The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-08-16

Iillie DrOlncr ana not ask why Luif
could not have got the fuse, instead of
calling him from the house before even
the tamplng was begun; nor did he sus-
pect q trick He ran TO the board lifted
1t with one hand, hastily put the other
on something coiied up there, and started
back with n shrek of horror.
Luff roared with laughter, leaning on
the windlass, which fairly shook with
his weight
"Why don'tyou bring the fuse, MiltP"
he cried, choking with mirth. What's
the matter with The fuseP"
'lts snake You knew it was n
snake" gasped poor Little Brother, still
shuddering from the shock.
"lhe fuse amt snake" said Lun.
"Ihe fuse is there, too. didn't mean
for you TO get the snake"
But You knew | would see it. and
it's a mean disgusting trick" Milton
protested, Indignantly.
"Of course | knew you would see it,"
said !. But it won't hurt you. It's
dead"
81 know it won hurt me. II wouldn't
hurt me, if it wasn't dead" cried Little
Brother, bis eyes flashing as his moth
er's could sometimes lash. "But !
dread the sight Of snake, dead or
alive you know it, and that's what you
sent me TO & board for.n
II sent yea t!e,e 10 cure you Of being
such coward, said Lufi, still laugh
ing, but not 50 heartily as at first.
''No, YOU didn't" 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 q coward You know,
though | don't like some things you do,
and which I'm glad | don't like,-fun
with dead snakes, for instance
know I'm no more 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 Luf.
THAT shows you're a coward. u
ut shows that / don't like you and
your ways; that's what it showsr re-
piled the boy. "lf don't like certain
thing | can't help it; whether it's a
dead snake, or biz brother"
"OhH' Luit sncered, trying MOTTO show
that he was cut by this sharp retort.
II could 90 and take hold Of that
snake if it was necessary; | shouldn't
like TO- but could do it. | could hug
you, too, il 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
Lutf did not often see him show so
much spirit. yet he should have learned
before this that the delicate and sensi-
tive boy couid do the most disagreeable
things, with unHinching resolution, if,
as he said, it was necessary
Lutf 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 new one, however, he resolved
to try an old one again
Milton did not ike to be held overt the
brink Of the we'll 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 as pos
sible
I'm catch him and hold him, after
thefuse is lighted, thought Lutf. 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.
y Give me a turn here now, Milt,"
said Luff, soberly. mo more fooling"
! 1T will do for you to say no more
| tooitHg" Milton replied, slowly APP
preaching the windlass. Its you that
do it all"
well, fun is fun, and work is work"
said Luil, Now it's works turn.
, Catch hold herew
Little Brother laid hold of the spokes
on one side Of the windlass and lifted.
Luff pulled down on the other side.
The strong rope wound up on the roller,
bringing the great bucket up from the
bottom of the well, with Walt in it,
Walt stepped out, blinking at sthe
strong daylight, and the bucket was let
down again for Russ.
When it rested on the bottom, both
Luff and Milton, from opposite sides Of
the windlass, looked down to see Russ
| light the fuse. This was designed to
burn long enough for him to get out Of
the well and at safe distance from it
before the blast should explode,
Lutf seemed never to have been think
ing less of trick than at that moment
when he was diligently considering how
he should manage to capture Little
Brother, and how near he should ven
ture to hold him when the explosion
came.
The well was about twenty-five feet
deep, gloomy pit; but under the shade
of their hat-brims they could see two
little CLEANS of light at the bottom.
One came from a pool of water in a
hollow of the ledge, rejecting the sum-
mer sky The other was the blaze Of a
match Russ had just struck.
Having touched the end of the fuse
! and seen it catch and sparkle, Russ
stepped quickly into the bucket, laid
hold of the rope, and, calling out,
Haul away!' was drawn up by Lutl