The San Francisco call., 1896-09-27

OF this anti-labor spirit he developed an
almost human intelligence, and his talent
Tor being disagreeable increased with his
years.
"Yes," Sara Lou, the nurse OF the
younger Thomsons, was heard to say.
Ian knows, dat air goat am de mos
pestiferous varmint what 1 see yit When
you see him wall1in' roun', kinder slow
LAX, chawin' an chawin', ies' you look
out. honey. He gwine do up de buznes
10 mawnin'. Hit pear lax what he got
de Sol mon sperrit to make Jokes ag'in dis
family. [ amt got no manner of conf
denz en- dat dere Cat-you-corners. Dat
aim. He allus larfin out de cornder OBJ he
eye."
The Thomsons, with whom w. Capri
cornus condescended to live and take his
meals, were pleasant family.
They lived in an old-tashioned house
some miles from town, where their city
friends often appeared without formal in
vitation and stayed over night.
1t sometimes happened that the COM
pany counted more than the rooms, when
the small Thomsons. Ruth, Viii, Neil and
Claude, were turned out of the house to
make place for the guests
AT such times they were quartered with
Sara Lou to sleep on cots in little out
building, called by courtesy the 'school-
house" because every diminutive Thorn
son, past and present, had first turned his
toes toward the rough road of learning
under its roof.
Il call 1t mighty mean," grumbled Will,
as night of exile repeated itself for the
third time in the same week, ito turn
fellow out in the cold, with mathematics,
and biackboards, and copy books, and ink
stands and lot of truck that he hates, to
sleep with them all night, whether he
likes it or not. It's hateful mean. That's
what call it. Nothing but lessons and ex-
amples. day and night"
Your bad lessons and conduct marks
must haunt you like the little boys in
Hans Andersen's fairy talep' laughed
Ruth, who evidently did not suffer fr ON
the same complaint "Now, don't mind
sleeping here, but l am afraid" !"
Gee! Isn't that like a girl?" jeered
Will, glad to retaliate. What are you
afraid of? What's here to hurt your"
why" explained Ruth, with back
ward glance over her shoulder at the only
window in the room, Jennie Allen told
me that one-legged Mike was out of the
penitentiary and proving around their
cow-lot yesterday! Now, if he's going to
town he'll just about limp as far as here
tonight Goodness! what might not
happen? What would We doP'
She shivered and looked around the
small room, well lighted by the ruddy
flames of splendid oak fire.
"Shaw who's afraid of himP" Dragged
" i'll, with fine scorn. "Hes only got one
leg, to begin with. Besides. there's pis-
tol IL that desk-drawer. l found it there
this evening, when L was studying my
spelling. If l eaten him nosing around
here, you bet I'll wire his hair like por-
cupine'sI Why, I'd shoot him as quick
as-as quick as"
He paused for comparison.
"As square grow" suggested Claude,
with talent for mistakes.
"a what?" laughed Nell, who had never
quite forgiven him for dispacing her as
the baby OF the family. Whoever heard
OF such creature2 That's what you get
for calling names you don't know about.
You don't even know what a scare
crow is"
AZ bet dol" resented Claude. "It's a
tombstone"
"Never mind, Claudel" soothed Ruth.
as they burst out laughing. Il don't know
a worse one on a dark night. But I'm
more afraid of bank robbers right now than
l am of tomb bstone. 1 don't care if they
haven't got but one leg that Will shifts at.
Just suppose that one is walking toward
this schoolhouse with all it's might and
main! l dare say Nike knows all about
it, and has laid his plans to sleep here to-
night, years and years ago. They always
do, you know. Perhaps he lay awake in
his cell at night thinking, 'I'll spend the
second night at the Thomsons' school
house. l look for him any minute p con-
cluded Ruth with positive convection.
The children were sitting Turk fashion
on rug before the fire.
They glanced fultively around the room
at Ruth's grewsome suggestion.
1t was nearly II o'clock, trespass
against their usual early bed hour that
thew had reconciied to their consciences
on the plea that mother had said they
might stay up later as compensation for
the exile.
Sara Lou, her black face shining in the
fireglow, rubbed her eyes and stifled her
yawns in the vain effort to keep awake.
In spite of all her heroism her head at
last began to nod a cheerful accompani-
ment to the chiluren's voices as she
leaned back comfortably against the
chimneypiece.
The night was cold and the wind
whistled through the apple tree that
faced the schoolhouse window with such
low spreading branches that person sit
ting in one of the forks could see the
whole interior of the room.
Claude had fallen asleep in Ruth's lap.
and the other children sat gazing into the
fire.
Suddenly Will lifted his head and lis
tened. After few moments he rose care
Iessly from his seat, thrust his hands in
his pockets and sauntered about th room
hoping to deceive his sisters by the SUBJ
dued whistle that heartened up his cour-
age.
"The wind blows pretty hardr' he said,
as if inadvertently wandering in apparent
o;ro iass foabiou from tho door RI the M n.