Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-04-16
A New Casabianca.
From the Literary Journal

lFr0m the Literary JOURNAL rrf
The man looked ut his boy proudly,
sternly, sorrcwfully. The lad locked
into his fathers face sadly, exultingly,,
1heroically: 1t was a living tableau no
artist could reproduce. Billy said
the father, gravely, II took your moth
err aud sister to church yesterday
Yes SIR And left You to see to the
things Yes SIR replied the boy,
gazing out through the window at the
flicker as it hltched down the gate
post, and finally.dropped into grass
with a shrill chlrp. And you didn't
water the pigs?' 600! Oh. sir!
Geeroody! Oh, me! Lawsy, lawsy
mel The slender scion Of an apple
tree rose and fell Into the hands of
Mr.. Coulter, and up from the jacket Of
the lad, like incense from an altar,
rose a cloud Of dust, mingled with the
nap Of jeans. Down in the young
clover of the meadow the lark and
sparrows sang cheerily the gnats and
flies danced up and down IN the sun
shine, the fresh soft leaves Of tho vines
rustled, and all was merry indeed.
Billy's eyes turned up towards the
face Of his father In appealing ag-
ony, but still with a sharp hiss
the switch cut tho air, falling
steadily and mercilessly on his
shoulders. And along the green
banks OF the river the willows shook
their shiny fingers at the lifting fog,
and the voices or children going BY to
school smote the sweet May wind. %.
pap, I'll not forget the pigs no moro p
''Spect you won't heather The wind
by a sudden puff, lifted into the room
a shower of bloom petals from a sweet
apple tree, letting them fall gracefully
upon the patchwork carpet, the while
a ploughman whistled plaintiyely In a
distant field. 'Outch! Crackee! o.
pap, papn Shut your mouth, RI I'll
split you to the backbone How many
delightful places In the woods. how
many cool spots besides the murmur-
ing river, would have been more pleas
ant to Billy than the place he then oc-
cupied. %, me y yelled the lad. Still
the dust rose and danced in the slant
ing Jet of sunlight that fell across the
room, and tho hens out at the barn
cackled and sang for joy over new eggs
laid in choice places. At n time
during the falling Of the rod the girl
quit washing, and, thrusting her head
into the kitchen, said In a subdued
tone, My land. amt Bill get In an
awful one?' You're mighty right
replied the mother. solemnly. Along
towards the last Mr.. Coulter taptoed
at every stroke. The switch actually
screamed through the air rs it fell.
Billy danced. Now 60, sirn cried
the man ; tossing the frizzled stump OF
the CAD out at the window. Go, now.
and the next time you water the pigs
And, while the finch poured out a cat
aract of melody from the locust. he
went. Poor boy! that, was q terrible
thrashing. and, to make 1t worse. 1t
had been promised to him the evening
before. so that he had been dreading 1t
and shivering over 1t all night. Now.
as he walked through the breakfast
room, his sister looked at him in q com.
m~iserating way, but on passing through
the kitchen he could not catch the eye
of his mother. Finally, he stood In
tho free, open air. in front Of the sad
d~le-closets. 1t was just then a speckled
rooster on the barn-yard fence Topped
his wings and crowed vociferously. A
turkey-cock vas strutting upon the
grass by the old cherry tree. Billy
opened the door Of the closets. "A
boys will Is the winds will, aud the
thoughts OF youth are long, long
thoughts Billy peeped into the closet
and thence cast a glance about him, rs
II to see II anything was near. At
length, during a pleasant lull In the
morning wind, ard while the low, ten
derby mellow flow of the river was
distinctly audible, and the song Of the
finch increased In volume, and the
bleating Of the new lambs In the
meadow died in fluttering echocs'un-
der tho harm. aud while the fragrance
of apple-blooms grew fainter, and
while the sun, now flaming just above
the eastern tree-tops, launched a show
or on him from head to foot, he took
from under his jacket behind, a double
sheep skin, which, with an ineffable
smile, he tossed Into the closet. Then,
rs the yellow flicker rose rapidly from
the grass, Billy walked of, whlstling
the air of that once popular ballad
NNh ntro M haeL rv al nam rsatau