The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-06-16
'JOLLY GOOD FUN"

"JOLLY GOOD FUN"
It was up in an old trunk in the CAR
ret that Frank found them. He did not
at first know what the queer, ugly things
were; some of them made him laugh,
and others almost frightened him.
They were masks which his older
brothers had long ago used i'm a Fourth
of July frolic lie tried them on.
looking at himself in an old looking
glass which hung on rafter.
"Ho! hor' he laughed This looks
like the monkey the organ-boy had. and
this one is like giant, and here's a
black one. and here's 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 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 door just as she turned from the
stove, with u tureen of gravy in one
hand and dish of sweet potatoes in the
other, she heard a strange sound which
Frank made in rs gruff q voice as he
could:
"BrrrrTr- brrrrTr-b rrrrrrr'
1t was not so very frightful noise,
but no wonder poor Bridget at sight of
the dreadful face peeping at her from
the stair door, gave 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 matterP" cried Franks
mother, coming in haste to the kitchen
door. Bridget, with staring eyes, pointed
to the stairs.
"Och, mem! an it's n murtherin'
villains mp the stairs. Sure, it's me own
blessed eyes saw him as plain as the
'.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 garnet
and hidden the black-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.
81 hope Bridget is not given to such
notions" said Bridget's mistress, who
had but lately hired her, as the family
sat at dinner. 1" She seems to be a
good cook, and hope to be able to
Keep her. !" eHI
'fShe must be nervous" said some
one else.
"And 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 OIL
the harder it was.
A few days after this, he went to
visit his married sister, While his
mother was packing his clothes in a
valise, he managed TO slip in one of the
masks, hoping to have more fun with it
than the last one had given him.
He put IL on one day and stood out
side the gate. 1t was not very bad
looking one, and he thought it would
only make people laugh. He did not
realize how much worse the grotesque
thing looked when on him, it then hav-
ing an unnatural appearance which
would startle any one
He peeped around the corner at lit
tie girl who was coming, and laughed
mt the comical face she made as she
gave loud cry at sight of him, She
started to run away, but in her haste
ran against the stone-wall, humping her
head and dropping her doll.
Frank was sorry, and, forgetting how
| 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 big business, amt you
now? Soaring n little girl! See how
she's hurt herself and broken her dolls
arm. It's only towards that scare
girlsr'
Frank began to think so, too. He
skunk back into the yard, and was going
to put the mask away.
But unfortunately the nurse had Just
| left baby alone for a few moments
in the shade, and Frank could not resist
the temptation of springing from behind
the bushes TO seewhat baby would think
OF masks U4 H.
| If the poor little fellow had been vel
he would probably have looked gravely
upon it as only one of the queer things
in this queer world he had got into. But
he was ailing-hs little cheek flushed
and his eyes bright with fever.
Dropping his rattle, he Strengthened
up in his buggy with one Mortified look
Then he sank back with pitiful little
gasp and threw up his hands, while hii
eyes looked so strange that Frank
flinging the mask into the bushes, ran
to the house calling for some one Il
come. When the nurse hurried out hel
cry of alarm brought baby's mamma.
"He's in a spasml Oh, run for th'
doctor-quiek, quick, Frank I'd
And Frank rim HARLAN than he hal