The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-03-09
Follow the Telegraph Poles, Johnny


Earle, looking from his sick chair on
of the window near him. II an
afraid it may snow, and the way hom'
would bother YOU"
II wouldn't care, grandpa" sale
Johnny, "but I told mother she nigh
expect me about dark; no, / said hal
past five"
"And that is dark, Johnny"
81 know it; and if can get home
sooner, so much the better. She will
worry about me, you know, and / hate
to have her do that"
"Yes, suppose she will worry" re-
piled Grandpa Earle, remembering
that his daughter had lately moved in
to the town and had still the stranger
feeling. Her husband, too, was at sea
and she and Johnny were the only ones
in the house.
az see, | see how it's" said grandpa
'and your mother will he lonely with
out you. Do you know the way"
Up Squirrel road?"
Eyes, all the way over the hill; but
if anything should happen, snow COM
ming thick and bothering you where
the road forks, as it does several times
then remember aud don't take any
risks in travelling by night, but fol.
low the telegraph poles, Johnny! They
run along side Squirrel road and take
you right over the hill. Don't forget,
noww
"Thank you, I will remember"
Johnny was soon out of the house and
tramping along Squirrel road.
Ills l. H.. { ,l,,f s.,fh hnf
Something white on his coat-sleeve
snow flake! then came another
another, and soon how fast they flew
But there were the telegraph poles!
"They'll bring me home," murmur
ed Jonny, and he trudged on.
In few moments he heard voice
and then somebody hurrying and pant
ing behind him.
Hold on, Jonny"
"frhat you, Fred Bently?"
Erred Bently, and nobody else."
"Going hcme, Fred?"
Nowhere else. L went over to the
apothecary's to get some medicine fol
my mother"
They trudged along side by side
while the snow thickened rapidly in
every direction. 1t grew dark rapidly
There, though, were the telegraph
poles, After a while they came to o
road turning to the left.
Say, Johnny"
"What is it, Fred?"
"This road goes down-here-in
that direction, don't it? Here Fred
pointed with his hand.
1T starts in that direction, but
can't say that it keeps on; can you?"
mo, but-I-think it must bring us
out near our home, and if it does, why
it must be shorter than squirrel road"
"Do you know?"
"No, not--eXactly.
Fred bad not lived long in the neigh.
borhood.
"My grandfather only spoke of Squir.
rel road, ond said one had better not
take any risks in travelling by night,
and if-if-it got to storming bad, and
so on, and couldn't see very well the
road and got confused when it folks
why, follow the telegraph poles"
Fred was o wilful boy, and rather
conceited also.
"Well, l am going to take this road
that branches Oft. ltgoes about where
| think my home is, and any way ]
can't get lost bad. Come along! You'll
get bothered again down in the place
where the road falks."
"No, I can follow the telegraph
poles"
"Well, good-by, old Prudence"
Jonny laughed good-noturedly, said
goodbye aud, tramped ahead. He
reached the next fork in the roads
and he would have been greatly per-
picked had it not been for the telegraph
poles. The shadows and the snow
thickened about him, but they had q
good-nutured way of rising up and zee
ming to say, "I am your friend, John
n.y." ,.
'"Wish," said he, in little while
II could have persuaded Fred to come
with me; l don't feel easy about him
| mean to step back to the fork in the
roads and see if"
What to see he hardly knew, ever
if he could see anything; but lie hao
strange feeling that he had better go
and he started off.
"Hark! what is that"' he said, at thu
fork in the roads. Lid he hear voice
off in the lonely woods?
"Ies, yesw he cried, eNcitedly, ant
lifting his voice he shouted, "Hul-lot
o on
He had his arm round telegraph
pole as he shouted, and he felt very
brave and confident.
Soon there came reply to Jonny':
shout, and u second ol-o, and then sew
eral nalloos, the cry rchong closer, ant
closer, and ut last Jonny saw u blacl
thing approaching.
"That you, Fred Bently"
"That you, johnny Evans"
The two boys were glad to see on
another, and this time Fred was yer!
glad to follow the telegraph
poles.
II tell you, Jonny, dad time of it
confessed Fred. 81 got all mixed up
1 did. And this medicine for mothe
i tell you, Jonny, she would hav'
been poorly enough without 1t! ow
you lot. There | was, all miXe'
up"
I "Where did you go?"
81 don't know, but into some kim
of swamp, guess, for I sank dow
through the snow, and then l went IL
to water over my boots. l don't car
l am all right now"
The boys pushed on. The snow wa
thicker than ever. 1t was darker, toe
thar ever. The poles could not b
yl~1 M