Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1883-02-15
SickeIS's RA m.
Natural History.
By NvM GUAM.

AS Zeph deposited his lar'. f.rui IN the
usual resting place beside The stove for the
evening, removing from his mouth quid
something less in size than hens egg and
renewed it with cut of hest .,avv, the
boys noted an unusual twinkle in his eyes.
but prudenty waited for the cxpanatjo"
of the safe. Ben a fine day, ventureo
Jim father, answered Zcph, and looked
'con,empla'ivey at the fire 1t promised
to be duh evening ut the grocery. say,
Xcph bows your nabor comm on? ven
tured Straddlc. Xcph looked at Straddle
for some time Is # he would read his most
secret thoughts, but was not abe to detect
the vcstise of smile on his visagc. and
the boys all looked NJ if laughter would
never cOnvulsc their features. Not ST.
well, this cvcnin, let me tell you, and seei!,
there's onl, us tellcrs here pfts,l%aS!l what
happened down in Sirkcls's mcddCr, but
don't want it blowed over all creation. You
know sometimes 90 fShin sich weather
as this and that was my hizness this after
noon, when met Splicer in the medder
as was on my way home Its no use to
tell yot how tany fish | had, you'd only
whistle, anyhow. He was fixed up tidy
enough fur church wca,in his shinn hat
urG Wis "a perl,e Ea always. Well, We
fli TO talkiu about ono thilE and another
and ! got little excited aud as yon fcllcrs
snow me ! swore little. Not much u,
mind you, only enough 70 let oil steam
when Splicer took me up on it, very mild
you know, fur he's & gentleman, and we
was argyin the matter, he ralkin along
and swingin his silk Handkerchief in his
hand, and sayin that rs fur himself he
aidn t believe that anything coed ;ndooce
him to swear, and just Is lie SCI that, he
I,oopcd to pick up lis hankercher which
had fell out o. his hand. when all at once
Nc was shot out as fur 'ahed of me as any
'Sryou can Jump and tel on his nea5l and
.umlled clean over. and before Good turn
round to do ennything my pins WAS knocs.
ed from under me, and then kuode Sick
cls's ram was around jist rs begun to
aud out what was ailoat, heard Splicer
'5ayin to himself, Dear me Bless my soul,
what an extremely uncivil beast, must
get ont of this someway, and before could
holler to hir, 10 lay still, he was up on AL
t6urs but the ram was on time punctooa
20 the second, and away he went head over
hccle, ana though my shins were purity
sore coodont help lailiin at the 6yger we
cut We'll things was git,,n rather seficts
as the ram didn't seem to Lave any notion
of goin Off, and there VIC laid, as soon rs
either made motion 20 move he got ready
to charge, and Sblice- wood lay here snap
pin his fingers sayin Whoa Billy, good ftl
Ter, get out, and then Ls sed sumthln That
sounded like ram only it begun with d.
and ram followed right after, when all at
once The ram started off full tilt III another
direction, and hol!ered fur Sp!cer tn
make fur the fence aud you KIN bet we lost
no time gittin there, and had jest got over
when seen the ram comm with Il FIJI,
head Of steam on at Splicer, who had hold
of the top rail and stoopin down like to
make jump when the ram took him on
the n.y. and wish may never olf ! ever
seen a man turn purifier hand spring in
circus than Spilcer did, and lie landed
rite side up in the middle Of the road and
boys, this goes no flrder you know; new
or in all my life heard more and awkward
er swearin than that man did; and ii wasn't
much wonder. either. / went along With
him till We cum in sigh, Of his house, and
left him at The turn in the road, but its my
bleef from the way his hat was jammed
down over his ears, his coat tore clear up
the back, and mis- nose bieedin, and his
close all dusty, that be had some trubble to
make his wife believe that he wasn't
tramp, and mind tlis, if he kin set down
with emmy satisfaction to himself fur a week
10 come hes d to1gnel ct.st044tt than ]
take hir, 10 be