The Red Cloud chief., 1880-03-18
TWO SIDES TO 4 YROLIC.


Herr WA on one SIDE OF the fence ana
the boys on the other. His hand was on
the gate but he had not quite made up
his mind TO open II.
"Oh, come on" said Val Morton.
What Il the use Of moping In the house
such n splendid night As this3 Come on
and have SOME fun"
/" ought 10 study my Latin" said
Bert, reluctantly, As he remembered the
long. dry lesson.
"Bother the Latin; It's no use, any
way. I'd like TO see any body getting
those irregular verbs out Of me-" said
Will Moore.
Bert laughed q little at the idea Of
getting any thing out Of Wills brain,
that never had much but mischief in II,
and then he slowly opened the gate,
drew a lone breath and wen, out II
was a glorious night, with just enough
frost in the air TO make it cool and crisp,
while the white moonlight almos; re-
vealed the colors Of the naples that had
been flaming all day in the hot sun
shine.
"Where are you goinga" asked Bert.
"Oh, just around town." said Val
carelessly, and ut that moment they
came opposite TO DIR. Parker's gate,
which stood a little way open. In an
instant Val lifted it off the hinges and
laid it in the gutter.
"Teach him 10 keep his gate Shut"
laughed Will," and Bert laughed, too,
though he felt ashamed Of himself, for
every body liked DIR. Parker.
A few blocks further on were some
wooden steps at the edge Of the side
walk. viii gave Val u nudge, and
with one stout tug the steps were
upset.
"That's too mean" said Bert.
Suppose some one should step off
therc?"
"Pooh," said Val, sit is light as
day, and nobody ever does go down
there except old Bijah, when he is in a
hurry for his grog. Serve him right if
he pitched over"
Bert knew he was i'm bad company,
but he was beginning to enjoy the ex-
element of the adventure, and when
Will proposed that they should carry
off the sign from a little shop, and
fasten it to the horns Of Mrs. McPher-
sons cow, he was ready TO lend = hand
himself. Old Whitley, who was peace
fully chewing her cud, was easily coaxed
into an alley with a handful OF turnips
pulled from her owners garden; and
before she realized that any mischief
was intended, she found herself blum
dering abo,it with a board fastened over
her face. The sign read, "Dressmak
ing and Fine Sewing; all kinds of Hair
Work. Ladies' Hair Dressed in the
latest styles"
The boys laughed so much over this
that they were in danger Of being found
out. But at last Bert said he must 90
home and that ended the frolic for the
night.
In his own room he tried for a little
while to fix his mind upon his lesson,
but soon found himself laughing at the
thought of the figure the COW would
cut, and wondering where they would
find her in the morning; so he tossed
the book aside and went to bed. This
WAS one side.
The other side began the next morn.
ing, when, with Bert's first waking
thoughts, came "a consciousness of the
nnprepared lesson, and a dismal fore.
boding of failure, that brought him to
the breakfast-table in any thing but al
amiable mood. His father was moi
there, and Aunt Margaret explained
hat he had been called away to see 8
patient.
ats that smart little Johnny Col
Inns; he's twisted his ankle dreadfully
worse to manage than a broken bone,
your father says. and may lay him NJ
half the winter"
GLOW did it ~happene" asked Bert,
absently.
"That's the worst of it." said Aun,
Margaret, "s0iie itischievous boys
that ought to be sent to the Reform
School, upset the steps in front of the
house."
Bert was wide enough awake now, and
staring at Aunt Margaret with fright
ened eyes as she went on.
"Bijah went off on one of his drinking
sprees, and his wife was so anxious fol-
fear he'd lain down somewhere OIL the
track that she sent Johnny out to look
him up. He ran out of the gate, boy
fashion, and made a rush for the steps,
never noticing that they were gone til
he pitched down the bank with his foOI
twisted under him. He must have
tainted and lain there some time before
he managed to crawl back, and they
didn't send for your father till morning
1t does seem too hard for that poor WON.
an. Johnny vas her only dependence,
and such a nice boy"
Poor Bert was fairly sick with horror
at the unloOked-fOr result of the mischief,
for though he had made a feeble protest,
he had really sanctioned it by his
presence, and he knew that his father
would say he was as much responsible
as any one. His father! must he
know itp Could he ever hold up his
head AGAIN if such a disgrace came up
on him?
"IIl never tell him." thought Bert
III would not do the least good now,
and it would nearly kill him. I've done
with those boys, though, and with such
frolics as they are up to-"
But It CHANGED that Bert was not to
have his own way about this matter.
That evening when he came home
smarting under the modification of fail
ure in his lessons, and a of re.
morse and shame at his own folly, his
father called him into his study. Fol
the first time in his life Bert really
dreaded an interview with his father,
and when he saw upon a chair the hair.
dresser's sign which he had helped to
fasten upon Mrs. McPherson's cow, he
was ready to sink with shame. Hi:
father talked to him quietly, telling him
that for some time the neighbOrhOod
had been annoyed by the mischievous
and malicious tricks of a set of boys,
until some of the residents had deter.
mined that they would discover them
and make a public example of them.
"If it could have been done sooner il
would have saved a great deal of suffer
ing to an innocent boy, but perhap:
some serious warning was needed fol
those who do not hesitate to sacrifice
their best friends to what they call fun,
This morning DR.. Parker called me into
his garden and, after showing M the
mischief done to his choice vines and
plants by some creature that had tram.
| pied over them, he told me that he