Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-02-11
s,HE UNDRESSED KID.

nation. The Kid, who was also referred
to as the Brat, the Infant, and that
Young Cub" had been playing some
prank on the grizzled and testy Mr.
Barr, and Hank, by way of delicate
reference to the palpable fact that the
parental bed slat or trunk strap had
been allowed to get dusty between
"whalings," when the Infant had been
of yet more tender years, bestowed upon
his tormentor the sobriquet by which he
was every after known.
1t was not that the Kids years were
so few--he was twenty-two-but he was,
oh! such kid" lie had evidently
mingled with men for several years, but
the association did not seem to have
rubbed off any of the marks of extreme
youth, at least in his behavior, and no
one ever thought of smiling, even when
Shorty Fleming, Che boss's youngest
brother, aged eighteen, addressed the
Kid by any one Of his numerous diminu-
tives.
One could not help liking the Kid in
spite of his pranKs, for he was always
SO good natured and obliging. If he was
ready to cut up hair brush and scatter
the bristles in some tired fellows bunk
about bedtime he wRs just as ready to
do double duty in case his victim hap
pcned to be i'll.
There We're a few chickens at the
ranch, and one of the Undressed's chief
est joys was to feed them corn with a
string and stick attachment, and laugh
himself almost to death at their frantic
efforts to kick themselves loose But if
one Of those same chickens happened to
be hurt or III he would nurse it Just as
woman might
On the occasion when he stuck shoe
makers wax on Hank Barr's saddle, and
Hank came into supper without the base
ment OF his jeans and made sarcastic re-
marks, the Kid felt himself a born hui
ln0rist, and one would have thought that
capers Of this sort were his highest aim
in life but it was he who, after a cold,
hard days work, rode twenty miles on a
stormy night to get surgeon to set the
leg Hank had broken in the evening.
But pranks are pranks and the prankee
seldom takes the same view of them as
does tie prankist; aud thus it came that
the kil~ hghtmindedness, together
with his everlasting jokishness, brought
upon him the scorn Of his fellow labor
ers at the INK" They all liked him
well enough, but that was all. They
never considered him or included him in
their plans, except when there was some
uncomfortable duty to perform In
fact, they paid very little attention to
him R-Tanv ha o,taI lilo
year-old and was SO treated.
The next spring Miss Mary Brooke
appeared on the scene as visitor to
Colonel Hanford's, six miles south of us
She came, she saw-and the rest Of it,
Women were very scarce in our vicinity,
especially young and pretty ones, and
to car unaccustomed eyes Venus, and
the three Ciraces, and all the rest weren't
in it with Mary Brooke, and we bowed
down and worsmped like lot of half
hedged idiots.
We We're all serious too. 1t was re-
markable how many business transac-
ton. Boss Fleming had to talk over
with the colonel all of a sudden, and
how |. the Scribe, took such fancy ia
reading and discussing Browning with
L,
and therefore not easy to converse with.
1t was not long, however. before Boss
Fleming and had the running all to
ourselves. Fleming, as a near neighbor,
g big ranch owner and wealthy man,
lad a strong hold on the colonel, and |,
the Scribe, having stuck to my desk in
early youth, and being therefore able
TO talk little on such subjects as inter
estcd Mrs. Hauford, had quite captivated
her, anu the boys, perceiving this state
OF affairs, discreetly withdrew and spent
their evenings as of yore.
Al but the Cndreased Kid. He, beina
from Boston, Miss Brooke's home, also
came in for a share of her smiles and
conversation, but as he showed no sign:
of change in his youthful ways We
didn't pay much attention to him, e1
cept to consider him much in the samt
Light as one might nuisance in kits
lie was in the way, of course, but b,
didn't cause US any worry.
To lie sure, we wondered how it wa
that Miss Brooke could tolerate his non
sense and chatter for she was somewha
sta,l IN her ways and person whom
one would hardly suspect of liking TO
IeVlty. ne boss and | We're both sur
that the Kids constant presence woul,
begin to pall very soon-briefly III
would make Miss Brooke tired, and w
two could fight it out solely between
ourselves.
But, somehow, this state of thing
didn't come to pass. The Kid manage
to get in as many calls. as did the Dos
and |, and what was worse usually hat
Miss Brooke pretty much to himself
worse luck to the old folks and it mad
Fleming and myself very weary to hea
her laughing at his time worn Jokes I'LL
til the tears rolled down her cheeks.
That the Infant had serious intention
never entered our heads. OF course j
was undeniable that Miss Brooke like
him; but that, we assured ourselves
was in a spirit of mere good nature
tolerance EesideS. who ever knew Q
the Kid ever having sweetly solem
Thought?