The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-22
Two Boys and a Robin.
From Losgn,sB's MsgaziBe.l

are repeatedly disobeyed it is well that
boys should be scolded, deprived of
their tea or otherwise punished; else
how would any sort of discipline or
order be maintained? And, besides,
without risk of reprimand and conse-
quences, the fun of disobedience would
wholly disappear. This is a sensible
view and logical enough to satisfy even
the requirements of schoolboy. Teddy
had no wish to be unreasonable; he
was, as usual, willing to be punished,
but he did in this instance consider
the punishment out of all proportion
to the crime. 1t was hard because of
mere mishap Gin spite of his excited
self-congratulation he was secretly
aware that the success Of his shot was
only matter of chance)-it was hard
to be deprived, as it were, of his birth
been unjustly and wrongfully dealt by,
and hence for the first time in his life
Teddy was sulky.
It all began in this way. Cousin Win
ME, sitting one day under the trees
by the river. overheard her two boys
as they drifted down stream engaged
in an argument which before long de-
generated into alteration.
You are stupid fool" said Teddy final
ly, and "Sit down, you fatheadv' responded
Aubrey, his clear voice rendered shrill by
annoyance.
Cousin Winnie smCed sereney. cit is a
pleasure to hear Aubrey use such language.
1t treasures me on his account. / feel now
that he is not too good to live
Have you ever imagined it?" asked her
companion.
Sometimes, she admitted, regretfully.
"Yes, sometimes 1 really have. There is,
however, no such fear for Teddy, and that
has been a great comfort to me-
She laughed. You see the boys were not
her very own boys; they were loaned to her
for the summer holidays, and therefore she
did not feel the weight of moral responsible
ity which would have fallen upon a mother.
Cousin Winnie could afford to laugh.
Meantime the boat drifted down stream,
had glided out of earshot, and presently ran
aground amid some low growing hazel bushes.
This, as Teddy had lost a scull overheard
just before they had passed Cousin Win
MES resting place, was not to be wondered
at.
If you'd let the water rat alone you wouldn t
have dropped the scull," said Aubrey, pad
ding vigorously with the boat hook. Look
out, stupid! You'll topple over yourself in a
minute"
''Wh-what's it matter if I do?" said Ted
dy, who always stammered when he was ex-
cited. II can swim, can't I?''
Yes. And SO could that rat" retorted Au-
brey.
The sheer, though not, perhaps, too obvi-
Gus, went home to Teddy's heart. He said
nothing, but shut his mouth tightly, and for
the next few minutes devoted himself to a
acknowledgements from their present dilemma.
1t was autumn; nuts were ripe and, more
over, here they grew in abundance. After
all, one might be in a worse position than
hitched up under a hazel tree late in Sep
tember and, besides, there was no need at
all for haste Cousin Winnie was very wei
occupied, as so indeed were they. Instead,
therefore, of pushing further out from the
bank they pulled little closer under it and
Aubrey dragged down the branches while
Teddy. stripped off the nuts. Their mouths
were full, and the quarrel which, as they
glided down the stream, had assumed most
excellent proportions, dropped and was al
most forgotten.
Not quite, however. Presently Aubrey ea:d
alphabetically. and as one who makes dis
tinct concession:
HE was a quick I'm, that rat. 1 don't be-
lieve anybody could have hit him.
Teddy accepted the amende and replied
magnan:mously:
Il don't know about that. Some chaps
might. Rr-Rawstone would, for one.'
Aubrey shook his head. He did not know
Rawstone for he and Teddy, to their ever
but he had heard a great deal about him and
he was not inclined to think so much of
him as did his brother. This perhaps was
natural, but Teddy resented it.
"RaWs:ones a better shot than /, he said,
land ought to have hit that rat. He'd do it
easy
Aubrey, who had the gift of silence, made
no remark; BESIDES his tongue was other
wise occupied than with speech and-for with
him thought moved slowly-he had no retort
ready upon the instant
Teddy impulsive and quick broke in ca
gerly. 'L-look here" he cried, beginning
to stammer again under stress of excitement,
you don't believe Raws,one could have hit
that rat?
No" said Aubrey stolidIy and with some
difficulty of articulation.
Minor that L could # I'd had another
CHANGER"
Again Aubrey shook his head gravely.
Well" said Teddy, 'if 1 hit that r-robin
will you believe it?"
He pointed to a low bough close above the
water and at some distance from them. A
robin his breast feathers showing crimson
in the sun, had just hoped along it to the
extreme end; the slender tw:g vibrated un-
der his fragile weight; he hung there, poised
over the river light as swans down, ready
in a moment to take wing into the shadowy
woods beyond.
Aubrey opened his mouth to demonstrate
You know, Cousin Winnie" he began.
But already the deed was done.
Teddy always prompt, had taken aim even
while he was speaking; a stone, swift and
sudden. flew across the sunlit space Of water
and with convulsive hutter the robin
dropped from its perch into the river. The
murder was a thing accomplished, and per-
haps of the three beings interested therein
Teddy was the most surprised and astound-
ed. For the robin itself there had been
even supposing bird capable of consecutive
thought-no time for emotion. and this con-
sideration afterward presented itself to Au-
brey's tender heart as consolation.
You see,'' he said to Cousin Winnie Iii
couldn't have known the stone was coming
and, besides, even if it saw Teddy taking
aim, it never would have supposed that he
could hit it. / didn't. I'm glad it hadn't
time to think about it, poor thing
At present however, the excitement of sport
held both boys TO the exclusion. even or
Aubrey's Part. of any weak feeling OF pity
or sentiment. With much spiasing and diff
fculty they succeeded in pushing out from
under the interlacing boughs and dropping
down stream yard of two they fshed the
unfortunate robin, limp and dripping, out
of the water. 1t was quite dead The feath-
ers clug, bedahbled and disordered, to its
tiny body; its little head. Infinitely pathetic
dropped, a dead weight with half-shut eyes
between Teddy's sturdy fingers
Aubrey, even in his admiration for such
unerring craftsmanship, felt that this trophy
of his brothers skill was not altogether meet
for the eyes of Cousin Winnie.
Its a robin" he said, as though stating
a just discovered fact, and robins, you
know. Cousin Winnie is so fond of. If il
had been only a sparrow, Teddy, but she
did beg US not even to shoot at the spar
rows
"She didn't say mot to shoot at them, "
corrected Teddy. "Sh-she said, Don't hit
Them, that's ALL
well. but you have hit it," objected Au-
brey.
Teddy turned the dead bird over on his
palm.
YES" he agreed refectively, Il have
And oh'' he looked up suddenly, with
brown eyes full Of triumph, and oh! wasn't
it jolly good shot?"
Aubrey nodded.
'W-well now you believe that Rawstone
could have hit that rat?''
But Aubrey was not prepared to admit sc
much. He sat down and argued the mat
ter Teddy's shot he conceded was little
short of marvellous Che was too nagnanimous
to suggest that it might have been a fiuke)
but he failed to see how his brothers sue
cess proved Rawstone's powers. "B-but you
said that if l hit the robin you'd believe me -