The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1886-03-31

sCrape If you should. ] wouldn't have
three little "Pukes" on me at once for
the best farm in Highland county, and,
by the way, one OF them is a great strap
ping big fellow, nearly is years, so that
all three Of them wouldn't leave a grease
spot OF me. Well, since you all prom
Use "honest truth" here goes The
name Of the ringleader, the one that is
here at Delaware, is Alexander Holz,
and his stepiather is a hardware mer-
chant Of Greenfield, Missouri. The
next is Bob Hardy, the son OF an editor
Of that town, and lastly, the boys took
in Otis Caxton, whose father is the mill
Ter in that place.
As I stated Alec originated and engi-
neered the plan, but these trashy dime
novels ought to have all the credit of it,
for it was due to them that he first
thought Of doing such a thing. He had
been devouring the vile trash, almost by
the armload, until his mind had become
completely poisoned by the stuff and he
could think Of nothing but wild bears,
wild Indians and wild robbers. Then
he had always been used to guns, or
ever since he was big enough to lift one
to his shoulder pull back the hammer
and fire away. Besides, he was some
thing Of a marksman and could kill a
iack-rabbit running, bring down a wild
turkeyo prairie chicken flying, or could
slip up and turn over as many ducks on
the river at one shot as the next one.
He had a Texas pony, too, and would
get on her sometimes in the morning
and go Off With his breech-loading shot
Fgun and fishing tackle to the river or
large creek, five or ten miles distant,
and at night return home with the pony
almost loaded down with game and fish.
1t is not at all strange that a fifteen
year-old boy, who could do this and lily
ing in q rather wild country, would soon
get it into his head that he could slash
kill and mutilate bears, buffalo, "injuns
and sich like" if he could only get at
'em. He studied over and dreamed
about these things until lis Imagination
was so excited that he had to do some
thing. He thought, too, that the folks
at home treated him outrageously; his
|stepfather was unbearable and his moth
er wasn't much better. So he decided
to run of and do like some Of the boys
he had read about. OF course, he would
come home sometime, but not till he
was a man with whiskers all over his
face and then maybe he would bring a
beautiful wife with him and with part
of that immense fortune that he would
make while away, he would buy the
finest residence in Greenfield, and with
the rest would start a bank, and be
president, cashier and teller all himself
"My, won't mother be proud of me,
though, and won't the old man be as
good as pie, in the hope Of borrowing
money cheaper than anybody else. But
he won't get it for 'one red cent less, %
thought Alec, ''no matter how much he
tries to feed me on taGy." After build
ing such air-castIes as these, he began to
think Of making his arrangements. OF
course he must have a partner; they
always did in story books, or, at least, in
the best ones and he was going to do
the thing up about right Who would it
be? Why, his chum, Bob Hardy, to be
sure. So one day the latter part of Feb,
ruary or first of March he proposed to
Bob that they should run off,
Bob did not know what about it, at
first, but his mind had been running in
a good deal the same channel as Alec's
and the latter, by burst OF eloquence
in recounting his own wrongs and in
depicting what grand things they might
accomplish if the former only had the
sand to go in with him, soon convinc
ed Bob that it would be a capital plan
As Bob thought it over he, also, remsm
bered that he had grievous wrongs tina
should be redressed in this very way
His father had treated him in a way tina
no boy, with "spunk and backbone,
ought to stand his kind mother hal
been too hard on him of late and hi
five younger brothers had not treate,
their manly brother with all the con
. sideration that should be accorded t.
, one OF his years and aspirations ant
consequently he was soon heart and sou
, in the enterprise.
i 'Now, " said the sagacious Alec, "w
/ have got to go at this thing right or
! won't work We must have a lot O
. traps and Gccoutrements to keep us run
{ ming till we make money to buy more
, and furthermore, they must beproyide
y without the old folks 'smellin' a mice
( or the whole thing win be nippod in th
e bud" Bob nodded his assent, remarE
Y ing at the same time, "I'll iist be 'horr
] swoggled' if that amt the mount Of i
d .pard." "Hornswoggled" was almost
:, mouth full for him, but it had come OF
b of q dime novel that, either he, or Al,
d had read and so it was just the rigl
Il word in the right place. Alec smile
d approvingly as he proceeded, "now
N the first place we must have some ne
It shoes, for, when we get out among Il
red skins, shoe leather will be no VIII
a and it pears to me we ought to have