Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-11-10
PETERS POSTAL.CARD,

Thought SEEM very grave one, can
never be INDUCED in without bringing
many worse ones in its train. and sadly
lowering the whole tone of q BOYS
character. He was full of curiosity
that curiosity which leads one to be al
ways prying into the affairs of others.
The boys at school of course knew his
failing, and found in it reason for play
ing many trick upon him. which is
not to be wondered at. One day, when
a number of the older boys had re-
manned after hours to consult on the
formation of a club. he crept into the
entry and listened at the door. They
found out that he was there, and all
got out of a window and locked Peter
in, keeping him prisoner until after
dark, when he was let out, frightened
and hungry. ...
The next morning he was greeted on
the playground by shouts of ..Spell it
backwardr' He could not guess what
was meant, and was still more puzzled
as they continued to call him double
back action "Reversible-engine g"
and other bits of school. boy wit. He
begged them to tell him, and at last
some one suggested, in tone of great
disgust: "Spell your name backward,
BOBBY, and then you'll see."
He did, and he saw: Keens-back-
ward.
But he was not yet ready to cultivate
straightforward spelling. That club
still bothered him; he could not give
up his strong desire to find out its
secrets. By dint of much listening and
spying he gathered that it was to meet
one night in a barn belonging to the
father of one of the boys, and he made
up his mind to be there. He crept
near the door as darkness closed in.
and listened intently. They were inside
surely, for he could hear something
moving about; but he wanted to hear
more than that, so he ventured to raise
the wooden latch. 1t made no noise;
he cautiously opened the door tribe.
and peeped in. 1t was dark and
quiet, so he opened it wider. 1t gave
a loud grating creak; scurry of quick
footsteps sounded on the floor and
then white thing suddenly rose before
him, tall and ghostly. In an agony of
fright and horror he turned to run, but
the thing with one fearful blow
struck him down. tramplcd heavily
over him, and sped away with loud
Ba-ha-ha-ha-a-a"'
AS Peter limped home. muddy, bat
tered and bruised, he wondered if any
of the boys knew that Farmer Whip
pletree's wretched old billy-goat was
in the barn that night.
They did.
"How did you leave William,
Peter?" he was asked at least twenty
times in the course Of the next day.
In the grammar class boy who was
called on for sentence wrote "A
william is more worthy of respect than
sneak"
"Oh no, not quite that" remarked
the teacher. "but neither can be
gentleman"
On morning in early July he re-
ceived as usual the family mail from
the carrier at the door and carried it to
his mother, examining it as he went.
A postal-card excited his curiosity; it
was, he knew, from his aunt, in whose
company he was togo to the mountains,
and he was anxious to know what she
said. But one of his friends was wait
ing for him to 90 and catch crabs and
minnOws for an aquarium, and as the
morning hours are the best for such
work. they were in hurry. So he
slipped it into his pocket to read as he
went along, intending to place it where
it might be found on the hall floor
when he came back, that his mother
been accidentally dropped there. But
he forgot all about it before they had
gone twenty steps. He spent the
morning at the creek and the afternoon
at his friends house, returning home
in the evening. AS he passed through
the hall to his mothers room, the |
thought of it suddenly flashed on his |
mind. He felt in his pocket with a
sinking at his heart, but the card was
gone. Where? He could not pretend !
to imagine, as he thought of the round !
about ramble he had taken. He got |
up early the next morning and careful !
ly hunted over every step of the |
ground, but all in vain. 1t would have |
been well if he had gone at once to his |
mother and confessed what he had |
done; but he delayed, still cherishing a
hope of finding what he has lost. and
the longer he waited the more impos-
sible it became to tell. He remembered |
that bOv had once said to him: "a |
sneak is sure to be a coward"
More than week after this Peter |
was sitting on the piazza one evening
after tea, reading to his mother. when
his friend of the creek expedition came
in.
''Here is card found addressed to
you. Mrs. Keens." he said. 1T must
be the one you were hunting for last
week, Pete"
She took it in some surprise, failing
to observe the color which mounted to
Peters, face as he saw it. As she read !
it, troubled expression overspread her
own.
''Ten days old, this card" she ex-
claimed. Wednesday. the 18th =
what does it mean. Peter?" She passed
it TO him, and he read as follows:
July 3.
MY DEAR RUTH:-I write to give you am
pie notice of change in orr plans in conse-
quence OF Roberts partner desiring to take
trip late in the season. obliging US to go early.
So Robert, having finished his business in
Canada, IS to meet us on Wednesday, the 14th
at Plattsburg. Shall stop for Peter on the
evening OF the 18th. Please have him ready.
KATHERINE"