The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-06-13

Z wideawakey young
man on the First OF April.
No threadbare trick would do. He
was all eyes, and all his eyes were
open. There would be great glory in
dipping him Hard to catch, none
laughed louder than he when he was
caught.
All sorts OF traps were proposed
andrcjected-a cotton-pie, a cornmeal-
cake, salt for his coffee, sugar for his
potatoes-all were too old and famil-
lar.
But all agreed that it should relate
to his eating, for he was noted for his
good appetite. Indeed, he boosted OF
at on all possible occasions.
Tthink it would surprise him more, !"
said one bright girl, "to get up some
thing really nice for him. That would
be the last thing he would be looking
out for from us. You know we al
ways think anything for Bob Reed
must be for joke. Even at Christ
mas-time he got a jumping-jack, a
penny whistle and Bologny sausage,
while we worked days making nice
things for people we didn't like half
so we'll"
"That' so! We wouldn't have any
kind OF time at all in this dull town
If it were not for Bob, with his wit and
kind heart"
"And his horse and buggy"
eyes, indeed; or his bronco rather.
Don't dignity that little creature with
the name of horse. Dear me, girlsl
Shall we ever forget when he bought
him?"
"Or with what fortitude we waited
for him to be broken?"
"Or how he rode him up and down
the street, and let him shake him off
over his head for our entertainm entY'
They went back to the question I'M
der consideration
"But how shall we get him up some
thing nice? 1t mustn't be anything
nice to eat-he'd scent that u mile
away"
<'Oh, have it" broke in the land
lord 8 daughter. "Why didn't think
of that before? Why, his birthdays
on the First of April He says he has
n good excuse for being born fool
Let's make him q nice, great big
partyl
"Capitalw
|'Just the thingl"
There was general and enthusiastic
agreement, and it was arranged that
there should be n birthday present
which should be a real surprise.
Bob Reed was the hero fthe village,
and he knew it very well. Not that
he had ever rescued any one from fire
or q watery grave, but he had rescued
many q picnic from failure, and many
another pleasant village enterprise
from collapse.
He pretended to be martyr to his
heroism, and to rebel against his popu-
larity when he was wanted for n tab
ieau, as was not unfrequently the
case. Whether his protests were heart
felt or not. his services were always
to be had.
Then, to compensate himself, per-
haps, he made so much fun at the re-
hearsals by throwing in passages that
were not in the book, OVERRIDING his
part, and making everybody laugh,
than the girls pretended to be angry
with him for making necessary SO
many rehearsals.
Once when they were practising q
pantomime, and he was wanted for
his part, he was nowhere to be found.
Where could he have Disappeared?
They had left him safely slowed in a
curtained corner OF the stage. They
were in the second story OF the tall
school-house, and there were no means
of escape.
They stood in wonder. One girl
mechanically looked out of the
open window, the only possible exit
from that corner; and there he hung,
his hands grasping the window-sill-
his only support He swung himself
up lightly, and promise6not to do 1T
again.
He was freight agent, express agent,
telegraph operator and coal merchant
all in one, and he was not twenty-one
years old yet; but he was going to be.
He said that he and Curly were the
same age. Curly was black, kinky
dog that he had adopted because no
one else wanted him. Perhaps the
dog had been handsome when he was
younger and had two eyes; but he had
long since outlived his beauty and his
usefulness.
At any rate, the only possible use
Curly could have been to his master,
besides being O dependent and humble
companion, was the ready excuse he
furnished for buying extra baskets at
basket-socials. Curly had to have
lunches; he liked good things, and got