Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-16

| DiOIlier Johnny. AT the slSnI OF IneSt
two favorite pupils Mr.. Ford's heart
smote him with consciousness that he
had of late neglected them, possibly be-
cause of Rupert IS lofty scorn of the sill
| ly' sex was not as amusing tC
him as formerly, and possibly because
Johnny's curiosity had been at times OBJ
trusive. He, however, quickened his
pace and joined Rupert, laying his hand
| Familiarity as of old upon his shoulder.
| To his surprise the boy received his adj
vances with some constraint and awk-
wardness, glancing uneasily in the direc-
ton of Johnny. A sudden idea crossed
Mr.. Ford IS mind
"Were you looking for me at the
schoolroom just now?'
''No, sir. -
"YOu didn t look in at the window TO
see if / was there?'' continued the mas
ter.
''No, sir. -
The master glanced at Rupert Truth
| telling was a part of Rupert s truculent
temper, although, as the boy had often
bitterly remarked, it had always told
| agin him
"All right. said the master, perfect
! ~ convinced. 1T must have been my
fancy; but thought somebody looked in
or passed by the WlnuoW
But here Johnny, who had overheard
the dialogue and approached them, sud-
denly threw himself upon his brother s
unoffending legs and commenced to beat
and pull them about with unintelligible
| protests. Rupert, without looking down
said quietly "Quit that, now won t
| tell ye, - and went through certain
automatic movements of dislodging
Johnny If he inn
puppy.
what IS the matter, Johnny?'' said
the master, to whom these gyraticns
were not unfamiliar.
Johnny only replied by new grip of
his brothers. trousers.
"Well, SIR said Rupert, slightly
recovering his dimples and his readiness,
Johnny yer, wants me to tell We some
thing. Eff he WASH t the most original
self-cocking, God forsaken liar III Iniin
Spring-if he didn t lie awake in his crib
mornin 5 to invent lies fer the day,
wouldn t mind tellin ye, and would hey
told you before. However, since you
ask, and since you think you saw some
body around the school house, Johnny
yer allows that Seth Davis is spyin ,
round and follOwin' We wherever you go i,
and he dragged me down yer to see it.
He says he saw him doggin ye. -
''With Il knife and pithtolth, - added
Johnny s bOundless Imagination, to the
detriment of his limited facts.
Mr.. Ford looked keenly from the one
to the other, but rather with suspicion
that they were cOgnizant of his late
fracas than belief i'll the truth of
Johnny's statement.
"And what do you think of it, Ru-
pcrt?' he asked carelessly.
~ think, sir, said Rupert - that al
lowin for onct-that johnny ain t
lying, mebbee it 5 Greasy McKnstry
that Seth S huntin round, and KNOWN
that she 5 always runnin after you--'
he stopped, and reddening with a
newborne sense that his fatal
truthfulness had led him into a glaring
indelicacy towards the master, hurriedly
added: g / mean, sir, that mebbee it $
Uncle Ben he's jealous of now that he s
got rich enough for Greasy to hev him,
and KNOWN he comes to school in the
afternoon perhaps
"'Tain t either.'' broke in Johnny,
promptly. ''Theth IS over ther beyond
the thchool, and Crethy's eatin 1.-THE
cream at the bakerth with Uncle Ben. -
well, suppose she is, Seth don I
know it, silly!' answered Rupert,
sharply. Then more politely to the
master: ''That's it! Seth has seen
Uncle Ben gallivanting with Cressy and
thinks he $ bringing her over yer. Don
you see?'
The master, however, did not see but
one thing The girl who had only two
days ago carelesslt left it to him TO eX-
plain Il compromising situation to her
+I,iS Uipl M no IN aI
him into frontier fight to the peril of
his position and her good fame, was
calmly eating ices with an available
sutton without the least concern of the
past! The connection was perhaps
illogical, but it was unpleasant. 1t was
the more awkward from the fact that he
fancied that not only Rupert 3 beautiful
eyes, but even the infant JOHNNY rouled
ones were fixed upon him Withan embag-
raised expression of hesitating and FORE
boding'sympathy -
rs think, Johnny believes what che
saSs@tlon t You, Johnny" he smiled
with an assumption of cheerful ease,
but see no necessity just yet for binding
Seth Davis over to keep the peace. Tell
me about yourself, Rupe. l hope Uncle
Ben doesn t think of changin@his young
tutor with his good fortune?'
'No, sir, - returned Rupert, bright
ening. .'He promises to take me to
Sacramento with him as his private sec
rotary or confidential clerk, you know,
ef-ef-'' he hesitated again with very
un- Rupert-like caution, ''ef things go
Is, he wants 'em.' He stopped awk-
Nardly ana his brown eyes became
clouded. ,"Like ez not, Mr.. Ford, Res
only foQtin' me-and-himself.' - The.
boys eyes sought the master 5 curiousiy
~ don t know about that, - returned
Mr.. Ford uneasily., with a certain recol-.
lection Of Uncle Ben triumph over his
own Incredibly. He surely hasu t
shown himself a fool or b6aster
so far. I consider your prospect
a very fair one, and L wish you
JOY of it, my boy He ran his fingers
through Rupert's curls i'll his old caress-
ing fashion, the more tenderly perhaps
that he fancied he still saw symptoms of
storm and wet weather in the boys
brown eyes. "Run along home, both of
you, and don It worry yourselves about
me. - =:
He turned away, but had scarcely pro-
ceeded half dozen yards before he felt
tug at his coat. Looking down he. saw
the diminutive Johnny. "They III be-
comm home thith way,'.' he said reach
ng up in hoarse CONFIDENTIAL whisper.