Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-05-31

q minute" And with a vigorous
poking and sitting, he brought to
the surface an antiquated, tall brass
candle-stick.
Grub this up bright and stick
him on it; it's handsomer than an
old shingle, anyhow"
That's So said Mark approvingly.
"Wire him on.''
The young taxidermist's eyes
frightened. He saw no objection
to his owl perching on a candle
stick if it wanted tor rather if he
wanted it. to-and considered in it.
self, the candlestick was certainly
a more shapely object than the
shingle.
''l'll give it to you-don't care
much about it myself, anyway"
said Bob magnanimously, begin
ming to polish it with the sleeve OF
his jacket. "Was goin' to make a
brass cannon of it, that was all. l
put in some powder t'other day to
blow out that concern in the middle
that shoves up and down, but had
to 60 to school and didn't have time
to do it; glad of it aoN.''
The small table was too narrow
for so momcntous an undertaking.
David placed the lamp upon the
carpet, and seated himself, u la Turk
beside it, while the others, interes-
ted spectators, gathered around in
a circle-Mark on his knees, sgd
reclining, and Bob striking a varie-
ty of attitudes, while he vigorously
rubbed the intended pedestal, first
on his jacket, and then on his pants
to "shine her up" as he said. Taken
altogether, they looked not unlike q
group of devotees engaged in some
heathenish rite. But they had no
thoughts to bestow on their own
appearance; it was all for the owl,
and variouA grave suggestions and
bits of advice were volunteered.
''Fact is, I've only got some red
and green sealing-wax," said Dave,
turning the bird around upon his
hand.
"Take the green," answered Mark
serencly. "It wouldn't have red
eyes nulcss it had cold in its
head"
Dave melted his wax over the
lamp and attempted to drop it in
the proper place, but it would have
required more skilliul fingers to
accomplish the task quite readily
and neatly, and he was oblighed to
try again and again.
''Here, let me hold him, and then
you can take both hands to it," said
Sgd goodnaturcdly, laying down
the book he had been holding open,
BUT not reading.
"Say!' exclaimed Bob, pausing
for moment in his labors, "when
you get it all ready, let's slip down
stairs in our stockin' feet and
stick it upon the parlor mantel,
where she'll see it the first thing in
the morn-Hello!" elevating his
nose in the air with a suspicious
sniff, 81 smell-O sgd! you'er hair
is all a-singin'r'
sgd drew back from the lamp in
dismay, and this unexpected move
ment brought the drop of hot wax
Dave had designed for the fowl
full upon his hand.
ooh! whewH' sgd dropped the
bird suddenly, threw up his arm,
and in doing so struck the lamp and
overturned it SO violently that the
chimney was broken to fragments.
Some of the oil escaped, and in an
instant Syd's open book lying upon
the carpet, was in q blaze.
The boys sprang to their feet.
David caught up the lamp, and
though the oil upon the outside of
it had taken fire and the flames was
running down upon his hand, held
it firmly, while he and sgd blew
furiously to put it out. Bob and
Mark stood looking on in perfect
bewilderment, not able to collect
their scattered senses sufficiently to
do anything for the moment, and
the burning book was left unheeded
upon the floor until the older boys
succeed Distinguishing the lamp.
Just then one its fiery leaves fell
upon the old c idlestick and an ex-
plosion folloWxd that seemed to
shake the houss.
ooh! it's the powder l put in for
a cannon?" shouted Bob, in terrified,
explanation. And then, the mis-
chief being done, Mark bcthought
him to dash pitcher of water over
the handful of flaming paper left.
The noise brought the frightened
Jimmy from the next room, and the
father, mother and Nancy, with
alarmed and astonished faces, came
hurrying up from below. An odd
scene the room presented, the wet
carpet strcwn with bits of brass,
burnt paper, and broken glass,
while mingled odor of Kerosene,
and scorchcd feathers filed
the air. The five boys were group
ed together in silent amazement, and
Mrs. Gurney's first glance assured
her that they had neither murdered
each other nor committed suicide.
"What on earth is the mattcr?"
she calculated, tremulously.
Bob surveyed the wreck by the
light the new comers had brought,
and recovered his voice.
"Candlestick's gone to smash,
and it's no 60 about keepin'a a secret
an slippin' down in our stockin's,
and all that" he said. "Might as
well tell all about it, cause ] guess
this things about as much of sur
prise now as it ever will be"
"All about it, was accordingly
told, though very confusedly, and
in many different parts, rs one
speaker in upon another with ex-