The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-08-21
Paying or the Miller.

the whispering so loud, that the tired
little woman on the platform heard it,
and came softly up behind Sim to see
what it was all about.
"Get out |" cried Sim, suddenly,
feeling smart pull at his hair. "Tell
teacher 4 you don't stop that II
I don't know whether teachers do
such things nowadays; but that was in
the days of hair-pulling, when boxed
ears aud raped knuckles were taken as
a matter of course.)
"I'll have a word with you two, after
school |" said Miss Anderson, shutting
down the desk-lids.
Sim gave one scared, upward glance,
saw who it was, and subsided into red
faced studiousness. He remembered
that in these after-school interviews,
" from words they often came to blows"
"Ehm chm !" coughed Bud, across
the aisle, when Miss Anderson's back
was turned.
Sim caught dirty white note in the
leaves of his "Colburn. This was the
note
"Git al the boys you can and all the
tin pans and girls and things to max
nois and then les al Civ old dodge a reg
dren us out the mil wunt it"
Sim turned the note over and wrote sal
rite" on the other side; then sent it back
with that endorsement. Miss Ander-
son was prowling around distrustfully,
and Bud crammed it into his pocket,
with a hasty glance at Sims answer.
But pockets have other holds some
times than those at the top, and notes
have way of slipping through to the
floor. Buds did.
"The little-good-for- -nothings T. said
Miss Anderson, picking it up at recess.
"I hope Mr.. Dodge will give them a
good horse-whipping. I'll tell him 80 !"
Five minutes later a small boy was on
his way to the mill, with note from the
teacher, informing the miller of the
childish bit of revenge the boys were
planning. The miller's blue eyes twin
kled with fun as he read it -
Think they're going to drum me
out of camp, do theyp" he said, chuck
ling merrily. "I'l fix emp
Two o'clock came, and with it an
ominous sound Of rattling pans, and
drums, and things to make a noise.
Rub-a-dub-dub up the hill they came,
rub-a-dub They tramped into the
mill. The dusty miller pushed his
dusty hat off his forehead, and gave the
little army the benefit of one long stare,
then turned to his work without single
| word.
"Goody - cried Bud, spying an i'm
mense drum in corner. "Guess he
wouldn't have left this round, if he'd
known we was coming |"
60 mi
said round-faced Susy Piper, humping
away with both her dimpled fists on one
OF her mother s milk-cans, the only thing
she had been able to appropriate with.
out suspicion.
"Don't you b'leeve he hears what 6
noise we're making ?" asked Sim, little
anxiously, when they had drummed Wig
orously for half an hour without detect.
ing any signs of uneasiness on the part
of the miller.
eyes, course" answered Bud. "He'G
mad, and won't speak, that's all. Lei
keep at it till he has to"
So they pounded away for another
half-hour, with an energy worthy of 6
better cause.
"Awful hot |" sighed Jenny Allen
one of the smaller boys, tanning his rec
face with limp straw hat. "Don't yoU
s'pose he's ever going to speak? 1t't
such fun to hear him rave when he't
mad-if he don't catch you |"
"O!" said Bud, reassuringly
"Don't give up yet. He's most crazy
now. saw the corners of his mouth
twitch when he emptied that sack o.
meal"
"I'm going home I" whinod two OF
three, as the half-hours slipped away
and the jolly miller went in to his FIVE
o'clock supper.
go don't - cried Bud and Sim, to.
gether. Just wait and keep drum
ming. He'll come out pretty quick, and
then you'll see fun. He can scold ever
80 much better'n Miss Anderson
Keep a-drumminl"
rang Such Babel of sounds was sure
ly never heard before within it's walls.
The miller came out at last. HI
looked cool and comfortable, and hi
eyes twinkled more than ever.
"Well, boys and girls;" he said
cheerily, tired, be YEP 'Fraid ye'v,
worked too hard for such a hot after
noon. I'm any quantity obliged to y,
for coming up-been thinking of sendinI
for host on Ye to come and drum M
rats away. Plagued me most to dealt
all the spring; but 1 guess this'l fl,
'em. see this ere big drum into Bos
ton the other day, and thinks says 1
that's the very thing to skeer 'em with
g Well s'pOse fyou want to get sem
supper now. Cant pay We much, 'cep
in good will. Here's cent apiece al
round to buy some candy with. Whel
ye don't want to play, come up and he'll
me again some time. Goodnight |"
The children stood there for a mo
ment or two-a blank-faced company
then turned and marched in a melan
chOly procession down the hill.
The jolly miller laughed as he hear,
Bud mutter sorrowfully, "SoId for