Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-10-06

| Ralph had gone to bed. =" Guess yol
better be little easier on him. Hey p
But Bud deigned no reply. Perhaps
because he knew that Ralph heard tn,
conversation through the thin parti
| ton.
Ralph woke delighted to find it rain
ing. lie did not want TO hunt or fisf
on Sunday, and this steady rain wOulC
| enable him to make friends with Bud
/ | do not know how he got started, bu
after breakfast he began to tell stories
] Out of all the books he had evel
read he told story after story. AnC
'old man Means" and "Old Ms
! Means" and Bud Means, and Bill
/ Means, and Sis Means, listened with
! great ewes while he told of Sinbad's
! adventures, of the Old Man of the
! Sea. of Robinson Crusoe, of Captain
Gulliver's experiences in Lilliput, anG
of Baron Munchausen's exploits.
Ralph had caught bis fish. The
hungry minds of these backwOOds
people, sick and dying of their own
commonplace, were refreshed with the
new life that came to their imagiua-
tions in these stories. For there was
but one book in the Means library,
and that a well-thumbed copy of Cap
tain Riley's Narrative, had long since
lost all freshness.
IN be dog-on'd," said Bill en-
phatically, - ef / hadn't ruther heaI
the master tell them whoppin' yarns,
than to go to a circus the best day
ever seed ~ Bill could pay no highe-
compliment.
What Ralph wanted was to make a
fricrd of Bud. It's a nice thing to
have the seventy-fOur-gun ship or
your own side, and the more Hartsook
admired the knotted muscles of Bud
Means, the more he desired TO attach
him to himself So, whenever he
struck out a peculiarly brilliant pas
sage, he anXiOusly watched Buds eye.
But the young Philistine kept his own
counsel. He listened but said moth
ing, and the eyes under his shaggy
brow gave no sign, Ralph could not
tell whether those eyes were deep and
inScruIuble, or only stolld. Perhaps
a little of both. When Monday morn
ing came Ralph was nervous. He
walked to school with Bud.
=" / guess you're n little skeered 10y
what he old man said, ant you?"
Ralph was about to deny it. but on
reflection concluded that it was al
WAYS best to speak the truth. He said
that Mr.. Means description Of the
school had made him feel a little
down-hearted.
What will you do with the tough
boys? You amt no match for 'em. y
And Ralph felt Buds eyes not only
measuring his muscles, but scrutiniz
! ing his cOuntenance. He only answer
ed:
d" don't know"
What would You do with me. fol
| instance?" and Bud stretched himsel
up as if to shake out the reserve pow
er coiled up in his great muscles.
shan't have any trouble witt
you"
"Why, Pm the worst chap of all
thrashed the last master myself"
And again the eyes of Bud Mean:
looked out sharply from his shadow
ing hrows to see the effect of thi:
speech OH the slender young man.
" You won't thrash me, though
said Ralph,
Pshaw | low I could whip yoI
i'm an inch of your life with my lcf
| hand and never half try" said young
! Means with threatening sneer.
Il know that as we'll as you do"
"WeIl, amt you afraid of n-e then"
and again he looked sidewise at Ralph
Not a bit," said Ralph, wondering
/ at his own courage.
They walked on in silence a minute
! Bud was turning the matter over.
4" Why ant you afraid of me?" IN
/ said presently.
because you and am going to b,
friends"
And what about t'others?"
II am not afraid of all the Othe
boys put together"
you ant! The mischief! How
that?"
"Wel, Pm not afraid of them be
cause you and are going to be friends
and you can whip all of them togeth
er. You'll do the fighting and I'll d'
the teaching"
The diplomatic Bud only chucklet
"A little at this whether he assentet
to the alliance or not Ralph could no
tell.
When Ralph looked round on tn
faces of the scholars. the little face
full of mischief and curiosity, the bi;
faces full of am expression which Wa
not further removed than second cCus
in from cOntempt-when young Hart
/ srok looked into these faces, his hear
palpitated with stege-fright. There
no audience so hard to face as one O
| school children, as many man ma
found to his cost. Perhaps 1t Is tina
no conver tionality can keep dow
their laughter when you do or say any
thing ridiculous.
Hartsook's first day was hurried an
| unsatisfactory. He was not master c
! himself, and consequently not maste
of ANYBODY else. When evening cam
there were symptoms of insubordlna
ton through the whole school. Poo
RaInh was sick at heart. He felt tha
ii there had ever been the shadow {
AN alliance between himself and Buo
il vas all of" now. 1t seemed I
Hartsook that even Bull had lost hi
respect for the teacher. half tha
NIGHT the young man lay awake. A
last comfort came to him. a TemlI
iscence of the death of the raccoo
flashed on him like vision. H6 II
memhered that quiet and annihilatln
bite which Bull gave. He rememhel
ed Buds certificate, that IF Bu
once takes a holt heaven and yartt
can't make him let CO." He though
that what Flat Greek needed was
bulldog. He would be bulldog, ,qu
ct but invincible. He would take hoi
in such a way that nothing Shout
} make him let go. And then he wei
to sleep. e,,
In the morning Ralph got out OF be
slowly. He put-his clothes on slowi.
He pulled on his boots in a bull-de