Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-07-04
"But ISN'T it pretty early in the
for o call" demurred Sir

morning Tor CALI" demurred Sir
Richard.
ga call Don't be absurd. Richard |;
we are going over on a neighborly er.
rand, and we've got to be quick about
it, or We shan't be of any use, for
they're in the thick of their fun now
as you hear" and Lady Stafford hur.
ried her son forward with such energy
that in few minutes the two we're
entering the Barton grounds just as
Anne came running out of the house
to stop "that dreadful drum and fife
noise" Betty was following in the
rear. If Dicky was to be quenched,
Betty was bound to stand by him and
be quencbed too, and so had dressed
as expeditiously as possible to be sin
at the death"
Lady Stafford catching sight of the
two girls, nodded vigorously. and
when she was near enough began:
eve heard your drum and fife music
and came over to ask if you"
sob, Lady Stafford. I was just com.
ing out to stop it. 1t isn't my fault,
and I'm SO sorry, l."
"Fault sorry!" echoed Lady Stat.
ford, staring at Anne with a puzzled
astonishment that brought her brows
together in frown that both the
girls misunderstood, and that stirred
up Betty to say:
"No, it isn't Aune's fault, its
NINE" and then with little fiery
sparkle in her eyes at what she thought
was the unwarranted fault.finding Of
these English people, Betty, in spite
of Anne, told the whole truth OF her
patriotic purpose and how it had been
frustrated, and why, and her own
disappointment thereat, winding up
with her condolences to Dicky, and
the result.
"And it's Dick after ALL" broke
forth Lady Stafford, her lips twitch-
ing with her appreciation of the situa-
ton thus revealed to her. cts
Dicky oh, here he comes, the scamp!
Dicky, how dared you do this when
you knew how Miss Barton felt about
it?"
"Hullo!" cried Dicky at sight OF
his grandmother and his father; show
came you here?"
"Well, Miss Barton will tell you
that we were disturbed by this patri.
otto racket and came over to protest
against it. That it not only hurt our
ears but our feelings; that-oh, Miss
Barton, Miss Barton" breaking into
the iolliest of jolly laughs, GLOW
could you think we were such silly
folks as to take your celebration as an
offense? "Why," and here Lady
Stafford explained the real state OF her
own and Sir Richards feeling, and
the real reason of this early visit,
greatly to Anne's confounding and to
Betty's unmixed delight.
"And didn't I tell you SOP" cried
Dicky, hilariously, nodding to Betty.
II knew they'd take it all right" and
then straight to his lips he lifted his
fife again, and tootle, tootle, bum,
bum, he and his little drummer start
ed up that joliest tune Sir Richard
had ever heard, "Yankee Doodle. "
And that night after the Japanese fire.
works had been set off by the two
brothers., tootle, tootle, bum, bum,
Sir Richard would have the tune
again ; and it was to this tune that the
whole party were marched over to the
hall, where "dear gran," as the moth
erless Stafford children called Lady
Stafford, had a little feast spread to
finish up the day.
"But it's for that dear little, honest,
independent Betty" declared gran, in
the privacy of her own family. "How
she did stand up to me, and defy me
with the whole truth, whom that foolish
sister was for wriggling out of it. I
liked little Betty Boston from the
start, and now ! have great respect
for her."
eyes," added Sir Richard, "she has
character enough to stand by her
guns"
"And not to run with ours" laughed
the undergraduate.
"As her sister was constantly trying
to do" joined in Miss Stafford, the
young lady of Anne's admiration.
But it remained for Dicky to bestow
upon Betty the most effective tribute
in this family conclave.
"Betty? Betty is the pluckiest girl
and the prettiest girl and the best
bicycle rider on either side of the At
lantic," he cried, "and when 1 grow
up to her, I'm going to see if I can
persuade her to come over here and
celebrate the Fourth of July every
year with me-" and tootle, tootle,
Dicky whistled the tune of "Yankee
Doodle" to his fathers applauding
laughter and grams approving nod. -
Atlanta Constitution.