The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1883-06-20
FRANK,s Fun.

were; some of them made him laugh,
and others almost frightened him.
They were masks which his older
brothers had long ago used in a Fourth
of July frolic. He tried them on,
looking at himself in an old looking
glass which hung on .rafter.
"Ho! ho'' he laughed. "This looks
like the monkey the organ-bOy had, and
this one is like a giant, and here's a
black one, and here's q regular old
fierce fellow-one of the sort that
breaks into the house and kills all the
folks. mean to have some Jolly fun
with these. I'll scare Bridget"
He fastened on a big face with black
whiskers, and with stocking feet stole
softly down the back stairs. Bridget
was taking up the dinner as he opened
the doors just as she turned from the
stove, with tween of gravy in one
hand and q dish of sweetpotatOes in the
other, she heard a strange sound which
Frank made in as gruf voice as he
could:
"Brrrrrr-b -brrTTTr-brrrrrr!"
It was not so very frightful a noise,
but no wonder poor Bridget, at sight of
the dreadful face peeping at her from
the stair door, gave a loud scream and
dropped both gravy and potatoes.
Smash they went to the floor, the po-
tatoes rolling and the gravy splashing
in every direction
"What is the matter?' cried Franks
mother, coming in haste to the kitchen
door, Bridget, with staring eyes, pointed
to the stairs.
ssOch, memI an it's a murtherin'
villains up the stairs Sure, it's me own
blessed eyes saw him as plain as the
day
"Why, Bridget, you must be mis-
taken No one can be upstairs, but to
satisfy you, I'll see." She went up,
but in the meantime Frank had quickly
and quietly stolen back to the garret
and hidden the blaek-whisKered face at
the very bottom of the old trunk. And
Bridget was not at all satisfied at being
told that it was all her own fancy.
hope Bridget is not given to such
notions said Bridget's mistress, who
had but lately hired her, as the family
sat at dinner. She seems to be a
good cook, and hope to be able to
keep her"
"-She must be. nervous said some
one else.
44And very full of foolish fears
No one noticed the uneasy face of
Frank, who felt as if he ought to tell OF
his caper, but found, as children al
ways do, that the longer he put it of
the harder it was
A few days after this, he went to
visit his married sister. While his
mother was packing his clothes in q
valise, he managed to slip in one of the
masks, hoping to have more fun with il
than the last one had given him.
He put it on one day and stood out.
side the gate. 1t was not a very bad
looking one, and he thought it would
only make people laugh. He did not
realize how much worse the grOtesqut
thing looked when on him, it then hav
ing an unnatural appearance which
would startle any one.
He peeped around the corner at a lit
tie girl who was coming, and laughed
at the comical face she made as shC
gave loud cry at sight of him. Sh,
started to run away, but in her hast
ran against the stone-wall, humping he
head and dropping her doll.
Frank was sorry, and, forgetting hov
| he looked, went towards her; where
upon she screamed louder than before
A boy came up who looked very con
temptuOusly at Frank,
you're in a big business, amt yOl
nowp Soaring a little girl! See hoy
she's hurt herself and broken her doll
arm. It's only towards that scar
girls"
Frank began to think so, too. H
| skunk back into the yard, and was goin
| to put the mask away.
But unfortunately the nurse had jus
left baby alone for a few moment
/ in the shade, and Frank could not resi-,
the temptation of springing from benin
the bushes to see what baby would thin
of masks.
If the poor little fellow had been we
he would probably have looked gravel
upon it as only one of the queer thing
in this queer world he had gotinto. BI
he was ailing-hs little cheek hushe
and his eyes bright with fever.
Dropping his rattle, he straightene
up in his buggy with one Mortified lOol
Then he sank back with pitiful littI
gasp and threw up his hands, while h
eyes looked so strange that Franl
flinging the mask into the bushes, ra
to the house calling for some one
come. When the nurse hurried out hC
cry of alarm brought baby's mamma.
Hes in spasml Oh, run for I'll
doctor-quick, quick, Frank!'
And Frank run harder than be ha
ever run before, with tears on his ta'
-.I D., -,,.o Igavv,orv ne his hnorsf
Hours later his sister hearing a sour
Of quiet snihs outside her door, Open'
it to find Frank lying on his face in Il
hall crying as if his heart would brea
"Why, Frank, what ails you? Con
out here on the piazza and tell me-
80, Emilyr' he sObbed, remorsefull
''it was / who made baby wOrsei
frightened him with my mask"
She drew the whole story from hin
including the trick he had played {
Bridget, rather clad twas too dark f
him to see the smile she could a
avoid. But there was no smile in 1
serious talk she gave him.
Don't fret any more about bah
dear, for he seems to have got over
But want you to remember little bo
I that it is a very cruel and wrong thil
to frighten any one, child or grown p'
son. 1t is dangerons-nO one can t
the harm it may do. Children ha
sometimes lost their minds through 81
= den fright, and that, Frank, is mc
- sad and terrible than death. OIL
s Door little ones have suffered more th
y we can tell from such cruel fun. Nc
q Frank, make up your mind that ,
will never on11ea main N anV one ia L