole news
paper if you want to have anyhow one
thing in it that won't make everybody
sick that reads it,"
II won't do it," Herbert said, more
firmly.
"What you take us for?" his partner
added, convincingly.
"All right, them" Florence respond
ed, with apparent decisiveness. "Tn
go back and tell Uncle Joseph and he'll
take this printing press back"
"He will not take it back. 1 already
did tell him how you keep pokin'
around tryin' to run everything, and
we just worried our lifes out tryin' to
keep you away. He said he bet it was
a hard job; that's what Uncle Joseph
said. So go on, tell him anything you
want to. You don't get yOr ole poem
in our newspaper"
Not if she lived to be two hundred
years Oldm Henry Rooter added.
Then he had an afterthOught mot
unless she pays for it."
How do you mean?" Herbert asked,
puzzled.
Henry's brow had become corrugAt-
ed with no little professional impress
siveness. you know what we were
talkin about this morning." he said
allow the right way to run our news
paper, we ought to have some adver-
tisements in it and everything. Well,
we want money, don't we? We could
put this poem in our newspaper like
an advertisement; that is, if Florence
has got any money, we could"
Herbert frowned. eff her ole poem
isn't too long. I guess we could. Here,
let's see it, Florence" And, taking
the sheet of paper in his hand, he
studied the dimensions of the poem,
though without paining himself to read
it. ":Well, 1 guess, maybe we can do
it." he said. "How much ought we to
charge herr"
This question plunged Henry ROoter
into a state of calculation, while Flor
ence observed him with yelled anxi-
ETY.; but after a time he looked up,
his brow showing continued strain.
''Do you keep a bank, FlOrence-fOr
nickels and dimes and maybe quar-
tiers, you known he inquired,
1t was her cousin who impulsively
replied for her. mo, she don't" he
said
mot since l was about seven years
oldw Florence added sharply, though
with dignity. do you still make mud
pies in your back yard, pray?"
"Now, see here" Henry objected.
''Try and be a lady anyway for few
minutes, can't you? got to figure
out how much we got to charge you
for your ole poem, don't II"
"Weu, them" Florence returned,
''yOu better ask me somep'm about
that, hadn't your"
"Well," said Henry ROOter, have
you got any money at homer"
mo, l haven't"
"Have you got any money with
your
Eyes, l have"
GLOW much is It'll"
81 won't tell you"
Henry frowned. 81 guess we ought
TO make her pay about two dollars and
a half" he said, turning to. mis- part
ner.
Herbert felt deferential; 1t seemed
to him that he had formed a business
association with a genius, and for a
moment he was dazzled; then he re-
membered Florence's financial capac-
flies, always well known to him, and
he looked depressed. Florence, her
self, looked indignant.
''Two dollars and a half" she cried.
'rWhy, could buy this whole place
for two dollars and a half, printing
press, railing, and all-yes, and you
thrown in, Mister Henry ROOter!"
MI. e1nfA