The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-09-27

OF the rear door. Notwithstanding their
injunction the boys did tell their father.
but it was too late to catch the men.
"If you see them again call Thomas
ut once" said Mr.. Weston, II am afraid
they are the same fellows I dismissed
the other day for trying to excite trouble
and discomfort among the workmen at
the quarry"
AT the dinner-tablc that evening there
was a great laugh at Dicks expense
when Bud told about the fishing ex.
pertinent. In the animated and highly
interesting discussion that followed, one
suggestion was made which was adopted
by Bud with somewhat disastrous cc.l-
sequences. 1t was simply Dicks re-
mark that just ~ circus actors were
supposed to live on frogs legs
and crackers, SO Three-korters should
be dieted on grasshoppers and beetles.
Now it so happened that on the next
afternoon Dick and pretty Helen, til.
daughter of the family, were sitting in
the parlor having a pleasant, languid
talk with a young gentleman who had
called ~ostensibly to see the brother,
though it must he confessed that the
charming sister received a great deal of
attention.
Suddenly sturdy footsteps were heard
in the hall, the door flew open and into
the cool parlor tramped Bud, warm
and dusty, but beaming with happiness
and sagacity. Under his arm was his
straw hat tightly covered with a very
dirty handkerchief. He deposited his
burden ON the floor and began to unite
one of the knots in the handkerchief,
meanwhile r%emarking sententiously:
"Drasthoppers for my T~hree-korters,
caught 'em in the torver field; tross the
front lane" Mercy, I should think
So" cried Helen climbing upon a chair
in dire dismay as the air suddenly be-
came alive with hosts of insects leaping
scrambling, bouncing, flying in every
direction. Dick mounted a chair and
began to scream in q ludicrous imita-
tion of his sister, until she ran laugh
ing and blushing ont of the room. The
young man leaned back in his seat and
laughed till she cried, and it is impos-
sible to tell when he would have
stopped. had not o bullet-headed hop-
per landed. squarely in his open
mouth.
In the meantime, Bud viewed this
mighty fusillade with rueful consterna.
ton, feeling that it was indeed too bad
when he had only intended the audi
ence to have q peep at his captives.
He went to bed in the evening tired but
contented after spending the rest of the
day in an exciting indoor grasshopper
hunt.
But he was not destined to sleep
much that night. While dreaming that
four saucer-eyed insects we're chasing
him around the parlor he heard the loud
crow of his faithful Three-korters to the
rescue.
The grasshoppers Disappeared but the
growing continued. Bud now thor
oughly wide awake ran to the window
and looked out. The night was dark
and gloomy. The moon had set, and
now n light easterly wind was titfully
massing the clouds. He could family
distinguish the form ofthe barn and adj
jacent carriagc-house. A score of chan
t~icleers We're already answering the
clarion calls of his pet. Suddenly there
was q scutlle, a muttered exclamation,
and Three-liorters's last crow ended in
al ignominious Shrek. just then q lit
tile tongue of flame tlickered from be-
hind the carriagellouse, and ran up the
corner of the building licking the dry
boards with avidity. BY the red, wavy
light Bud saw the figure of a man
clutching his pet rooster. With a cry
that instantly reused every member of
the household lie darted down stairs and
oul of the back door. 1t certainly
wasn't two minutes before lie had
reached the carriage-house and returned
with Three-korters in his arms, where.
upon his mother, already down, Rugged
him, and Helen cried and Mr.. Weston
having made the whole circuit in pur-
suit, came up completely out of breath
and confusedly threatened to spank
Dick for carelessness.
But graver matters required his ut
t%ention. Already II score of men were
standing in the red glare of the fire and
i'll a few moments more the rival COM
panies We're racing their engines down
the street with q hundred hands ut the
ropes. For two hours all was noise and
confusion; whistles were blowing, steam
escaping, men shouting themselves
hoarse, the flames cracking and hiss
ing, and the brave tiremen rushing in
and out of the blazing building. Mean
while Dick, and every other small boy
who could get there, vas making sew
eral hundred suggestions to everybody
who would listen; but Mr.. Weston with
q stern anxious look on his face was en-
c%ouraging the men to save the house
and barn if possible. And they worked
with q will SO that by morning when the
fire was extinguished, although the car.
riage house was gone, the barn was not
badly damaged and the house was un-
injured.