Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-03-16

denly loosenc1. Pudgeen tad slid SAFELY
| to within twenty feet Of the ground,
when the rope broke. lie fell. and, strik-
| ing his head against the building. rolled
unconscious on the ground. His fright
ened crv was caught up bv the wind as
1t fell, so that 1t was 1naud1ble TO the
boys above. When the rope slackened
| Mike exclaimed joyfully:
Now, DIDN'T 1 tell We twas all right?
Pudgeen's de stuff! Now it's your turn,
Patsey."
Patsey would have retreated even now,
but the fear of being called coward
nerved his heart, and minute later he,
too, was s'vaying like pendulum be-
tween earth and heaven. Patsey came
to the end of the dangling rope before he
knew it and dropped off as easily as an
| Overripe apple drops from a tree. Fortu-
nately he fell upon his feet, somewhat
shocked, but unhurt, and looked up in
time to see Mike begin the perilous jour
ney, just after he had thrown rain IF
shoes out of the window. Patsey tried
to warn Mike of his danger, but the wind
was rioting so boisterously that he could
not make himself heard, and Mike. too.
pumped down and rolled over unhur..
Strangely enough, neither one of the boys
noticed the unconscious form of Pud-
geen. Thinking lie had preceded the1a
over the high wall. they quickly started
to follow him. Mike was able to find
only one shoe IN the darkness, and so he
escaped with one foot covered only with
stocking. But what ate shoes or food
or drink when liberty beckons?
Far off in the distant sky were the
twinklng lights of the glorious city
Tvs +l,a
eager, stumbling feet they ran farther
and farther away from the hated stone
building until out of breath. Then they
turned and looked back. Lights We're
shining in the windows of the big black
building. Their flight had been discov-
cred by the Waterman when he made his
midnight tour. The boys knew that the
mounted police would soon be III hot
pursuit, and so they started on again.
With bruised. feet and painting breasts.
onward they staggered, and ever nearer
came the golden lights.
Oats Harlem gasped Mike. Keep
in de dark, Patsey. Keep in de dark.
As soon as we gets to de lights I'll show
We how to Civ de coppers de slip!'
The morning of ST. Patricks Day
broke cherries and cold. The rain was
still falling. The streets were ankle deep
in mud and water. Over an iron graf
ing in the sidewalk on Park row. through
which came blasts of hot air from the
cellars under a big printing office, stood
two boys. Both We're splashed with mud,
and one Wore only one shoe. But the
youthful faces We're flushed with a joy
which made them almost radiant. From
g, ~,
of .'St. Patrick's Day in the Morning.
and the little ears hungering for melody
drank it in as "a sponge absorbs water.
''De purceSsion is a-comin. Patsey,'
gasped Mike breathlessly Then as the
marching men swept around the corner
he continued: ''Dere's de Hibernians, an
dere's de st. Patricks, Dye see 'em,
Patsey? Ha. amt dev great. Tree
cheers fer st. Patrick! Come on, Patsey:
les git behindt"
And together these waits, drinking in
the sweets of liberty, hungry, yet happy.
marched down the muddy streets behind
the procession and sang in unison to the
amusement OF the veterans in front:
We shouldered guns and marched and marched
away,
From Baxter rect way up to Avenya A.
De drums and flies did sweetly, sweetly play
As marched. marched, marched behind de
band.
Through all the morning hours they
kept pace with the men, triumphant,
ecstatic. But such sladnesS was too
GOOD to last, for the mounted ponce
bore down upon them like eagles and
carried them back to the big stone
building, tired out, but exultant. And
as the keeper received them with stern
face they looked up defiantly and Patsey
said:
I'VE had great time ennyhow. We
marched wild de st. Patrick's parade,
an we don't care if we do git a Eckin,
do we. Mike