Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-09-19
and left Moses and Lawson to see after

and left Moses and Lawson to see after
the farm.
Lawson was telling about bets, and
it fired Moses soul He would have
liked to bet on an election right then
and there, but no election was due for
two years, and everybody knew which
way the county would go. The Tooth
acres always voted by tradition. and
they were tolerably numerous. There
was no horse racing, and there was
nothing more like a yacht than the
ship that was painted on the face Of the
! kitchen clock. Lawson changed the
subject.
Awful neat woman, your ma is"
said Lawson.
Amt she, though said Moses.
Never see no dust on her top
| shelves" pursued Lawson, ruminating-
| ly. mo spots on her milk pans; no
| flies on her" He meant this literally.
| 1t would have taken very active and
| persistent fly to alight on Mrs. Tooth
| acre. He couldn't have stayed on her
more than half a second if he had
i alighted. Besides, there were no flies
/ in the Toothacre house, any more than
there are snakes in Ireland. If a
mouse had ventured in he would have
! starved.
"She looks nice when she's dressed
! up. ma does" said Moses when she
gets on her best bonnet and shawl.
She's going to wear 'em to SEWN cir
Gle tomorrow She amt missed a
SEWN circle in ten years. I'll bet
There, 1t was out-"she amt"
What will you bet she don't get
thar in time termorroe?" asked the
alert Lawson.
IF she an pa amt goin' by Will
kins' wood lot termorre afternoon al
o'clock percisely." said Moses, you
en- have Barkis" Barkis was the new
dog and Moses especial property.
We'll if she doesn't" said Lawson
cautiously. 'T'H give We my iackknife.
Now. Moses had coveted that knife
AID he felt that this bet had no ele
ment of uncertainty. 1t did not cause
the feverish excitement of gambling
but his eyes were very bright as h
slipped down from the gate and wander
ed toward the house. AS he nearec
the house he could smell doughnut
frying.
Moses, fl the kettle. will We, SON?
Mrs. Toothacre was clipping out tn
soft circles of dough with the defines
and eXactitude of a machine. Nose
dreamily Obeyed. He lifted the drip
ping tin dipper from the pail hesid
the sink and started toward the stove
Moses. Moses what are We a-doin
off" pealed the mother. Hold a disl
/ under that ere dipper so it won't striz
zle water all over this clean floor"
The etymology of the word "strizzle'
is hidden in the mysteries of New
England history. but Moses understood
He meekly, as his great original pick
ed up a tin basin and held it under TIL
dipper. as, with successive Journeys. h.
filed the kettle. Then. carrying
handful Of lucious brown rings. so no
that he would fain have put them :
his pockets, he darted out Of the kitch
en-.
The morning dawned-the morning
of the day when Moses would posses
that four bladed jackknife. He felt 81
certain that his mother. in satin bon
net and tomato colored striped shawl
would pass along that pleasant road a
8 o'clock that afternoon as that thu
sun would set.
Mrs. Toothacre got her ham-a-i
eggs breakfast for the "men-folks," auC
packed them off to wilkins wood lot
two miles from home, with their til
pals Of substantial noon fare. Th'
sky was grey and threatening. but Mrs
Toothacre serenely rot into her bes
black alpaca gown, and the squire har
messed the old pacing horse that ht
kept for his personal use. and they
started. The wind was blowing up colo
from the east.
Looks kinder threatnin'. don't ii
mother?" said the squire anxiously.
"Nothin' more'n a shower, guess, ,
said she, tucking a substantial umbrel
la into that rubber cloth arrangement
on the dasher of the buggy, known tc
their pariance as the boot" The
name conveyed unknown suggestion tt
Moses and his sister Celia when they
were small. In time Of storm the rub
her blanket folded neat against the
dashboard. was drawn neatly up over
| their parents knees, and they, on their
little stools in front. were hidden in
the mysterious black depth. and listen
ed to the rain drops pattering on their
tent roof with comforting sense of
security. They were in the boot. 1t
was something like the shoe-children
| in Mother Goose"
Something more than the boot was
needed, however. to keep OF the wealth
e which came up like the sweep Of 1