The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-04-28
A HOT TEMPER.


A door banged-the door of Frod's
room at the upper end of the hall,
hurried footsteps sounded on the mat
ting, and then into the sitting room
with a rush, and very red and angry
face came Fred himself, fishing rod
in one hand, and in the other q fish
hook of large size.
who's taken my can ? The can
keep my fsh-hooks in ? Somebody s
dumped the whole in pasteboard box.
ALI want to know is-who did it ? /
don't see how any one dared go in my
room and take it. Come, 1 know it was
one OF the other of you. You needn' t
try to sneak out of it.
Lila, at Fred's abrupt entrance, had
hastily doubled her apron over some
work she had in her lap, and raised a
very pale, disturbed face to her broth
er's gaze. Netta, who was practising
on an old piano in one corner of the
room had whirled around on the stool,
looking rather frightened. Both girls
feared their brother when he was in o
temper, and, alas he treated them to
an exhibition of this very frequently.
Come, speak up, can't you?' he
cried roughly"
Tin sorry, Fred. I thought the
hooks would do just as we'll in the box, Il
faltered Lila, "and the can was exactly
the size 1 wanted for something l.
Il don't care what you wanted it
for" interrupted Fred. You had no
business to take it, Is that it on your
lap? Give it to me. I'll teach you to
meddle with my things
He darted forward and made dash
at the contents of Lilla's apron. The
can rolled off her lap to the floor, and
as it did so shrek of pain burst from
Lilla's lips.
"Oh, Fred, the hook! the hook!''
And Fred, starting back saw that
blood was gushing from wound in his
sisters check. He hal forgotten the
hook In his hand, and in his anger had
struck out blindly, the hook proving Il
dangerous weapon. Netta shrieked
wildly, terrified at the sight of blood,
and Lila sprang to her feet, letting the
work in her apron fall to the floor. An
other moment and Mrs. Lacy, pale and
startled, entered the room. She under
stood matters at glance.
go to your room at once, Fred, she
said in trembling voice, and then put
ting an arm round Lila, who was sob.
bing bitterly, she strove to staunch the
wound with her pocket handkerchief.
On the floor lay ball of yellow ma.
creme cord, steel crochet hook, and o
tin can. Fred picked up the latter as
he went out. In half an hour the house
was quiet again. Lila was lying down,
with strip of court plaster on her
wounded cheek. Meta was reading
quietly out in the hammock under the
beech trees, and Fred had gone to the
river to fish.
He selected his favorite place and sat
down, expecting to make good haul.
But the fish did not bite well, for some
reason, and he felt cross and unhappy.
He mad not intended to hurt Lila, and
the sight of the blood on her face had
startled him. He could not forget it.
He tried to think he had not done very
wrong ; that Lila had deserved all !;
she had no right to take his can without
asking. She could have found some
other can to use in her old fancy work.
And of course he would never hear the
last of this. His mother would expect
him to apologize she would talk to
him about his hot temper and tell him
that something terrible would result
from it, She would say that she looked
forward with dread to the future, when
he would be man, fearing some dread
full tragedy which would bring sorrow
and disgrace upon them all. Oh, he
knew it all by heart. And she would
make so much of this affair about the
can. She would look so sad when she
saw that he was not sorrowful and pen
itent. The house would be unbearable
for days. And all because he had ac-
cidentally scratched Lilla's cheek with
q fish hook. All that fuss about mere
scratch. How Lila had screamed !
Girls were such babies
How hot the sun was It hurt his
eyes flickering on the water. The bees
hummed drowsily. He was glad it was
summer. He could stay out of doors
until this last affair blew over. He
would go into the house only for his
meals and to sleep. Well, it was stupid
sitting by the river and catching no
fish. He was glad the afternoon was
nearly gone. 1t was time to go homo
if he wanted to get any supper. He
had come away so angry and upset
that he had forgotten to bring any
lunch, and he was hungry. But how
unpleasant his mother and Lila would
make it for him. And he would not
humble himself to ask his sister to for.
give him. If he did it once he would
be expected to do it on every trifing
occasion. No, he would not go home.
He had some money in his pocket, and
could buy bread at some farmhouse.
He would take tramp, following the
course of tine river The folks at home
would think him drowned, perhaps,
but he didn't care. He wasn't going
back to apologize to Lila. But tramp.
ing around all day, and sleeping iu
barns or in forsaken cabins, didn't
prove very pleasant, and he missed HIS
regular meals. On the third day of his
absence he concluded to go home.
Probably they had forgotten all about
the affair of the can and WOn11 he clad