San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-08-10
RODS FOR FIVE.


Not birch-rods, fishing-rods. They
were going fishing, these five young
people, of whom I will treat 'funder
four heads" as the ministers say-1,
names; 2, ages; 8, appearance; 4, their
connection. a ~
/. Their names were John and Elsie
Singletree, Puss Leek, Luke Lord, and
Jacob Isaac; the last had no surname.
2. John was fifteen and few months
past; Elsie was thirteen and many
months past; Puss Leek was fourteen
to a day; Luke Lord crowded John so
closely, there was small room for SUI
perior age to claim precedence, or for
the shelter which inferior age makes on
certain occasions; Jacob Isaac was
"thutteen gwyne on fourteen"
8. John Singletree was a dark-eyed,
sharp-eyed, wiry, briery boy. Elsie, of
the same name, was much like him, be-
ing dark-eyed, sharp-eyed, wiry, bri-
cry girl. Her father used to call her
Sweet-brier and Sweet-pickle, because,
he said, she was sweet but sharp. Puss
Leek had long, heavy, blonde hair, that
hung almost to her knees when it was
free, which it seldom was, however, for
Puss braided it carefully every morning,
the first thing. Puss's ears were over
large for perfect beauty, and her eyes a
trife too deeply set; but I've half
mind to say she was beauty, in spite
of these, for, after all, the ears had a
generous look, in harmony with the
frank, open face, and the Swallowed eye
was the softest, sweetest blue
eye I ever saw. She had been
called Puss when a baby, because of
her nesting, kitten-like way, and the
odd name chung to her. Luke Lord
was homely; but he didn't care bit.
He was so jolly and good-natured that
every body liked him, and he liked
every body, and so was happy. He had
light hair, very light for Is years, and a
peculiar lettering gait, which was not
unmanly, however. 1t made people
laugh at him, but he didn't care bit.
Jacob Isaac was a "cullud pusson," as
he would have said, protesting against
the word "negro." "Nigger," he
used to say, els de mos untolerbulis
word neber did year." 1t was the word
he applied to whatever moved his anger
or contempt. .#.
But to return to No. 4. John and
Elsie Singletree were brother and sister.
Puss Leek was Elsie's boarding-school
friend, and her guest. Luke Lord was
a neighboring boy invited to join the
fshing-party, to honor Puss Leek's
birthday, and to help John protect the
girls. Jacob Isaac was hired to
"glong" as general waiter, to do
things that none of the others wanted
to do-to do the drudgery while they
did the frolicking.
They were all on horseback-John
riding beside Puss Leek, protecting her;
Luke riding beside Elsie, and protect
ing her; Jacob Isaac riding beside his
shadow, and protecting the lunch bas-
ket, carried on the pommel of his sad
die. .-.
Arrived at the water, the boys bated
the hooks, at which the girls gave little
shrieks, and hid their eyes, demanding |
to know of the boys how they would
like to be treated as they were treating
the worms.
"The poor creaturesl" said Puss.
$50 helpless!" added Elsie, peeping
through her fingers at the boys. "Aren't
the hooks ready yet?"
"Yours is" and Luke delivered rod
into her hands.
Sand here's yours, Puss," John said.
"Drop it in"
Soon there were five rods extended
over the water, and FIVE corks were
noating which might have told of rob
bed mOlasses-iugs and vinegar-iugs,