Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-06-30

boys knew MIN. lie was ltOrat'O Bur-
banlS-the che of whom Len and
they had been talking.
Il W 81 Len would run away from
him" growled Ned, after he had passed
them.
But Len won't" said Horace. "Iie
hasn't got spunk enough.
Len was milking when Burbank re-
turued and put up his horses; and
when he brought in the milk his uncle
as ed him, sh prtlv, how the work had
gone on tor the day.
ave didn't get the potatoes all
hoed.' replied the boy, reluctantly.
why, l thought you would finish
that piece to-day" cried Burbank, in
patiently.
I'VE worked pretty hard" replied
Len. But that field is wi chgrassy,
you know, and we couldn't finish it by
thirteen TO VS."
"Humph!' exclaimed his uncle, much
dissatisfied. 1--WE must cultivate and
hoe the sweet corn tomorrow" he
added. The potatoes will have to go
till next day"
1.-The next day is the Fourth" Len
ventured to mention. THE hired men
will be of that day-and-and-"h he
hesitated little, 1.-THE Thornhill boys
are going to play baseball against the
Longcroft nine in the afternoon, at the
village. They want me to go"
BASEBALL! Hob! Why, Len, don't
see how you can think of goin off
with al our work so behind! I'm goin'
to work, myself, all day"
Il know it's behind" said Leu.
But the boys think they'll get beaten
if don't pitch for EN-; so they re kind
of urging me strong TO GO
"But what baseball, Len, beside
necessary work like ourn? That's al
such Toys think. Thems the boys l
met out here, s'pcse," he continued.
"Ilere teasing you off! Id like to put
my boss whip on 'em!'
The next evening the boys came
around again, to learn whether Len
could go.
"He has given me another st mt. and
good big one" said Len, with his
odd. low laugh.
Lets go see itr' cried Ned Corliss.
They went ross tn. field, and the
boys hastily looked the stint over.
1.-TWO days work." exclaimed
| Horace "rhat uncle of yours-well,
no matter what! OF course you cant
go-unless,' he added, unless we raise
a crew and help you do it."
"And that's just what we had better
do'' said Ned. For we must have
Len"
Soon after six o'clock on Fourth of
July morning there were eleven boys
in Selectman BurUauk's potato field,
hoeing with all their might They
hal finished a row apiece, and had all
turned to upon the rema ming two
rows when Burbank appeared.
"He's coming out to forbid your go
in" muttered Ned.
al guess not" said Len.
off he does, let's mob him."
But Burbank had only come to say
to Len that he must try to ''string"
late-planted acre of sweet corn with
Irvine, to keep off the crows, before he
went away. an put the ball of Irvine
down here at the end of this row." he
said, as he turned back.
The boys groaned after him.
"Well il wi only take us few
minutes" said Len.
But as they came near the ends of
the rows, Horace Atkins picked up the
Irvine ball, unobserved. and put il in
| his pocket So Len could not find the
twine, and after Sc rching awhile he
set off with the other boys, who inn
DdbltnllN dNdy W SOiCCb
their baseball outfit.
On their way to the village Horace
slipped the ball of Irvine into Lens
pocket, where he presently found it.
| He suspected that trick had been
played, but sa nothing He had
never disobeyed an ex press COM
mand of his uncle. But twas too late
10 turn back.
The background was half mile
out of the vii age, near the river a
| little way from the bend above the
| falls which furnish the water-power
for the factories.
When MIR Burbank found that Len
| had gone off w tn the boys without
st ingiug the corn, he was angry; and
grew more angry as he worked alone,
that day 1t seemed to him to be
| downright rebellion to his authority.
| So about the middle of the afternoon
| he drove TO the village with the inten-
ton of fetching Len back home to
finish the stint
But meanwhile an event had oc-
CURED.
The ball game was over. Len had
| pitched good game for the Thornhill
nine. The score stood: Thornhill
eighteen, Longcroft thirteen. The at
tention of the crowd was termed to
tub race" on the river above the
"boom," as the long line of logs at
tached end to end and extending across
the channel above the falls is termed.
Besides the contestants in their tubs,
there were boats on the water above
the boom. Among them was bateau
in which one of the young lady school
teachers of the village was taking row
WI h seven or eight of her girl pupils
and two lads. aged ten and thirteen