The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-07-08

-t 4
Little Jerry Bult had been In
the woods all the long summer after
noon. No doubt he should have been
helping his mother, Widow Blunt, in
her daily struggle to keep a certain
grizzly animal from the door, but Jerry
we are sorry to say, sometimes 1org vt
the maternal claim upon his time anu
attention. 1t was certainly a very SUBJ
ordinate part he could yet take in the
fight, this being only the tenth summer
sun which had beamed upon his un.
bonneted brown head. He should sun
by right have been a slave of n DOCK
and under terror of the masters cane;
but this was long before the area OF
school boards and school beard Onlcers'
80 Jerry was lief. to the freedoln Oh us
W will. :
It was but little he could do, we have
said, toward earning his daily breao:
still, he could run the errands, low
after his little sister while mother was
busy with her domestic duties, ana
| perform similar offices; and the only
| excuse we can find for jerry on the
| present occasion Is that the day nad
been extremely beautiful Inc Warm'
that it was early in June, when suil-
lighted fields and woods are still sool:-
tlung Of a novelty, and that the .hess
ing" season was just about past, YET
the pursuit more alluring than ever
| from the masses Of fresh green 1oliase
through which the skillful eye had 10
detect and the cautious had to reach
| the hidden treasures.
Not that Jerry often robbed the tWit-
| tering things of their egg or young
It was sufficient joy to discover them,
perhaps to touch them. To know
as many as possible was a passionate
desire, but to harry" Jerry dld not
care.
On ,,us afternoon he had visited and
hunted in the woods which cluster
thirkly OH the upland that slopes gent
ly west from the village till the gray
twilight was no longer suflclent Ioi
bis purpose. ,.,
When he finally knocked off work
there were miles between his little fee,
and home, and though he "trotted
most Of the way, twilight had merged
in early night before he reached thc
outskirts of civilization. Tired ala
hot, he sat down to rest himself on
the border of the :Quarry-hole,' where
had it been earlier, he would have beer
within sight Of the smoking chllnneys
of Greenbarns. %,
From this quarry the stones Will
which the old half of Greenbarns wa
built had been taken; but for man.
years it had been deserted, and nov
yawned wide and deep, with a darl
pool Of water sleeping at the bottom
Of the gulf. A many-breached pallnl
fence it round, but it seemed Il dan
gerous trap for an unwary boy or g1l
who might choose to gambol near H.
Larry's resting place was on til
broad, bushy fat which interviewed Ut
tween the nigh road and the hedge .
the hole. He was hot and tired ALT
he stretched himself full length amonl
the long grass which grew round u
roots OF the bushes.
One star was now visible, SHINING
brightly in the southwest. Jerry dle
not care m;sch about stars. Ihey were
too far away; N fun could be got o"'
of them. They were not like berries
or nuts, or frogs, or minnoWs, or now,
ers even. All these could be searched
flor. laid hold of and enjoyed in soule
fashion: bat stars-.hey failed allaos'
to enter Jerry's consciousness. Inis
| star. however, was 81 bright that Jer-
r could not help looking at it. Jerry
gazed and the star gazed steadily Ut
| Jerry, till Jerry dropped over asleep.
When Jerry woke with u start 1t was
as dark as it ever Is In June. Inc
| big, steadily-gazing star had gone ana
| a number Of small twinkl:rs had ken
! it's place. lie rubbed bis eyes ana 'as
| about to start to his feet when he DC
| came aware that somebody or some
| thing was scrambling up the bank from
| the highway. His little heart gave q
thump. He lay still ana peereu
through the bushes.
Two men came to a stop, CARRYING
somthing heavy between them. hey
flung their burden down ABOUT TWO
wards from where Jerry Lay, ana a.
down, breathing heavily, beside IL.
Jerry saw that it was something long
| and white. What was 1t like!
There was only thing ne reHe,u
bered which it was like. 1t was X
his father the last time he saw Mln'
when he was lifted by two strange
man out Of the bed and laid IN MS col
fin. There was a creeping sensatlon
at the roots Of Jerry's locks
ana he trembled all over. he cared
not stir-he could not have stirred
though he had dared.
The men began to talk, and ne could
hear every word they said.
"Wot are We goin' TO 90 now sa'd
one. >,
I'm a-goln, to chuck her in there"
"Neyer!!
ssJest so!'
"WotM Doctor James say
sHe won't know, md he don't carev'
aDidnt We swear Il put her IN the
middle OF the Dark Mere 2"
81 won't take her 80 fur.
tsDr. james
Curse Dr. James an yer thickshead,
too! Don't yer see she's as safe here
as therea It's bloonin' deep and gets
deeper every year. It may be filed up,
butW never be drained. She may lie
&C the bottom an nobody know moth
II, about her till the Judgment day.
i tell We I won't carry her
cursed step!' \.
rs the weight good to sink her2''
and keep her doWn forever!
Lend d hand, will yerg
The long, while object was again MT
ed, apparently with difficulty, 20 Ter.
NV watched them Us they went round
near the edge OF the hole.
sun lie dared not move. He lay
trembling TN he heard = sullen plunge
hi theMater. I'LL the two men came
an asain. Jumped Into the high road,
md mounting ~nppArently some vehicle
that had been waiting. drove swiftly
@wnntwnrda TIL the round Of the hOf1esG