The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-08-15


the matter with the fuse?'t
Its a snake! You knew it was 8
snakep' gasped poor Little Brother, still
shuddering from the shock.
.sThe fuse amt snaker' said Luff.
''The fuse is there. too. didn't mean
for you to get the SNAKE
''But you knew / would see it, and
it's mean disgusting trickr' Milton
protested, Indignantly.
''Of course l knew you would see it, -
said /. ''But it won't hurt you. It's
dead.''
81 know it won't hurt me. 1t wouldn't
hurt me, if it wasn't dead" cried Little
Brother, his eyes flashing as his moth
er's could sometimes flash. ..But l
dread the sight of snake, dead or
alive; you know it. and that's what YOU
sent me to the board for''
81 sent you there to cure you of being
such a coward" said Luf., stiil laugh
ing. but not so heartily as at first.
mo, you didn'tr' Milton declared.
You wanted to have some low, silly,
hateful sport; that's what you did itfor.
You didn't think anything about curing
me of being coward. You know,
though L don't like some things you do,
and which I'm glad don't like,-fun
with dead snakes, for instance,-you
know I'm no more a coward than you
are"
The boys color had come back into
his cheeks, his voice rang out with spir-
it, and his blue eyes sparkled as he told
his brother this truth.
You re careful to keep out of my
reach when you say that" said Luff.
That shows you're coward"
at shows that don't like you and
piled the boy. IF don't like certain
thing, / can't help it; whether it's a
dead snake, or a big brother
'Ohr' Luff sneered. trying not to show
that he was cut by this sharp retort
Il could go and take hold of that
snake if it was necessary; | shouldn't
like to. but ! could do it. l could hug
you, too. if it would do either of us any
good. But don't see that it will, and
SO I'd rather have nothing to do with
either of you"
Milton did, however, walk resolutely
up to the board, take the innocent little
reptile on a stick, and fling it away out
of the yard
Luff did not often see him show so
much spirit. yet he should have learned
before this that the delicate and sensi-
tive boy could do the most disagreeable
things, with unflinching resolution, if,
as he said, it was necessary"
Luff actually resented what he had
provoked him to say, and began to think
OF some other trick to play off upon Lit
tie Brother. AS he could not at once
invent a new one, however, he resolved
to try an old one again.
Milton did not like to be held over the
brink of the well. He had also great
dread of the sound of the blast, and
would always, when it was fired, hold |
his ears and run from it as far rs pos
sible
I'm catch him and hold him, after |
the fuse is lighted. - thought Luff. That
will give him good scare"
He said nothing, however, until the |
blast had been charged and tamped,
and Russ and Walt were ready to come
up out of the well.
''Give me a turn here now, Milt,"
said Luff, soberly. NO more foolingr
1T will do for you to say no more
foolingr' Milton replied, Slowly ap-
oroaching the windlass. ''It's you that
10 it all.''
'.Well, fun is fun, and work is work"
aid Luff. Now it's works turn.
Catch hold herer'
Little Brother laid hold of the spokes
IN one side of the windlass and lifted.
1uff pulled down on the other side
The strong rope wound up on the roller,
bringing the great bucket up from the
,ottom of the well, with Walt in it.
Walt stepped out, blinking at the
trong daylight, and the bucket was let
lown again for Russ.
When it rested on the bottom, both
4uff and Milton, from opposite sides of
he windlass, looked down to see Russ
ight the fuse. This was designed to
urn long enough for him to get out of
he well and at safe distance from it
efore the blast should explode.
Luff seemed never to have been think
1g less of a trick than at that moment
Then he was diligently considering how
g should manage to capture Little
'rother, and how near he should VEN
lre to hold him when the explosion
anne.
The well was about twenty-five feet
eep, a gloomy pit; but under the shade
their hat-brims they could see two
tile CLEANS of light at the bottom.
me came from pool of water in
ollow of the ledge, rejecting the sum-
Ter sky. The other was the blaze of a
latch Russ had just struck
Having touched the end of the fuse I
nd seen it catch and sparkle, Russ
epped quickly into the bucket, laid
old of the rope, and, calling out,
Haul away was drawn up by Luff
nd Milt as Walt had been before.
Walt, meanw lille, had carried away
&l.a 1n 1
p in the bucket with him; and, having