River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-11-11

Of currants and measuring of sugar and
pices and beating eggs Carl had a
hnger-and sometimes two or three of
them-in each and every pie
At night there were rows on rows OF
cakes and tarts and pies on the pantry
shelves. Perhaps that fact may &C
count for Carls sudden and irresistible
thirstiness, and his consequent frequent
visits to the kitchen for water
The morning of the Fourth came ut
last, as all mornings, however anxious
ly looked for do come. Carl was up
earlier than he had ever been before
in all his ten-year life, carrying his
wares from the pantry shelves to his
little booth he wanted a store by
himself, YOU Enow-which had been
erected for him. He looked rather dis
dainfully, l am afraid, on other ten
vear-old boys, whose chief enjoyment
seemed to be in swapping torpedoes
and crackers.
Everything was so fresh and neat in
CarPs store that / wish you could have
seen it, the narrow counter, made of
rough boards, had, nevertheless, piney
smell that quite made up for its lack
Of elegance,-so Carl thought, and So |
think.
Well, he arranged his cakes and con-
fections along the shelves, opened his
ledger, took his pen and wrote on the
clean white pages, in his scrawling,
sckool-boy hand
Account with Mister"
Presently people began to flock into
the village, and Carl was in fever of
excitement lest one should not notice
the sign in black letters-"Nuts, Oaks,
Candys, Apples, and Everything Mise
FOR Sale Hear" The last two or three
words dwindled down ANONYMOUSLY.
There was not room on the board.
But people did notice him, and his
little store was filled with customers.
One thing troubled Carl: they all paid
down, and he could see no use for his
ledger.
At last, however, there came gold
en- opportunity, and he snatched it. A
headed, freckled- faced, bare-footed
stub Of boy, after buying five cents
worth of chcckerberry pie, if you
please" suddenly discovered that he
bad no money.
"I'n trust you" cried Carl, eagerly
going to his ledger. 1rathern not !"
Then, thinking of something he had
forgotten. he said whats your name,
did you say, sir p
no, Ididnt say, SIR returned red
head, who, it seemed, was Cup" in
slang parlance, to a great many things,
snuff included. He looked at our lit
tie merchant steadily for moment,
taking his measure" he would have
said. A quiet smoker pulled itself out
through thin lips, and then: Robin
Hood. sir, is my name"
Straightway was entered in that
ledger
Mister Robin Hood in account with
Mister Carl Bonney. DR.. to five sticks
of checcrbery pipe"
Alas and alas for the sacredness of
historical personages! Red-head, alias
Robin Hood. went out and told the story
to his mates. Carl soon had need of his
ledger. There was not much more
ready pay.
Those 'Accounts with MistersW |
keep that ledger now, and whenever |
have an attack Of the indigOes | get it
out and laugh over it. A tall boy with
flashing eyes. bore himself proudly as
Alexander Selkirk; 4 meek-lOoking,
white-eyed boy rejoiced in the name of
Jefferson Davis; then there was George
Washington, not at all, as | should
think, resembling the father of this
country" and a counterfeit Robinson
Crusoe. That name struck Carl as be-
ing little familiar, but in the rush of
customers he soon forgot it. Walter
Raleigh, William Shakespeare, Oliver
Cromwell, (another familiar name, J
Ben Franklin, Isaac Newton, Thomas
jefferson, Patrick Henry-Ah, if Carl
had only paid more attention to his
history and less to crooking pins-and..a
host Of others. \ big, black-haired
boy, and little red-haired boy took
the same name, William Tweed. Carl
was puzzled at the coincidence, and
asked the black-haired William what it
meant He looked blank, but W. l..
number two came to the rescue with Il
lying audacity which would have de-
lighted his namesake.
Me and him is cousins, was named
after the same chap, nice man he was;
come to think, shouldn't wonder bit
if twas your father" evidently wishing
to conciliate the little trader.
Carl looked the red-haired William
Tweed square in the face, his
fists clenching and his black
eyes Swapping ominously. w.
I. stepped back from the counter, grin
ming.
Il believe you'er telling fibsm Carl
cried, my fathers name amt William,
and your name amt either, Joe Brown.
You don't remember the time you
stole NV ball and then kicked me be-
cause | asked you to give 1t back? You
| stole twenty-five cents once, too, and
SAID you didn't have it when you did,
| cause Uncle Tom searched you, and
| found it way down in your boot. Now
you Just get out-No, you shan't have
| it,"
This last remark was addressed to
| Henry Clay who was meekly asking for
FIVE cents worth Of peanuts, and
wor Id Mr. Bonney he 50 kind as to
trust him?'
Before that MIR. Bonncy," uttered
so revcrently, would have tickled Carts
vanity amazingly, but he didn't take
the bait this time, and made the an
swcr as before stated, adding "NOl
none of you shan't any more. l amt
\ going to trust another cent?
! 1t was a signal for general scram-
! bic Such an uprOar was never heard
before nor since, in that civilized com
munitv. Oliver Cromwell, William
/ Tell the two Tweeds. Jefferson Davis
! ana all We'd with each ot er in who
/ sholld obtain the greatest lot OF con
| fections. The Tweeds seemed to be
1 adtuts ut stealing. Poor Carl was power
/ less to prevent the robbery, even if he
had known what it all meant. He was
screaming father-r-r!' at the very tip
top Of his lungs, and consumption Is
not hereditary in his family. When
: the row subsidized so that he could make
/ himself heard, his father came, though
quite too late to mete out justice, for
/ Oliver Cromwell's heels were just flying
( around the corner. and Oliver being
/ short and fat was behind them all.
Cal told his story. and his father
nearly chokcd with trying not to laugh.
! He did not try when it came to read
/ ing the ledger Accounts with Mister
/ Thomas Jefferson, with Mister Isaac
! Mutton, etc he just let his bcnt-up
/ laughter go off in one loud. long roar
Then he took the little pile of money
from the box lust one dollar and
ninctv-seven centS-looking over the
/ IedeGr. casting no accounts, put on