Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1892-07-14

=z.ss;sss5 - ~ Wednes sday |
morning Nora |
had filled it with the tempting disks OF
golden brown. Once only had few
appeared on the tea table, and now,
thursday morning at five minutes to
nlne> not coolSy was to be seen-only
n few crumbs marked the place where
they had been. Nora was so astonished
that rshe actually shook the Jar, as
II those delicious beauties might
come sitting through its stone bot
tom. Then she turned it upside down
and patted it vigorously, as if, per-
chance, they were hiding closes up
against the sides and would come out
and show themselves if properly
coaxed. Then she carried this sur
prising jar to the window, and, getting
the best possible light, examined it
carefully al, over; but it was of no use.
There was no trap door for them to
fall through nor secret drawer in which
TO hide. They were Enthusiastically
gone, and without leaving behind them
the slightest trace of cause for their
disappearance.
NO trace? Perhaps I am mistaken
about that, for whenever any mishap
befell the Howard family they invari-
ably reversed the law which says:
"Believe a person innocent until he is
proven guilty." and always believed
Willie to be the cause of the trouble
until he proved himself innocent--a
thing he seldom could do.
Nora shook the jar once more, set it
down with little more emphasis than
was necessary and started upstairs to
tell Mrs Howard, muttering something
unpleasant about 'that bad boy again"
as she went.
That evening, when the family were
seated on the front steps watching the
fading sunset, Mrs. Howard looked at
Willie reproachfully. "What did you
do with all those cookies, Willie?n she
asked,
"What coolsies?' asked Willie, inno-
GENTLY.
'Why, Nora made jarful yester-
day, and they are all gone to-day" ex-
claimed mamma.
perhaps Rover ate them" Willie
suggested, evasively. Rover got up and
walked away, as if he understood and
felt deeply injured.
''Or maybe fish came up from the
lake and took them, or the canary may
have stolen them" said papa, sarcas-
tically.
Willie looked off beyond the tree
tops, as if he had failed to hear. "Oh,
Willie! Willie!" exclaimed mamma, sad
"; but still he sat there, with look,
and apparently thoughts, far away.
The sunlight died and the stars came
to take its place, and sprinkled the sky
when the flowers no longer adorn it.
"It rs bedtime, Willie; kiss me good
night, " said mamma. A sorrowful note
in her voice, and disappointed look in
her eyes, made it very hard for Willie
to bid her goodnight as if nothing had
happened, but finally, with light kiss
on her lips and gentle touch on her
hair, he said ''Good night, and slowly
went upstairs to his room.
'.It isn't so much fun as some people
might suppose" he thought, gloomily,
'this running away to be o pirate, if a
fellows mother is going to look like
that when she kisses him good night.
A mouse was gnawing at the wall in
between the partitions and its cease
less filing made him very nervous. lie
looked over his shoulder at the heavy
shadows which made the room seen
unfamiliar and large, extending farther
than he could see, as If it ended in some
winding passage or dark dungeon. lie
didn't feel half so brave as he did in the
morning, when the sun was shining
d the hens were cackling and all live
things were awake and very busy
Then he had taken the cookies and hit
them away.
He had thought it great fun to stall
about till Nora left the kitchen and hi
way was clear to the pantry, and ther
to fill his hat with cookies and run
Five times had he done this, all tho
while thinking it very brave and manly
to make such preparations Tor leading
the life of pirate. He meant to EN-
bark that night in his fathers row
boat and cruise about Silver lake,
body of water two miles long by three
81 quarters of a mile wide.
He pictured to himself the valor ant
brilliancy of his future deeds, until HI
imagination went so far as to represen
Bobby Jones, who was twelve year
old and could write the best COMPOSE
ton of any boy in their class, as wri'
inc his biography, calling it: ''Ihe Oar
inc Exploits of Willie Howard, tn
princely Pirate of Silver Lake: or, Cap
tain Kidd Outdone."
This had all been very thrilling; ou
nov--vhy is it that our deeds seem S
unlovely when we think OF them
night. and conscience talks the loudes
when other voices are still? His actual
lv said "stealingn when Willie though
abont the cookies. 1t was useless 10
= him to say: Mamma always wants IN =
n have plenty to eat :" Plenty
a,tp and a two-gallon jar OF COOKIE
were entirely differentsmatters' ana u
knew it. r ON
No sound in-~the house. every OH
,oust be asleep. More stars came ou
and made the Sky mass OF beauty
M M, er;cl,ets and katydids were ehlrI
,,o and down at Silver lake ouliiro
- -rs.l,ed Willie never liked to hea
srlSfrogs, nor lSatydids either for Una
ter sa He had half mind TO give
al, NJ nm and 90 to bed, and next to feto
"nt the cookies and ask mamma
sDreiye s him. He knew that was VIVA
-....1,t ~ do.