Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-04-03
WE WERE SEVEN.

People don't mean harm, they Only
do it; and the way we came to have u
finger in fate's pie was this:
TO begin with, there were seven 81
us-seven demoralized young savages
turned loose on lonely farm, along
with stepmother who dealt out Justice
very much as Mrs. Squeers dealt out
treacie, and forloru old father who
dared not call his soal his own. He
was such big, grand fellow, such a
gentleman, was my father, so genial,
and accustomed to- being the master in
d own house (that other house where
mamma lived and died) that think it
must have come ''stone hard to him in
his old age to play second fddle to our
severely proper second ma. He fell
along with Richmond. and when ma
had brought him captive in chains mat
rimonial to her country home-his being
contscated and gathered up us chill
dren from the poor relations and poorer
schools where mammals death had
drffted US, she Just emptied us cut in
her wilderness of pines and waste Of
sand to scratch our way through child
hood as best pleased Providence and our
numerous selves.
Weeds have one thing to be thankful
for-they are not dug around. nor
shifted at. and they keep their heads
till they grow to seed. The sun may
fling hot kisses to their vagrant, up
turned faces, or storms, batter their
stalks to earth, but there is always that
one grand privilege that poverty gives
to her worthless children-the privilege
of being let alone--and if freedom
means happiness, then we were just as
gloriously happy as. the summer days
were long. hr.
We were gregarious little wTetches,
hunting together, climbing together,
fishing ani, fighting together, regardless
of sex or age. If John dived off the
wharf after mud oysters, the rest of the
gang were expected to dive after mud
oysters, too. True, there were snags
in dangerous plenty that only showed
their black, shiny faces at low tide, but
the Providence that goes about caring
for fools or children ordained that they
should not interfere with our sport so
far as to deprive us of our brains. If
he tmeaning John again) climbed up
the brown ribs of the barn till he
reached the caves and then flung him.
self madly on the hay-ricks below, six
interesting young followers would
swarm about the tobacco-plants curing
under the caves, ready to sneeze them
selves off the beams and down into the
hollow he had made. One morning
when old black Joe no reference To the
song and chorus) came into the barn
and caught us-some painting in our
fragrant, yellow nests. one in mid-air
curled up like ball, and a file of five
balancing on the rafters ready for Il
turn-how his old body quiyered, and
how his eyes suggested EOiled eggs with
the shells off, as he scratched under the
straw and fished up before our demon
allied eyes the farm hoe. the big rake
with its cruel teeth upward, and two
scythes cleaning with wicked keenness
in the summer sun. -s--
Ma was down with one of her aches
and pains that day-poor dear! and
papa having invited us to play away
from the house, it suddenly occurred to
our ambitious minds to 60 out boating
in the scow. To be sure, there were
lluluS Ou TIC Utuc
waves out in the channel, but they
might have been witches straddling
their broomsticks for all we thought or
cared-fOr we were amphibious in those
days, SO far as fraternizing with water
snakes, crabs and long tailed sea-nettles
went, or bobbing contentedly in the
frothy surf. with the brown fin of a
shark looming before us between the
rise and fall of the waves. 1t was a
ramshackley old boat, grimy with oys-
ter shells and slimy with fish bait and
scales. There were greerish crab claws
plastered about her sides and floating
on her leaky bottom, and the bailing-
can, as matter o. course, was nowhere
to be seen neither was her rudder,
neither was her anchor, neither were
her oars! @ .SVs
Wedged IN as uncomfortably as Cleo
patra's crew in the picture. and unable
to row or steer, we showed her of in the
heavy surf. and being both fools and
children, trusted to Prov idence to keep
us along the shore. The first thing we
did was to wobble, and as We rather
liked webbing. a chorus went up to
that effect in seven grateful yells. Then
we rocked-the cradle In the tree.top