The Osceola times., 1886-10-23

"Piggy-wiggyT' screamed another.
dropping his piece, with a mutterec
exclamation of rage, Eddie hit the near
est girl, who happened to be his siste,
Lucy, and shook the next who hap
pened to be his sister Jenny, and ther
made one bound for the gate and tore
nome. Thus the party marked an epoch
ia MS lie, leaving its impress for wears
FOR as he tore home with his eyes half.
oinded by tears of anger and mortifica.
tion, he resolved that, henceforth, he
would be master of these girls. and
show himself their superior. And he
faithfully kept his resolution as we shall
see.
From that day forward, he became to
MS sisters, to use slang phrase, "a
holy terror. ~ All cringed in his pres
ence, and to them his will was law.
when they were small. they blacked his
boots, and unquestionably obeyed his
every behest; when they we're larger.
they asked his permission regarding the
DOCKS which they might read, or the
company that they might keep.
Time passed. Edward had graduated
from the village academy, as Lucy had
done the term before him, as Jenny
would do the term after him Then il
was decreed that he should study med-
cine. So, his mamma and sisters reso-
lutely packed his trunk for HIM, and he
went away to the city, soon finding
himself in the fourth story of big
boardlng-house, with three other stu
dents. For the first time in his life he
could actually live with real boys-or,
perhaps, these boys would have pre-
ferred being styled young men.
Two of the three other boys were
quite ordinary-that is, not very hand
some, not very ugly. not very bright,
not very dull. Walter Jones and Will
Lewis represented the average boy,
from respectable family in good cir
cumstances, the boy whom You see
every day and never think of remark
ing. But Percy Roy-oh, he was
character! So childlike, so simple
minded, so stupidity good natured that
one could scarcely forbear asking, not
"What possessed him to undertake the
study OF medicineP" but "How did he
ever have wit enough to learn his alpha
bet?' Percy was tall and ungainly,
with a pink baby-face, and mop of
white hair, which alone would have
rendered him conspicuous among the
trio with brown locks.
Upon the fourth floor of this big
clearinghouse were two small rooms
and one large one. The two small
rooms were occupied by Walter and
VIII respectively, while the two beds in
the large room were taken by Edward
and Percy; the large room with its CEN
ter-table and lounges being also used as
a common study by the four. They
could thus have the whole floor to them
selves, undisturbed by any body.
Edward specially found that not only
was he boy with boys, but also, that
he was boy above boys. Not one of
the other three could compete with him
in intellect and strength of character.
And, in recognized sovereignty, he for
a time was happy. But he soon realized
that recognized sovereignty, excellent
as it was, was still unworthy to be COM
pared with actual sovereignty, to which
he had long been accustomed. If his
sisters were not boys, he could at least
order them to black his boots; but, al
though his present companions
were boys. and insensibly bowed
to his authority, he could not very
well command them TO wait upon
him. Percy, to be sure, would ma Ike
an excellent servant-Pcrcy would do
Just as we'll as girl when a subject for
lt1t
was not yet in Edward S power Once
in Edwards 5 power, however, and Wal
ter and VIII would aid in fastening the
yoke upon his neck.
Lets play trick on Percy" sug-
gested Edward one day. when that un-
fortunate wight's back was turned
The thoughtlcss Walter and the indif
ferent win smiled an assent and Ed
ward reached across the table and
picked up poor Percy's anatomy-his
textbook upon anatomy, l mean
There, between the pages, just as he
had left il, lay card rs marker. Ed
ward moved the card few pages
toward the front of the book, and re-
placed it. Guileless Percy came in, re-
sumed his chair by the table, opened
his book at the card, and read on in ST.
lence for an hour. Then he inserted
the card between the leaves where he
had left off, closed and put away his
book and prepared for lecture. As
Percy passed out into the little entry,
Edward laughed, slipped the card a
few pages toward the front for the sec
ond time. and was rewarded by his con-
federates applauding smiles.
This went on for weeks. Edward $
amazement deepened, and Walter and
Will looked at him, at each other, and
at Percy in plying incredulity. The
question began to assail them all as to
whether they had any right to continue
such farce Finally, VIII broke the
spell by asking:
percy, how do you like reading
anatomyP"
"It's very nice, drawled Percy; "but
don't you think it's-a ieetie-mo''oto-
nouSP"
As the story-writers say, 1--WE draw
a vail over the climax that Is
we would, if this were the end. But
when the fit of hysterical laughter
greeting this speech had subsidized
boys do laugh Historically sometimes
Walter challenged the victim thus; .,
"rll bet you don't know the name OF
a single bone you've read about!
IfIl bet | do!n declared Percy, yehe-
mently.
"Name it, then.
"The-Peter-y-goid" enunciated Per-
cv decidedly. with the accent on the y.
"The-what?" cried the mystiiied trio.
..The-Peter-y-goid!' repeated Percy
firmly. m r,,
What does he meanP' queried VIII,
turning to Edward;