Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-04-25
A NEW CASABIANCA.

extract shows:
A NEW CAsABIANCA.
The man looked at his boy proud
ly, sternly, sorrowfully. The lad
looked into his fathers face sadly,
exultingly, heroically. 1t was liv-
ing tablcau no artist could repro
duce. "Billy," said the father,
gravely, 81 took your mother aud
sister to church yesterday" eyes,
Sir" "And left you to see to the
things" eyes sir" replied the boy,
gazing out through the window at
the flicker as it hitched down the
gate-post, and finally dropped into
the grass with a shrill chirp. "And
you didn't water the pigs?" 800
o! Oh, sir! Geeroody! Oh, me!
Lawsy, lawsy met" The slender
scion Of an apple tree rose and fell
in the hand of Mr.. Coulter, and up
from the jacket of the lad, like in
cense from an altar, rose a cloud Of
dust mingled with the nap of jeans.
Down in the young clover cf the
meadow the lark and sparrows sang
checrily; the gnats and flies danced
up and down in the sunshine, the
fresh soft leaves Of the vines rustled,
and all was merry indeed. Billy's
eyes turned up toward the face of
his father in appealing agony, but
still with a sharp hiss the switch
cut the air, falling steadily and mer-
cilessly upon his shoulders. And
along the green banks of the river
the willows shook their shiny fin
gers at the lifting fog, and the
voices ofchildren going by to school
smote the sweet May wind. ooh,
pap, I'll not forget the pigs no
moren' "'Spect you won't heather"
The wind by sudden puff lifted
into the room shower of bloom
petals from sweet applc-tree, let
ting them fall gracefully upon the
patchwork carpet, the while plow-
man whistled plaintively in dis
tant field. "Oucth! Crackee! Oh,
pap, pap" "Shut your mouth, ri
i'll split you to the back -bone.'-
How many delightful places in the
woods, how many delightful places
in the woods, how many cool spots
beside the murmuring river, would
have been more pleasant to Billy
than the place he then occupied
"Oh, me! oh, me-" yelled the lad.
Still the dust rose and danced in
the slanting jet Of sunlight that fell
across the room, and the hens out
in the barn cackled and sang for
JOY over new eggs laid in choice
places. At one time during the
falling Of the rod the girl quit wash
ing, and, thrusting her head into
the kitchen, said in a subdued tone,
"My land, amt Bill gettin' an awful
one?" "You're mighty right" re-
piled the mother, solemnly. Along
towards the last Mr.. Coulter tip
toed at every stroke. The switch
actually screamed through the air
as it fell. Billy danced. "Now go,
sir." cried the man, tossing the
trizzled stump of the gad out the
window. "Go now, and the next
time you water them pigs" And,
while the finch poured out catar-
act of melody from the locust, he
went. Poor boy! that was a terri
BILE thrashing, and, to make it worse,
it had been promised to him the
evening before, SO that he had been
dreading it and shivering over it
all night. Now, as he walked
through the breakfast room his Sis
ter looked at him III a commisera-
ting way, but, on passing through
the kitchen, he could not catch the
eye of his mother. Finally he stood
in the free, open air, i'll front of the
sadlle-closets. 1t was just then a
speckled rooster on the barn-yard
fence Topped his wings and crowed
vociterously. n turkey-cock was
strutting upon the grass by the old
cherry-tree. Billy opened the door
Of the closets. "a boys will is the
winds will, and the thoughts OF
youth are long thoughts" Billy
peeped into the closet, and then
cast a glance about him, as if to see
if anything was near. AT length,
during a pleasant lull in the morn
ing wind, and while the low, ten
derly-mellow flow Of the river was
distinctly audible, and the song of
the finch increased IN volume, and
the bleating of new lambs in the
meadow died in the fluttering echoes
under the barn, and while the fra
GRANGE Of apple-blooms grew faint
cr, and while the sun, now flaming
Just above the eastern tree-tops,
launched shower over him from
head to foot, he took from under
his jacket behind double sheep
skin, which, with an inetfable smile,
he tossed into the closet. Then, as
the yellow flicker rose rapidly from
the grass, Billy walked off, whist
ling the air of that once popular
ballad:
"oh, give ME back my fifteen cents"