River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-10-21

screamed, jumped, fell down, scrambled
up, ran, fell down, then up again, got
to the shore some way, ran over the
sand, over the pebbles, over the stones,
over the rocks, across wet grass, up a
bank, through field, screaming all
the time, as if the gulls were chasing
them every step of. the way. But, no
doubt, the gulls had been just as much
frightened as the boys; Tor they had
flown away faster than they came, out
of sight, far over the sea. The jim
mics sat down ON the grass, in the
warm sunshine, and rubbed their
bruises, and counted their cuts in their
feet Johnny's left knee was quite
lame, and the heel of the other foot
had been badly cut by piece of clam
shell.
BY this time it was quite late in the
afternoon. The boys began TO feel hun
CRY, and talked of going to get the pail
and eating some of the dinner. 'One
guessed it would be stealing to do that,
and the other guessed it would not be
stealing AT last they agreed to go and
get their hats and shoes and stockings,
and the pail, and find Ellis Pay ne, and
ask him to give them little piece of
his gingerbread.
Ii was pretty hard work, going back
over those sharp stones and that
coarse, stubbed grass, barefoot. To
be sure. they came that way, but they
were frightened then, and only thought
of tho gulls. That grass why, its
edges were so sharp it seemed as if lit
tie knives were cutting into their feet !
They walked on their heels, on their
toes, on the sides of their feet, almost
on the tops of them sometimes and
so hobbled along slowly. Rather too
slowly, for, by the time they
reached the shore, somebody had
been there before them and taken all
their things. What body Why, a
body you have heard of before. A
body that has done great mischief. A
body that had carried off bigger things
than six-quart tin pals. A body that
is said to get furious at times, and to
do, then, the most terrible things.
Have you never heard of body of wa
ter, called the mighty ocean That
was it. The mighty ocean rushed up
that pebbly shore and swallowed up
hats, shoes, stockings, dinner pals,
dinner and all 70 speak in plain
words, the tide had risen and covered
them.
The Jimmies never thought of that,
until man came along--a man with
horse cart, and told them. " Whv,"
said he, ono use looking the tide
has carried them off
When the man had gone, the boys
went up from the water to look for
Ellis Payne. Johnny's heel was in
such bad state he could only step
with the toes of that foot, and, in going
over the sharp stones, he cut the ball
of the same foot, SO that he could not
step with it at all ; and when they came
to the stubbed grass that cut like little
knives, he held up one foot and hoped
on the other, and, getting tired of that,
he walked ON his knees. Jimmy
laughed at him, but in the midst OF his
laughing cried out, "Oui out" aud
was glad to come down upon his own
knees. And so they went on while,
but, finding knee walking hard to do,
and apt to make knee walkers roll
over, they tried hand walking and
knee walking both, which is all the
same as crawling.
And now comes that part of the story
where Jimmy was turned out of a
house.
While those boys had been picking
up shells, and playing in the sand, and
wading, and watching the fries, and
running away from gulls, and drying
their clothes in the sun, and counting
their cuts, and hobbling up and down
the shore, the sun had been sinking
lower and lower and lower; and Ellis
Payne had finished making the hay and
gone home with it, IL is sad to think
how hungry Ellis Payne must have
been The boys were hungry, too,
and that may have been the reason
why they went toward the little red
house. 1t stood two fields away from
the shore, as has already been stated.
When they reached the last field, john
ny lay down in the grass, close by
row of wild plum bushes, and cried.
He said he could not walk any more.
Jimmy said he would go into that
house, and if any woman gave him any
thing he would bring Johnny some.
But when he reached the house, he was
too bashful to open the door, and
stayed in the wood-shed quite long
time, till he saw woman go out.
After Jimmy had been gone a few
moments, Johnny heard noise of
some one walking near, and soon an
old woman came out from behind the
bushes with some leaves IN her hand.
She went close to Johnny and asked
him what he WIS lying there for, bare
headed. Johnny told her he had a
lame knee and sore heel and he
couldn't walk.
"Don't tell me that" said she.
Didn't just see you running across
the field"
No--ma'm, 'twasn't L." sobbed
Johnny.
Don't tell me Don't tell me
cried the old woman; and she walked
of, picking now and then a leaf as she
went. The leaves were plantain leaves,
for the bruises of her little grandson,
who had fallen out Of the chamber
window. The boy she saw running
across the field was Jimmy.
When that old woman had finished
picking leaves, she went back into the
4 IL IL EpsghaI