Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-10-04
q yellow Qster~
3 Y | O 7 X
CHAPTER |.

The stable-yard Of Waring Park
seemed to be slightly of its head on a
certain fine afternoon in June. Such
an afternoon as it was, 50 sweet and
so soft, 50 full of fra grant sleepy haze,
that any sound louder than the sing
song of a cricket must have distracted
any ordinary nerve-pOSSeSSing mortal.
On this particular afternoon how
ever, the sole occupants of the yard
We're the stable boys, the grOOm'S W.
chin, and the under gardeners lad, and
as none of these had yet reached the
level Of nerves, whilst the blood Of all
of them thrObbed with the greed for
illegal sport in every shape, their state
of lazy content was in no way upset
bv a medley of blOOdcurdling shrieks,
SquealS, and gObbleS that issued from
the threats OIL a little boy and a big
turkey which the boy was swinging
round and round by the tail, from the
vantage ground of a large smooth
round stone, with an amount of
strength that was preternatural, If one
had judged by the mere length of him
and had not taken into consideration
legs and arms.
The stable boys 9rinned, and smoked
nike furnaces as the show proceeded,
and the other two cheered like TrO-
jams in the cruelty of the natural boy,
and it might have gone badly for the
fI1Ts
upon him and his tOrmentOr, just in the
nick of time, a little lean, wiry woman,
armed with an authority, which even
the imp, after one spasmodic struggle,
saw best not to gainsay.
Master Dacre, whatever do you do
1t for? Do you think the bird has no
feelings? There is no sense in such
gOingS-On."
There is sense" spluttered the boy
at full speed, Il like bein'. swung and
like swingin' the turkey, and I'll learn
him to like it too, and if he don't
learn that anyway he'll learn some
thing else, which is life's discerpline,
which father says I'm learnin' when
you whip me. If | want it, so does
the turkey and wrss. l b'lOngs to
higher orders nor beasts and birds ~
Here the grins of the stable boys
broke into hoarse outlaws, and Mary's
ire eliminated in a sharp rebuke all
around.
Go to your work, you idle fellows.
| told your father long ago, Jim, what
'ud be the latter end of you. AS for
you, Robert, I could cry when I think
of your blessed mother!
And what business have you in the
yard" she cried, turning on the tive
younger sinners. BE off with you this
instant. "Tis easy to see none of the
men are about. You two, Jim and
Robert, you'd be surprised yourselves
if you could see what soft idiots you
look with them stumps of pipes be-
tween your jaws.
Look. Master Dacre, look at the
birds tail. Haven't you any heart at
all? The creature might have been
through the furze covert
There's not a feathe )rOke" said
the boy, after a critical rvey, mot
one; | believe that tail were made for
Swingin' as much as m, arms was. -
For an instant words failed Mary
and she employed herself huShing the
bird into his pen. When she came
back, Dacre had disappeared, and the
yard seemed to be quite clear of hui
man life, not to be traced even by the
smell of Shag tobacco.
Pursuit was useless, as Mary very
we'll knew so she returned to her
nursery a good deal down at heart,
muttering and murmuring as she went.
"Oh Lord, whatever is to be the end
of it all? Learning is the ruin of the
whole place. and yet them children is
as ignorant as bears, excepting for
their queer words and ways. Set them
to read a Royal Reader or to tot up
a sum, bless you, they couldn't for
the life of them. And the tempers of
the two" she went on, putting the
cross stitches on a darn, their parents
had no hand in them anyway. Where
they cot IN from the Lord only
knows Tempers. indeed! And from
them two blessed babies as bore EN-"
She lifted her head and glanced out
of the window.
Look at EN-" she whispered, "hand
In hand up and down the drive, talking
MATHEMATICS, I'll be bound" and
Mary's eyes returned to her basket
a trifie moist She had nursed Mrs.
Warning and Mrs. Warnings children,
and she was good soul with a deal
of sentiment about her.
As it happened, Mr.. and Mrs. Waring
were not discussing mathematics. They
were just then deeply and solemnly
exercised in their minds as to the
exact date Of a skeleton recently I'M
earthed from some red sandstone in
the neighborhood. They had dismissed
the carriage at the hall gates, and were
now hot in argument concerning the
bones. each holding Numerically op-
posed views on the subject, and strug-
CLING hard to prove his or her side.
Now and again the husbands voice
rose to a pretty high pitch, and his
fine mouth was touched with a sheer.
and the wife's eyes flashed and famed
ard shot out indignant wrath. Her
hat had fallen off far down the drive
and her rings Of yellow fluffy hair
fell wildly over her forehead, one small
hand was clenched in eager protest
but the other was clasped tight in her
husbands.
They always went like this, these
TWO: thew had uOt into tho foolish