The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-18


buggy and take you right over to the
kernel, that's what I'm a-goin' to do
an eff he keeps you in that there school,
twenty-four hours, don't know him
But just as we reached the orchard
behind Mr.. Gardeners house, and the
energy and confidence of my denial:
were beginni ng to have some effect, we
both turned around to an unearthly
cackIing and squawking and sound o.
flying wings that would have made the
Capitoline ganders themselves hiss with
envy. It was Mr.. Banknan, pursuing
with apparently murderous intent q
colony of chickens and ducks. a no
ment later realized that the old mar
was trying to create diversion in my
| favor. The farmer, however, did no,
! know it, and when he had run off to
capture the new enemy, and had sue
ceeded through the breaking of de-
| fective top fence rail that brought my
would-be rescuer sprawling to the
ground, had assumed a role of injured
innocence tina carried the day. ltwas
evident that neither Mr.. Banlman nor
had anything to gain from a mutual
recognition, and l wore a look OF as
much Indifference as possible while the
/ irate poultry-raiser locked poor Mir.
Banhman in the harness-room. and pro-
coed ed TO ''hcok up the buggy pre-
/ p aratory to search for the constable.
! Some kind fate had provided that the
| laprobe should be in the house; when
Mr.. Gardner went IN for 1t | slipped
IL ~ III
heart beating double-quick time, and
found that the heavy board window of
the harness-rooIn was secured on the
outside by staple and spike arrange
mont. In jiffy it was open, and MIR.
Banlman was trying to keep up with
me in a pell-mell cross-country race
that soon put US out Of immediate dam
ger.
For more than month / did not see
Mr.. Bankmah at all, though it was the
halcyon time Of luscious foX-grapes
that grew in great clusters in the depths
of the swamp, of ripe apples and pears
--anybodys property while they were
in the orchard-and unlimited roast
ing ears.
When he finally reappeared precau-
tions were doubled; to me only was ac-
corded the honor Of fishing with him.
and he refused to leave the bosl1y pur-
lieus of Painters swamp, unless on a
stormy night he might seek shelter in
an outlying hayrick.
It was during this period of retire
ment that rainy day, which happened
to be a holiday at the school, brought
me to the swamp with fishing tackle
and bait, a. jacket big and fat with half
loaves of bread, and with much elo-
quence to persuade Mr.. Bankman into
visiting hole famous for cells and
suckers" l argued that no one would
be around in such weather, even though
the redoubtab Mr.. Gardeners house
was within a quarter of a mile; that
the banks OF the creek rose up hun
dred feet or more on each side, SO we
should be quite hidden, and that
didn't have many holidays. We finally
started off in a heavy drizzle.
But before long there came a sudden
tremendous downpour of rain that sent
me scampering for shelter, while Mr..
Bankman, to whom rain and sunshine
were equally welcome, sat stolidly on,
manipulating his four poles stuck in
the bank, a hand or foot on each one
to feel the vibrations that every now
and then changed into a glorious tug
l could not get to the top of the bank
and the woods there without making a
wide detour for an easier climb. AsI
stumbled up the crumbling bank, my
eye caught sight of the old lzingisher's
hole, that we had dug out year after
year to get the beautiful, glistening.
ivory eggs; this had not discouraged
her from coming back each year to tun-
mel still further into the bank from the
same old entrance, SO that now it was
quite big enough to crawl in and lie at
full length. 1t struck me as fine
place to take refuge in, and called out
my intention to Mr.. Bankman, with |
the result Of getting q scolding for
making SO much noise. The leaves and |
debris of Mrs. kingfisher's previous |
household arrangements made it quite |
1 was amusing myself !
while the heavy shower lasted by see
ing how far back could worm myself |
into the narrowing passage. when | |
was startled by a dull, mufied sound |
like the PARKWAY unloading of coal
wagon, it increased rapidly, then sud-
denly stopped, and l found myself in
the dark. 1 put out my hand toward
the entrance and felt a wall of dirt. |
squirned up to it and began to dig il
away, but there was 10 room to pass it
back called out, with the result of
filing my eyes and mouth with loose
particles of sand. Again l tried to buy
row out Then after awhile it began
to be hard to breathe. and harder and
harder, until forgot all about it and
everything.
Mr.. Bankman was startled from
on the particularly fastid-
Ious tastes OF big sucker" which
could only DC persuaded TO nibble, By
The noise of small landslide behind
him, that brought several pebbles fly
ing about his ears. With grunt of
lisapproval ct the interruption. he
turned again to his fishing apparatus.
adjusted with the utmost scientific care
and dexterity an alluring bait, and was
a bout to cast it in just the eddy under