Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-10-22

were not to be caught by that bait and stood
off pretty considerably, when Pop whispered
over TO us, in quite a Jolly tone Of voice
Don't be afraid, boys. l like to see you en-
Joy yourselves. / was boy once myself.
Bless your hearts / like fun yet as well as
anybody"
Then be laughed ready to split, bent him
self donble, and we all began to feel easy,
and laugh too. Tom Jones said he wished
his father was like mine, and Pop began to
encourage us to do more. We were SO spur
red on by him that we hardly left gate in
the place where it belonged, Pop going along
with us, acting as a kind of scout he said,
and seeing that nobody was near to disturb
us. Once or twice he gave a signal of alarm,
and we all crouched down as still as mice,
Pop stiller than any Of us. / never was so
dumbfounded in all my life, for I'd never
seen Pop very Jolly that way before. The
boys were delighted with him; they all
agreed to make him president of our club,
and Pop said he'd take the position when he
got back from the Legislature.
Well, we'd come to the conclusion the place
was completely done, and Jim Clancy pro-
posed we should'go home. Jim had torn his
hands rather badly with Uncle Jake's gate,
and didn't feel very good, when suddenly Pop
said -
Eyes, boys of course wen go home pretty
soon, when we're through, you know but
we must put all the gates back in their places
again first I"
We all looked at each other aghast for
minute. 'Back again !" cried the fellows.
"Well, guess not !" "Not much !" Hard
ly and all sorts of derisive refusals went
round.
Pop stood among us, whirling his cane,
smiling all the time, and said
,v,~sn hx.vr ,rrl,n .fV,1
of it minute You've had your fun, you
know; but it won't do to go too far. I'm a
justice Of the peace, and this innocent little
racket comes under the head of malicious
mischief You could all be sent to Jail and
no matter how badly I'd feel, I'd have to act
under the law. There's where it is, you see ;
people are so hard on boys they won't let
them enjoy themselves. It's too bad but
never mind, we've had our fun anyway.
Now let's get to work in earnest Here, We'll
begin with this gate. Lift it up there, Jim I;
hold on the other side, Bobby, my boy. Now
we have it,-all together"
And as true as you live, we actually found
ourselves walking along with the gate be-
tween US. From that gate we went to an
other and another. don't know how it was,
but we just plodded along, and did what Pop
said He was laughing and joking and flour
ishing his cane but oh, how tired we were /.
How our hands and our feet and our hearts
ached, and how sckening it all was The
most sickening of anything was to hear Pop
laugh and carry on all the time, as if this was
the cream of the joke tell you, we were
all mad enough and when we got to old
Jake Van Couter's we just rebelled. We all
hated Jake, anyhow; and Tom Jones he
stood right out in the road, and said Jake was
mean old curmudgeon and then Pop got
hold pf Tom hafOra ha kDaxy IL and 1nurn
came his cane with whack.
Now, boys" says Pop, "fun's fun, and
I'm as fond of it as anybody, but l don't SEQ
any use of spelling good time in this kind Of
way. Jake couldn't put that gate back to
save his life, and it goes to my heart to hear
hard words against the poor old man. Hes
bent double with rheumatism, he's old and
he's poor, and he's no subject for your fun
Take fellow like me If you want fun. 1
don't mind it. Do what you like 10 me, but
spare old Jake"
Well, we just looked at one another in
mute disgust, but we didn't care to dispute
any farther with Pop. We plunked along
that nasty old freezing road, and we yanked
Uncle Jake's gate out of the mud, and car
ried it half mile our nails hanging of, and
tears of rage and modification rolling down
our cheeks with Pop laughing all the while
like good one, declaring that he didn't see
how anybody could be so hard on boys they
would have their fun, and for his part he
thought it did them good, and it took him
back to his youth again; he hadn't had such
a spree for many year.
We groaned and looked at each other, and
each of us dropped off silently and gloomily
at our separate doors. A whole month has
gone by without proposition for fun of any
kind and I'll leave it to anybody if it ain. /.
enough to disgust fellow to have Pop wink
ing at me behind his hand, and telling me to
count him in for the next racket. .-Hdrpers 5
Young People.