Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-03-24

| in any case, and he Was on the invalid
list for life He had fought Is des-
pera,e men 10. had been commended
and promoted, and had some medals
and ribbons 70 show and boast OF as
mpensation Cor a wooden leg. SO
he went home again, and settled down
ar proprietor Of the ''Magpie's Nest,
and was sort OF hero, among his
nelghbors, but he was very lonely.
Men do not quite forget in five years.
! He could still see Betty's buxom form
fitting about the kitchen in imagina-
tion, and when the in.spies chattered
in their nests he could fancy that he
sat with her still under the OAK
/ branches Then he grew wroth with
| the nagpies, who seemed to mock him,
/ and ordered his littl. serving boy to
! tear the nests down.
In vain the lad pleaded for the birds
In vain he declared that, even If the
new nests went, the ola one IN the
topmost branches should he left 'for
luck +"
IF the old magpies that built
that find II gone, they'll peck some
ones eyes out in the night time" said
the bov. ct S been known to be done
often"
But John Leaf, the soldier, had cast
away his country's supers.itions.
III have those msgpies chattering
about my ears no more he said
''Up, and leave not a nest of them all
Some OF the noisy devils will take po.-
session Of that old rag if it is left
hanging
So the boy obeyed. He planted
Lauder against the tree, and then
swung out upon the branches. There
was grievous noise and doubtless to
this day old magpies tell their children
Of that massacre Of the innocents at
the great oak tree. But there were no
birds to chatter and scream in that
great rag Of nest which the lads
hand clutched at last He came down
with the relic in his hand, and stool
before his master with grin.
'Ih. master may | have all found
in the old nest?' he asked.
IF its not a magpies egg" said
John Leaf.
''It's better than that, said The
lad. 'Its silver ring.
LET ne see it, cried John Leaf.
and snatched it from his hand
1t was the ring with which he had
plighted his troth to Betty under the
old oak, and he knew now that the
macpies mad sto.en it, and that the
Frenchman wore only one that re.
sembled it.
The first thing that john did WAS to
Gail himself hard names: a jealons
tool a suspicious brute HEAVIER
knows what else. Then he melted.
and all bv himself in the bit Of woods
beyond the house, she'd tears, ana
vowed Il find Betty il she still lived
on earth
Where he went, OF whom he II
QElred, matters not, but one day
whan the sun was setting IN the west
he opened a little cottage gate TO
which he had Leen directed and saw
at her knitting, under q recovered
porch. his Betty, not changed one
single bit. And she? She looked at
him, and did not know him. with his
thin sallow face and his wooden leg
What may YOU be wanting, sir:
she asked.
And he said Betty
And she cried out, Why, mercy,
its John Leaf
Then he sat down on bench close
hv her side.
'iou know | never had many
words to spend on anything, Betty
re said ~ come TO the point a;
once ! know now that you were true
and no cheat, and that you never gave
nv ring T. Monseer. / found ito,
nv led did, Tor I'm not very good 6,
climbing nov-in the old magpie nesr
u the oak .op.
80 TIE mecpie stole i, eh:" said
Betty. Well. ,hev are strange birds
We heard they ve taken spoons before
GOV
And 50. Betty" said Joor. Al
vou l. overlook the past, and let By.
goats be bv-soaes, II De happy
.1ac
! owe you no -rudge, said Betty
And by--ones are bv-eones, Johr