The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1889-12-28

was OHe DOy VINO was SUIll Oluer-D1CK
Mclean. Dick was natural tormentor
would abuse the girls as well as the
boys. He respected dolls no more than
hoops and kites He would rush into a
ring where the boys were playing mar
oles. and pretending not to notice where
he was treading, scatter the marbles
with the toe of his boot, or poke his
inger through kite. or let the sawdust
out of a doll; and he was SO big and
strong that no one dared punish him. l
vas the biggest boy in the school, but in
,trength was greatly his inferior, and
Kept out of his way.
One day Reddie was carrying her doll
lcross the playground, doll with hair
IS red as her own. Some one had given
it her as a reflection on her own fiery
'ocks; but Reddie, never seeing or never
loticing the slight, took the red headed
little monster into her heart, and nursed
I with as much affection as if she had
been real mother. Dick Mclean, see
ing her with the doll in her arms, its red
head standing out over her shoulder
went up behind her with lighted match,
and touching the flame to its hair, there
was bright halo around the dolls head
or an instant, and then the Uranium was
Is bald as if the little thing hadn't been
in the world long enough to grow even
'ed hair. Reddie, seeing what had hap
)ened, burst into tears.
! was witness of this bit of ruffian-
SIN, and although at that age had con-
iderable contempt for girls in general
md the prevailing contempt for Reddie,
was shocked.
ut seems to me, Dick" l said, ''rd
AXE a boy for that sort O. thing if were
-ou."
"Tll take you, if you like" he re-
orted.
was sorry had said anything !
Snew if we quarreled l should get
hrashed. Besides, if l fought about
UGH wizened little creature as Reddie,
he whole school would ridicule me.
"Tll teach YOU added Dick to his
previous remark, and he came up to me
md struck me. saw was in for it,
md made up my mind to take thrash
ng. The children stood around, Reddle
lmong them, with her baldheaded doll
n her arms, her own hair making up in
Illuminating properties for what had been
ost by the singeing of the dolls head.
throughout that brief struggle until /
ound myself unable to continue, it
eemed to me that there was but one
'isible thing present, and that was Red
lies head.
| limped away from Diok and the
ircle, inwardly planning revenge on
Dick Mclean before the end of the term.
Indeed, at once told my father de-
sired to take boxing lessons, and receiv-
ing his assent, after three months secret
practice, went up behind my enemy
with lighted match and burned his
back hair off up to the crown of his hat
Dick turned like fury, His uneontrol-
able anger and my,skill gave me the
day, and left him with the injunction
that if he wanted any more hair burn
ing to come to me.
As had expected, after my defeat on
my first encounter, l was set down as
champion of the ugliest girl in the school.
did not recover from the beating l had
received for a week. One day as l limped
across the play ground Reddie came up
to me and poked something at me folded
in piece of brown paper. The sight of
her was alone enough to ruffie me; but
to see her standing by me, shyly, with
her hand stretched towards me and
something in it, in sight OF half dozen
pupils, was too much.