The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-05-12
HOW FRED AND TEDDY WERE
APRIL-FOOLED.

|
call such doings as that fun!''
"WhatP" asked Flora, glancing up
listlessly from lapful of canvas and
worsteds.
And Flo told her. 1t was at school
the day before. which had been the last
day of March, that the boys were re-
counting the tricks they had played in
other years, and little Micky Lanahan
asked in his funny way: ''Sure, an who
bees April-Fool?"
Micky was new boy. He stood
leaning against the school-yard fence as
he spoke, with his small red hands in
his pockets and an anxious look on his
face as he gazed down at his boots.
Those boots were sad trouble to
Micky; they were very large, and the
toes turned up and CAPPED wofully, and
they were all he had.
A shout arose in answer to Micky's
question from that merry, thoughtless
group.
"He don't know April-Fool. boys"
"Oh, Boots!''
''We've been acquainted with him
ever so long"
''And we'll give you an introduction
when the time comes" laughed Fred
Stetson. ''Won't we, boys?"
"And they're going to-" said Flo
Fred and Teddy BIake-and l don't
think it's fair. His folks are real poor,
and his mothers sick almost all the
time. They make fun of his boots, you
know-and they are dreadful things,
really and SO they're going to hang
one of the boxes that new shoes come in
on the door, with bundle of papers in
it, and 'April-Foor printed on the in
side piece. And they're going to look
in the window and see Micky when he
gets it. Fred's fooled me lots of
times to-day, but don't care for that.
/ don't think it's much fun, though,
and it's mean to fool that little Micky
Lanahan. SOU
Flo's cheeks glowed cherry red, and
she talked rapidly. Flora listened with
kindling eyes.
"Flo," she cried, "rll tell you what
to do. All the time my ankles been
sprained, you know, haven't spent my
pockt-money. I've got two dollars now,
and | was going to buy you a birthday
present, but I'll spend it for pair Of
shoes for Micky instead, if you're will
ing.
"Nas Flo willing? She almost screamed
with delight
"Oh, you dear Flora" she cried.
"And I'll change the boxes! Oh, Flora
Millings, what fun! Such a joke on
Fred and Teddy! And Fred said he
wouldn't be fooled once this April. Oh,
oh!''
Flo could not wait. She put on her
| l,+ 4 4, Oh
home again. Fred's box neatly tied up
was on the hall table waiting for night,
and it was only the work of moment
to replace the little bundle of papers
with pair of stout shoes.
'Such fun!' said Flo to herself, and
she almost burst out laughing when,
after tea. Fred took the box from the
hall table and went off with Teddy
Blake.
''After all, / don't half like this he
said to Teddy. eff it was any other
fellow l wouldn't care a snap. But of
course it's only in fun. told him we d
introduce him"
"Of course" laughed Teddy; and so
they made their way down a cross street
and through an alley to the little tum-
ble-down house Micky Lanahan called
home.
Fred put the box down quietly at the
door and raped. They had plenty of
time to dodge around the corner of the
house to window; and they were look
ing in even before Micky had his hand
on the latch.
1t was such poor little room, bare
walled, bare-foored and scantily fur
nished! A thin-faced woman sat boil
stored up in the only rocking-chair it
contained, and lamp burned dimly on
the rickety table. The big boots stood
in corner, and when Fred's gaze fell
upon them he suddenly turned it the
other way.
Ted" he whispered, II wish we
hadn't. do wish we hadn't, Ted.
There was a shrill cry of Joy from
Micky then. He had opened the door
and discovered the box, and his freck-
led face was beaming with delighted
surprise when he came back into the
room.
"Och, mother, it do be shoes" he
cried.
The thin white face in the rocking
chair was turned eagerly toward the
boy.
"Sure it can't be the truth, Micky?"
Deed it is, Mother' cried Micky,
Juggling at the string. "What else should
it be nowP"
Fred at the window groaned in
wardly.
"Such miserable thing to do" he
said. I'D give dollar to be out of it,
Ted. don't see"
"You did it yourself" said Teddy,
not very good-naturedly. "You thought
of it, and all, but I'd give another dollar
if we hadn't, and that's fact. Let's
60" ..
"Wait," said Fred. "We'n make
this up. "Hullo! Why. Ted-Ted
Blake!" .....
For Micky had got the troublesome
Irvine unknotted at last, and had pulled
from the box those stout thick shoes