News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-10-13

stuck-up city people b'lieve we steal
l heerd 'em say sol''
"StealI' And Aunt Sally held uI
two floury black hands. "Steal
The Lord forgib 'emI That highly
woman limited bout thieves whel
she gave me the money, but to thinl
that she limited at we-uDsl I'd jes
like to throw that money into hel
pompous facet But no, no um
Les see. do b,lieve I'll heap some
Goals from the fire on 'em! You,
Pete, go call yo' paw, frum the fiel'.
Hey, Marthy, Tidy, come here, you
girls!''
Then ensued a conference of the
Sidensticks family which was evident
ly highly entertaining. Uncle Saul
sat down on the bench in order to
laugh with the greatest ease. Pete
rolled over on the floor in delight.
Marthy and Tidy sent out avalan-
ches of giggles. Then came a mys-
terious scattering, Uncle Saul to the
fields, the girls and Aunt Sally to the
kitchen, and Pete creeping through
the underbrush, toward the campers
on the meadow.
In the meantime Fred had set their
large dinner-basket in the midst of a
shady thicketsof jumpers, and with
the brother next in age had descend
ed to the river, over which their fish
ing poles were patiently extended.
The small boys, taking two shawls
belonging to the girls, one bright red
and one blue, had fashioned Indian
tents by throwing these over bushes,
and were making the meadow ring
with their war-cries. The artists
were enthusiastically covering their
academy board, and were at their
wits end to represent all the beauti-
full varieties of green spread out be-
fore them.
"Where are the small boys?" sud-
denly asked Bess Morgan. "Ihaven't t
heard a whOop for several minutes. D
'In ambuscade, probably, or off on
a hunt, replied Bell, peering around
the corner of the tent. "But their
wigwams are gone. They have struck
camp. Oh, mol there they are!' she
cried, as two vigorous shouts arose
and the small boys dashed over the
cliff, swinging the bent sticks which
represented tOmahawks, and rushing
toward the bushes which had been
their former abode. They stopped
short, however, seeing the shawls
gone.
"What have you done with our
tents, Bell?" they called Indignantly.
TENTS? Shawls? Nothing! said
Bell, coming outside, palette in hand.
"ThOse lovely shawls gone? Boys,
boys, what made you leave them!'
mourned Bess, emerging with her
mother.
"Oh, those thievish Sidensticksesl'
groaned Mrs. Morgan. "But there's
Fred. Maybe he's played some trick
on you. Fred, have you taken those
shawls the boys were playing with?
Fred and Paul came slowly up
from below, fishing-rods in hands,
and mournful frowns on their faces.
"Shawls! What would l want of
shawls? Fred growled. "Have you
seen anything of our fish? We had a
nice string, some good large ones,
and tied them to the bank while we
went to try another place, and when
we came back, of course they were
gone! Those thievish Sidenstickses
will have fish dinner, I'll warrant!'
"Well I've a good mind to send an
officer over here with search-war-
rant just as soon as we get back to
the hotel!' said Mrs. Morgan, deter
minedly. Get the basket, Fred. We
might as well have dinner. Boys,
run down after the milk, and bring a
pail of water too. Girls spread the
cloth under that elm-tree, so that we
can keep this magnificent view before
our eyes "
So they scattered in various direc-
tions, but it was not long before the
small boys came running back, splut-
tering, "The milk's stolenl Those
mean, sneaking Sidenstickses
And from the juniper copse came
Fred and Paul, shouting ahead OF
them the news, Famine! Famine
The dinners gonel"