Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-02-21
e ans MEMPHIS WEDNESDAY EVENING FEBRUARY

4
ture again from under the friendly shade
Of the woods. New sounds now claimed
their attention. The deep baying of old
Rover, hundred and fifty yards up the
fence row, had already attracted their
notice. In moment more the "hoopee
of Will Crosby could be heard, and they
saw him running across the field in that
direction, aud that formidable old shet-
gun at ready" While running, as
though stricken by an unseen hand,
Will Crosby suddenly went down upon
his face, the gun again discharging it
self in the air. Slowly raising himself
up, the fallen man reached forth his
hand and disengaged something from his
feet The watchers knew too well what
it was he held up in the moonlight
Compromising the situation, he burst
into hearty, ringing laugh, and calling
his dog he took up the cause of his fall
in tender manner and proceeded to the
house. ai io i4HA9fHf7 WY
In FIVE mintes more Miss Polly Poke
stalk Joined her companions, her white,
scared face streaked with red, and her
eyes filed with tears. They all tried to
laugh, butit ended in a general cry.
Where have you been, Polly2" de-
manded two or three, as soon as they
could find their voices. HaA
Up a treep' was spiteful reply.
To-" Tell us howit was, = ,''' ~"
Well, you see that hateful old dog
took right after me. / believe he snap
ped my heels two or three times, and /
know he tore the skirt clean off my
dress. Finding that be would catch
me, with that old slab.sided slop-stick
urging him on, l happened to see a
lodged tree, and climbed iup on it out
of his reach. l saw that hateful old
bachelor coming, and girls, tell you,
I'd have died before I'd have let him see
me. | was fixing to jump right on the
old dog and try to break his old back,
when old Will got tangled in my old
frock tail and fell down with his old
blunderbuss. / wish the whole load
had gone into that old dogs head"
During the delivery of this "old' ex
PLANTATION, the sense of the ludicrous
again predominated, and they were all
in litter at its close. But mortifca-
tion soon obtained the ascendancy, and
another general "boo-hoo' followed. If
uncharitable things we're said, we must
remember the proyocation, and not cen
sure them too severely. ,.-,
What must we do, girls2" demanded
Polly, there isn'ta pan nor bucket left |
at our house, nor hardly any left in Nip
scissors. Shall we wait till old Grumpy
goes to bed again, and try to find some |
of the things we have lost?"
''" No, that is useless, for see yonder is
old Glasshead got a torch now, and |
started ont to hunt up all he can find"
Sure enough, he had organized a
search for the spoils. From their covert
they saw him pick up, now bonnet,
now shawl, and now an instrument of |
music, all Of which he carefully bore
away to the house. Too much vexed to |
talk or even to cry, the fair serenaders
set out for home in sullen silence 1t
matters little how they got there. They |
waded the branch, TO be sure, but there |
was nothing else in their way to inter-
rupt or retard their progress.
Atdaylight next morning Squire Poke |
stalk saw strange looking bundle af-
fixed to his gate-post. Going nearer he |
observed a note attached, which ran
thus: 'i 0i irg. ya 4 mod uf as
This is all / can find. If anything is |
missing, the owner can hunt for it on my |
place to-day, as Rover and l are going
on visit, to be gone all day" '
-lllr gi "WILL CROSBY"
On opening the parcel, the property
was found promiscuously slowed away. |
Whether anything was missing, we do |
not know--certes none was ever sought |
for. of '"pt
1t is needless to add that Will Crosby's |
company was not much in demand after /
that by the young ladies of Nipscissors.
He never alluded to the matter in the
presence of any Of them, but they each |
felt that they were suspected.
When, in the spring he took Laura
Boardman home as his bride, they were
shy Of the young couple for a long time,
Gradually, however, the old friendship
was renewed, and Of the half dozen old
maid "aunties who now pet and spoil
his and Laura's children, there is not one
who was not in that serenade. Many
laugh have they had over its incidents,
but no one except the actors has ever
known all they experienced that event
ful night, .s--.g