Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-07-13

Ted sat on the gate post and swung
his feet dlscOnsolately. Mamma and
brother Roy we're sitting on the porch,
enjoying the sunset; but you see Ted
did not care for sunsets. lie was, as
he had Just declared to Mamma, ''sick
and tired of this old Colorado ranch,
with no boys nor fishing nor baseball
nothing!" and when, in stating
the utter poverty of ranch life, he
came to baseball overwhelmed with
memories of the Fourth nine" of
which he had been captain back in
Vermont, he had come off down to the
gate with big lump in bis thr aat, and
now was sitting, with his back to the
house, cross and miserable.
Over by the corral he could see a
jack rabbit hopping about getting his
supper; and in the distance a coyote
was Looping home to her little ones; but
whats the use of theD92" Thought
Ted, "when a boys only ten his
mother won't let him have the gun"
1t was lonely place, this Colorado
ranch, in spite of the wonderful sunsets
and the more wonderful mirages; in
spite of the prai lie bright with cactus
and the mOcking birds singing on the
creeks. 1t seemed tiresome to the
others at times, and they had some
thing to comfort them. Brother Boy
had that strange feeling of strength,
and freedom from the distressing cough
that had driven him from his Vermont
bone, and then he had his gun and
pony; Mamma had the happiness of
seeing tie flush of health where the
hectic had been on her big boys
checks; and she could have lived on a
desert island for that; Eell bad her
piano and books and lots of letters,
while he, Ted, had nothing, it seemed
to him Just now, save big lump in his
throat letter from the Pitcher of
the Fourth nine" was what made it
especially hard this evening.
Four months before, when every
thing was strange and the little house
they brought from Vermont was 90 ng
up, It had all been very delightful, and
be had scrawled a glowing letter to
this same pitcher, calculated to rouse
great envy IN every heart belonging
to the Fourth" but the tardy answer,
received to-day, when deciphered by
Dell, had rendered the boyless ranch
existence unbearable. He took the
crumbled epistle from his pocket now
and, aided by the memory of Dell's
TRANSLATION, spelled out those last
sentences which we're ranking in his
sore little heart:
''tO Bad you ANT here old Boy But
this new feller from Broklin that is
Captin now Can run a good ele faster
and he Bats a hager evry time hes
got lots of musel for q City Chap we
Can most Beet the Sd on Count of him
he Could be in that But he sed he'd
Father Be Captin of ours wisht you
was here old Boy
Respectfully yours Joe.
ps he's gotta salty aud lets US fellers
all ride.
Bitter indeed to the quondam
''Captin' was this praise of his sue
cessori and Just as the great tears were
rolling down Ted's cheeks, Mamma,
who wasn't so happy about her big boy
as not to svmpathize with her home
SICK little one, came down to the gate
and slipped her arm around him, say
ing, without noticing the tears, of
course: 'I challenge you to a game OF
checkers, little man, or fish pond or
anything you want to play. know
can pny You back for the way you
oeat me last night.
don't rant to play any old girl
games, sobbcd Ted, breaking dawn
entirely; 81 want to play baseball and
90 a-hshing and have some fun. l
nate this old ranch, and wisht l had
stayed with Grandma"
Don't you think you would have
missed Mamma rs much as you do the
Doyst asked Mamma. tenderly; ''and
then think how lonesome she would
nave been or ont here with no one to
play the girl games with her"
hat s the matter, Kid?" said
brother s Roy, coming up behind them.
D0n See why you mourn for trees,
nother, with such n hOurishing little
weeping willow Hs Ted on the prem
ises Ieds little shoulders heaved
!af less convdlSively than when Mamma
was talking ''Oh, come now, Ted,
sSp your wolling. Look at that jack
aaooIt over there and count your MGR
eics Lots Of kids in the world worse
on than you are"
al al mat moment they heard faint
sound of across the prairie
nat that?' said Mamma, rs
thor ears.
IN I4ey all looked and listened. The
Sa., iuu mad disappeared, but the clouds,
aU5 ~" east and west, were all afiame !;
Nt d on toward the west they could see
Irui uatk spock moving towards them.
and and Iy .Ley heard the faiut cry; nearer
p-o-. uS@tef came the speck and louder
eeT sG. the cry, until Roy said:
n ~ 10 another lonesome kid coming
T5fs ours, as sure as you're alivei
80 one has got something to hleat