St. Landry democrat., 1885-10-24
BITING OFF HIS WORDS.

How He PrOflted TherefrOm.
"Three cheers for an old barn!''
AS he spoke, Johnny Earle's voice
rang out in the old building that had
been "barn' through the day of his
Uncle Solomon whom Johnny was vis-
iting, and half through Grandfather
Earle's lifetime. Such cosy old tool
room IN the corner, in whose stove a
glowing fire would be kindled on days
when a cold rain from the sea beat a
dismal tune on the dusty window-panes,
and there Uncle Solomon would mend
his tools and his boat, and at the same
time, perhaps, tell Johnny some story
Of his school-days on land and his fish
lng-days at sea. Then the hay-mows!
Were ever such mows, so bulky, known
to rise anywhere else? They took you
so high that you could reach up to the
rafters, where bat might be clinging
for .'dear life" and the hooks where a
swallow might be hiding away, and
and out they tiy with whir-r-r-r, and
down you would go in terror. Oh,
how many generations of Mr.. and Mrs.
Bats family, also Mr.. and Mrs. Swal-
lows, had lived in that old barn!
tWhen / am grown mp am going
to build me an old .Jarn, " declared
Johnny. ''None of your new ones for
me-
1t was on Uncle Solomon's hay-mows
chat Johnny and his cousin Sam were
playing.
.;Sam, I'll stump your
ITO do what?'
an take one haY-mow and you the
other. Wen start away back at this
end of the barn and then walk-mind
YOU, OGIk-to the other side, and let's
see who will get there first. Pound
when you get there. =
Come 0ni"
The boys climbed the mows, and
amid growing and laughing. began
their walk. 1t was now up-up, then
downtown, perhaps into some nest
from which an old hen would fly
squawking, then up again to bump
ones head against rafter, then down.
vet always on; when, suddenly, Johnny
looked across the deep gulf that sep
arated the moWs and saw Cousin Sam
running! Johnny was about to Eigor-
ously object when he heard q loud
bang!
I've sstruck the other side! No
doubt of that! Feels SO anyway"
shouted Sam.
Johnny was indignant and screamed
out; ''You mean old $3.50 He stopped.
Somebody was speaking. Glancing
over the edge of the mow, he saw y
sweet-faced lady looking up from the
barn-foor. 1t was Miss Mary Carr,
who was boarding in the neighborhood
that summer.
What did you sayP'' he asked.
II thought you were saying some.
ding to Sam, and / said; Bite it off,
johnny, bite it off, I meant those
words-to bite them of: . rs.
.sOh!''
Johnny blushed and dropped his
mead.
Sam r,inwhen heought not to, Miss
Carr"
s.Well, Johnny" explained Sam, ea-
gerly, and looking down from his hay
NOV, Ill couldn't help it This
NOV fell off all of sudden and I had
to run, and / went bang against the
wall. I wasn't going to count it, and j
don't feel like. doing any counting for a
geek. NV head has either driven a
shincle-nail into the wall, or else the
nail has been driven into my headi
tsToo bad, Sam. I'll take back what
said.
And Pll put seme plaster on your
head said the plying Miss Carr.
"Such nice looking lady," thought
Sam. II wish had another head to nix
Miss carr proved an excellent doctor
and Sam small wound was soon cared
for.
MAY say word to You. johnny
asked Miss Carr, for Johnny, after the
Young lady's rebuke, looked as if he had
1 sore head that needed to go into the
hands of the doctor. They went into
the fields sweet with the breath OF wild
flowers and with the fragrance blown
out of grove of pines beyond
johnny, ! know you will LET me say
it TO you
.'Oh, yes.
1T IS about biting. / want you to
get into the habit of biting. !"
johnny looked up in surprise and ex-
claimed: stOh!' Then he remembered
her words in the barn and said nothing.
r'This is the biting that doesn't 90
harm, word biting. It means not to
say everything we feel like saving,
There is a good deal in habit, and II we
accustom ourselves, when stirred up, to