Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1880-09-16
Working Under ninieulties.

Z
Mrs. Spilkins had made up her
mind the first warm day that came in
the spring she would wash her feath-
er tick. 1t came at last, and getting
up bright and early, she got John,
that's Mr.. Spilkins, to carry the tick
cut in the yard, and then getting two
clean barrels, she emptied them very
carefully, laying board on top, with
q rock to keep them safely.
Old Billy, ram they had made
quite pet of during the winter,
watched the proceedings very attent-
lively, and satisfying himself it was
all right and legitimate transaction,
lay down by the sunny side of the
smoke-house, chewing his cud con-
tentedly, and meditated on the pros
pect of the coming grass crop which
had just begun to tlnge the meadows
with an emerald hue, and then dozed
off to sleep. About three o'clock,
the.tick having been washed and dried,
Mrs. Spilkins concluded she. would
refill it, and proceeding to the barrels,
commenced to carefully handle the
feathers and replace them in the tick.
She had emptied one barrel and had
about two-t thirds of the feathers out of
the other, when Old Billy walked up
from his noon siesta, and after blink
ing in the sun a while, discovered
Mrs. Spilkins engaged in a some
what curious business which he
thought necessary to investigate.
He marched up, within about ten
feet in the rear, in good fanking dis
tance; down went Mrs. Spilkin's
head as she stopped and brought up
fistful OF feathers. Billy watched
the operation in astonishment, and
winked and bllnked fearfully, and
stamped his fore-feet one after the
other in quick and decided man
ner, which expressed rage and sur
prise. Down went Mrs. Spilkins'
head into the barrel again, and there
was corresponding backward move
ment on her part, which was aggra-
waiting to Billy, as the boys had taken
this method of teaching him to butt,
> and it began to get through his wool
that Mis-. Spilkius was challenging
him to combat.
AS the feathers got deeper into the
barrel, Mrs. Spllkins' movements
became more energetic, and when
she made another dive in, and moth
ing but her apron-strings tied in q
huge bow behind were visible, Billy
could stand it no longer, and, satis-
fed that legitimate challenge was
given, gave stamp of his foot, low
cred his head, and with a short, an
cry ba-ba struck the bow-strings as
fair as ever knight did shield, and
J Mrs. Spilkins disappeared in the bar
: rel, while the feathers flew out be-
hind like a snow-storm.
1t was a pretty tight fit, and Billy
charged through the cloud of feath.
ers once more, this time driving Mrs.
! Spilkins right through beyond the
, shoulders, so she gained the use oi
her arms and feet, and after blowing
= out about peck of feathers from hel
mouth and the down out of her eyes
she grabbed an old broom, and will
the barrel around her, gave chas,
: after Billy, feathers flying, the barre
g rafting and Billy ba-baing fit to kill
= and Mrs. SpiIkins screaming all sort
u of things at Billy, who, astonished a
r. tue uproar and the fearful apparitio1
he had invoked, leaped into KEITH
Is of soft-soap which had been lett on
}. over night to cool; one more franti
l. jump and, he landed in the half-ope1
= feather-bed, and his horns becomin
- entangled in it, and Mrs. Spilkins
more enraged than ever, pursuin
him like an ayenging Nemesis, buch
ed and cavorted around, upsetting
+ swarm of bees, and what with the al
1T filed with feathers and bees and th
ar ba ing of Billy and the screams {
n. Mrs. Spilkins as the bees swarme
to the attack, the neighbors VIII
D came rusing up thought it was mul
he der and house-a-fire at the leas
tn Mrs. SpiIkins sat down in the barr,
and John hived her by putting
board over it, and she had to sts
,ui there till sundown and the bees ha
. gone to roost. Billy was splail
looking object next day, covered vii
u soap and feathers; and Mrs. Spilkil
it vows vengeance if she ever can g
it within broom-shot of him, while Il
Mt boys who watched the fun from Il
% corn-crib door say they've had circ'
enough to last them year.