The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-04-04
"LOONEY SAL.o

None of the Inhabitants of the little
town could tell why she was called
'Looney Sal. 1t could not have been
because of any mental defect, for none
such was apparent in her.
She was born in one of the low board
huts of Shippenville, which stood on the
swampy outskirts of Hoboken, and ex-
celled the other rattletraps in evidences
of senile decay. These were inhabited
by the lowest Of low wretches, all vaga-
bonds by trade or profession, as you
will. No one asked her who her par
ents were, and had such an inquiry
been made no one could have answered
it.
Granny Smiths Den," low rum
hole, could hardly be called SaPs home
1t was more of place where she was
allowed to exist in compensation for the
fruits of her skill at petty larceny, the
inevitable whenever she visited any of
the mercantile establishments. At
night she edited the gatherings at
Granny Smiths by songs and dances,
and the words of the former were usu-
ally indecent paraphrases of the popu-
lar songs of the day.
Her wakeful nights could not but pro-
duce extreme sleepiness during the
day, and it was no rare occurrence to
see Sal stretched in slumber on the open
meadow for many hours during the aft
ernoon. These odd habits, associated
with the girls other peculiarities, made
her an object OF curiosity as we'll as of
dread to the school children. The
younger ones, in obedience to their par
ents' commands made wide circuit
about the open space in which Sal
spent her forenoons. The older ones
were attracted to the spot-perhaps
conscious of approaching independence,
perhaps only because of the curious
sight of the black-locked, dark-eyed
girl as she lay stretched upon her '.see-
saw and gently rocked itup and down,
as she huJnmed some weird song.
Whenever the boys came near enough
to be noticed by her she frightened
them off with fierce grimaces, which
seemed to pursue them in their flight to
the sound of almost maniacal laughter.
She had no friends or playmates
What girl would have selected her as q
companion, she who associated only
with those who shone as disreputable
among the outcasts of Shippenvillea
Furthermore, her pugihstic prowess was
as dreaded by the boys as was her sour
rilous language by the girls.
Sometimes, but rarely, a boy who
Wanted his bravery could be induced
into coming within her reach, but then
it was only through the process known
to children as daring" These efforts
at display of courage invariably pro-
dueed very subdued boy, whose face
and garments could hardly be consid-
cred ornamental.
The "big boy'' of the academy, Dick
Allen, had clicked" all of his class
mates but two or three, and Sal had
conquered them. The other bows
dared Dick to engage In combat with
Sal, but he, prompted bya species Of
manliness, declined to fight girl. On
being greeted with the inharmonious
chant OF ''fraid cat, = 'fraid cat,n he
astounded his companions by PROPOSE
aion to secure the girls friendship with
in half an hour. The doubts and dep
recations which his playmates uttered
stimulated him to proceed at once to
Sal ssunny spot OF course his ''chum, y
Will Barry, went with him.
Fellows, you could just see that he
went cause he was dared, - said Tom
Slevers when he recounted his observa-
tions, taken from behind large rock.
''Will Barry played sharp; he Just kept
behind Dick, and Dick he marched RIGHT
up to Looney SAILS see-saw, and if he
did stand off-well, so far that she
couldn't biff him in the eye-Dick he
said: Hello, Sal And what do YOU
think Sal didP L expected to see Dick
mauled-just chewed up. An all YOU
fellows know I'm Dicks friend-''
"Oh, come now, Tom, give it to us
straight, y one of the boys interrupted
the Juvenile modern Minnesinger; 'stell
MS what she did"
''Well, nothing, answered Tom.
"'She just stopped her see-saw, looked
up at Dick just as if he was a cat or
something; then she lay down agin, and
and working her see-saw she went on
singin'. 'See-saw, buck-a-me raw,
folderol, dolderol, diedaw.' Say, fell
lows that girl kin sing. Golly, it
Dust"
y
comrades cried; stell us all about it. y
''Well, amt tellin' yer? She lust
went on see-sawin' and singin' just as
If there wasn't no Dick nor no VIII.
Then viii he gave Dick a shove to
keep him from weakenin', and then
Dick he sings out again: 'Helloh, Sal.
Then Sal, she took no notice of 'em
again Then win, he said; Call her
Loony Sal, why don't YEP and then-''
Tom was not required to continue the
tale, All of the scholars had seen the
boys running, followed by Sal; they had
observed her cleaning eyes; they had
seen her agile body fly after them over
stile and stone; and had seen them ap-
preach the school, pass over the
threshold, rush upstairs into the class
room, and there, before the very ewes OF
theoteacher, she threw her offenders to
the floor, and with each blow of her
little clenched fist she Kissed: sWho
yer call looneyP Who yer call looney,
ehp"
As she struck them the other scholars
jumped upon their seats to get a better
view of the one-sided encounter. nel,-
haps. They dId not hear what the
teacher said rs he stopped over the
strugglers and tore the girl from hel
passive, bewildered opponents. A dead
silence reigned as he held the girl and
gravely asked: s.What have YOU done
to the girl, you boys?"
And then so the class supposed he
certainly must have whispered some Sc
we're threat to the wild girl. For what
elselen "a have so suddenly claimed hel
pas, rage? SAL when he directed
The .@stion to the boys, raised her face
to his with curious mixture of search,
ing doubt and establishments, and when
ne said; Como vita nae, GIRL she