The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-11
vines rustied, and all was merry

A
vines rnstied, and ali was merry
indeed.
Billy's eyes turned up toward
the face of his father in appeal
ing agony; but still with a sharp
hiss the switch cut the 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 of chill
dren going by to school smote the
sweet May wind.
sob, pap, I'll not forget the pigs
no mOre.'
aspect you won't neither"
The wind, by a sudden puff,
lifted into the room a shower of
white bloom petals from a sweet
apple tree, letting them fall grace
fully upon the patch work carpet,
the while plowman wListled
plaintively IN q distant field.
''Outch. Crackee, Oh, pap,
papr'
"Shut your mouth, ri split YOU
to the backbone"
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, mem yelled the
lad.
Still the dust rose and danced
in the slanting jet of sunlight that
fell across the rooms and the hens
out at the barn cackled and sang
for joy over new eggs laid in choice
places.
At one time during the falliag
of the rod, the girl quit washing,
and, thrusting her head into the
kitchen, said, in n subdued tone:
my land, amt Bill gitten' an
awful one:"
you're mighty right" replied
the mother solemnly.
Along toward the last, Mr.. CouI-
ter tiptoed at every stroke. The
switch actually screamed through
the air as it fell. Billy danced.
"Now, go sirr' cried the man,
tossing the frizzed stump of the
CAD ont at the window. "Gonow;
and next time, you water them
pigs
And, while the finch poured out
a cataract of melody from the
locust, he went. Poor boy! that
was a terrible thrashing; and, to
make 1t worse, it had been prom
ised to him the evening before, so
that he had been dreading il and
over it all night. Now,
as he walked through the break
his sister looked at him
IN a commiserating way, but, on
passing through the kitchen, he
could not catch the eye of his
mother.
Finally he stood in the open air.
IL front of the saddle closets. II
vas just then q speckled rooster,
ln the barn-yard fence, Hoped
lis wings and crowed vociferously.
A turkey-cock was strutting upon
he grass by the old cherry-tree.
Billy opened the door of the
closets.
"a boys will is the winds will.
md the thoughts of youth are
ong, long thoughts"
Billy peeped in the closet, and
hen cast glance about him, as
f to see if anything was near.
At length, during a pleasant hull
n the morning wind, and while
.he low, tenderly mellow flow of
,he river was distinctly audible,
and the song OF the finch increas-
ed in volume, and the bleatinS OF
new lambs in the meadow died in
echoes under the barn,
and while the fragrance Of apple
blooms grew fainter, and while the
sun, now flaming just above the
eastern tree-tops launched show
er over him from head to foot, he
took from under his jacket behind
4 double sheep-skin, which, with
IN ineffable smile, he tossed into
The closet. Then, as the yellow
Kicker rose rapidly from the grass,
Billy walked off, whistling the
air of that once popular ballad,
'oh, give me back my fifteen cents"