The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1898-09-16
XVIII.
XVIII.
TOM COYNE MAKES A TRADE.

Tom Coyne was q Freedom Ameri-
can Boy. His parents lived next door
to the Zeniths and naturally enough
Tom lived there also. Quite as natur-
ally the young ladies of the Zenith
household entertained many decided
opinions concerning the average Free
born American Boy; and the concensus
of opinion among the Misses Zenith
was antagonistic to the Free-born
American Boy and they sometimes ex-
pressed their respective opinion to Tom
personally in language as vigorous,
emphatic and unmistakable as custom
permits the Freedom American Mai
den to make use of. Indeed, there is
no doubt that they sometimes stretched
the permission of custom to it's utmost
limits and ceased to stretch that per-
mission with some reluctance, feeling
that justice had not been done in the
case; perhaps even feeling that JUS
tice is unfair and tyrranical
when she forbids young ladies to en-
ploy all of the resources of language
concerning the Freedom American
Boy!
Some days after the search for Miss
Stella was abandoned Tom Coyne en-
tered the parental parlor where his
mother was chatting with neighbor.
His mein was that of conquerer of
nations who fully appreciated his own
Importance to historians
Now, that's what | call bargain!"
he said, displaying f1int-lock musket
of the oldest pattern extant. The
stock was clumsy, the barrel of amaz-
ing length, and the calibre great
gun and that satisfied Tom. For its
oddities, its deformities, he cared
nothing; his boyish ambition had been
to own gun; this was gun; he
owned this gun; therefore he was hap
py.
TON! Where in the world did you
get that?" his mother asked in a dis
couraging tone that was lost on Tom
Its mine"
Where did you get it,"
"Traded for it."
What did you trade for it?"
Brownie"
ooh, Tom! You poor foolish boy!
That old gun is not worth fifty cents
and the calf is worth five or six dol
lars! Your father will make you undo
that trade
you tell him to not? I'd rather
have this gun n a whole drove of
calves! N it won't eat nuthin n it
won't cost nuthin' n it will kill rab-
bits like gosh! We can eat rabbits n
I'll see that it kills plenty of 'em, you
bet! N I'll have more fun with this
gun in nour than ] could ever have
with Brownie! Teller can play with
gun an enjoy life but no Teller with
good sense can play with calf n have
fun!"
Pm sorry to disappoint you, my boy,
but it is foolish trade"
well, mayn't keep it to-day"
you may keep it till your father
comes home and thon he may do as he
pleases."
N you make him let me keep it,
Ma; anyway I'll go huntin' now; I've
got powder n shot"
He stuffed his pockets full of old
newspapers for wadding and proceeded
to load the piece The gun was so long
that he had to thrust the butt several
feet to the rear before the muzzle was
lowered within his reach so that he
could pour into 1t the tremendous
charge of powder that he held in his
palm. Having deposited the powder In
the barrel he stood the piece erect and
ratified the butt on the floor to settle
the charge into the chamber. Finding
that he could not, owing to the altitude
of the muzzle, keep the gun perpendic-
ular while he drove the wadding home,
he mounted an upholstered chair and
started roll Of paper down the long
bore. Then new difficulty was en-
countered; the hammer could not be
drawn without inclining the gun, the
length of the gun added to the length
OIL the rammer exceeding the height OF
the ceiling; and Tom had an idea that
the powder must be kept level In the
chamber or something would happen!
Therefore the gun must not be inclined
until the wadding was packed upon the
powder. Climbing down from the chair
he went to the porch and stood the gun
| on the ground. SO that there was only
cloud for the rammer to penetrate.
Having rammed the wad home with
a vigorous and willing arm Tom sent
handful of shot rafting down upon
it and after the leaden pellets he sent
another section of newspaper. Throw
ing the gun across his left arm he pro-
ceeded to prime it by pouring powder
( into the pau which he uncovered for
that purpose. Captain Zenith was sit
ting On his own porch reading the
Scranton Republican and Toms prim-
ing movement brought him into range
and he cried:
Toni Don't point that thing this
wgy!'