Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-10-22
An Account OF the Jtmmyjohns' Little
Affair with the GulIs,
BY MRS. ABBY MORTON DIAz.

exact account of the J1mmyjohns' affair
with the gulls, also of the manner in
which Jimmy was turned out of the
little red house at the sea shore The
account will begin at the time OF their
leaving home. It will explain the
reason of their going, and will, in fact,
tell everything that happened to them
ust exactly as it happened.
Mr.. Plummer, their father, had
bought some hay, at a place called
Stony Point, near the sea-shore and
one day he sent Ellis Payne, with the
OK cart, to finish making the hay and
bring it home. Mr.. Plummer told Ellis
Payne that he himself should be riding
that way about noontime, and would
carry him warm dinner. He started
just after eating his own dinner Ellis
Payne's was put in six-quart tin pail.
It being Saturday, Mr.. Plummer took
the Jlmmyiohns along. Their mother
said they might play at Stony Point till
Ellis Payne came home, and then ride
back on the hay Mr.. Plummer was
going 10 the mill
Now, the road turned off to the mill
short distance before reaching Stony
Point, and Mr.. Plummer, to save time,
told the Jlmmyjohns they must Jump
out there, and carry the pail to Ellis
Payne, and he would keep on to the
mill, and then he could take in the
umbrella-man who was turning up that
same road. He stopped to have little
fun with the twins, jumped them out
of the wagon, tried to guess which was
which, and, when told, turned them
y,o11n5 o3,I ,.o,7,,J r. ,,,1v +bo,,o ,,o ~,
tried to guess again, and would have
tossed up a cent and said, "Heads,
this is Jimmy, tails, this is Johnny"
as he sometimes did, only that the
horse seemed in somewhat of hurry
Mr.. Plummer showed the little boys
scraggy tree, which grew on the edge
of bank, near the shore, and told
them they would see the oxen as soon
as they turned the corner where that
tree grew. One took hold on one side
of the pail, and the other on the other,
and in that way they walked along the
shore, keeping pretty close to the
bank. It took them only about five or
ten minutes to reach that tree, and
when the corner was turned, they saw
the oxen plainly, but could not see
Ellis Payne. They kept on, walking
more slowly, the way being more stony,
and at last came to the oxen Ellis
Payne was not there. The reason of
his not being there is as follows. Two
fields away from the shore stood a
small red house all alone by itself, IN
which lived an old woman with her
young grandson. The young grandson
fell from a chamber window, and broke
a bone, and the old woman ran to the
shore screaming for help, and Ellis
Payne had left his work, and gone to
find out what was the matter.
The Jimmyjohns, seeing some oxen
at some distance along the shore,
thought perhaps these first oxen were
not thoright ones, and kept On farther
TO those other ones. They turned
down and walked quite near the water,
picking up pretty pebbles as they went
along, and now and then cookie shell
or scallop, or purple muscle. Some
of the shells were single, others in
pairs, which you could open like
cracker. They had a reason for picks
ing up the scallops and muscles, which
there is no time to mention here.
Though after all, perhaps it may as
well be told here. Annetta Plummer
was going to have party, and she had
not enough scalloped shells to bake her
cakes In. The cookies were for Effie to
put IN her arm basket. The Jimmy
johns picked up enough of all kinds to
fill their pockets. then took off their
hats and filled those. By that time
they had come to the spot where the
oxen had stood. But no, oxen were
there, then, and no man; so there was
nothing better to do than to play in
the sand and sail clam shell boats in
the little pools. It was a warm day,
the water looked cool, and the little
Jimmies, as they beheid the ripping
waves, felt just like wading in. So it
was off with shoes and off with stock
ings, roll up trowsers' legs, and away
with run and shout and q dash and
a splash and a spatter. A little way
out from the shore there was a high
rock. Not SO very, very high, just the
right height to give them good seat :;
and they sat down there, feet in the
water, heads together, looking down
into the water, watching the fries dart
lHg about SO swiftly.
1t is just here that the gull part of
the story comes in. Gulls are large
sea-birds. They live upon fish, and
they are their own fishermen. Some
may call this the funny part of the
story, though those who are ever in
such story may not call it the funny
part.
The white-winged gulls were flying
about; it is common thing, at seaside
places, to see gulls flying about and
skimming over the water. Sometimes
they dip in their bills and take a fish.
The Jimmyjohns sat looking down,
keeping very still, so as not to scare
the fries away. just what the gulls
thought of them, no one knows, and it
can never be known, for there is no
way of finding out CULTS thoughts,
which is pity, it would be so
curious to know just what they do
think about, and how they think it.
Perhaps those that belong to this story
thought the two Jimmyjohns were two
great fishes, exactly alike, or perhaps
they thought hair would be good to
me nests with. But, whatever they
thought, this is what they did. Flew
down. swift and sudden, upon the
ooys neads, tapped their great wings
IN their faces clauo1 Ill., bo;, boot