The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-08-05
MISCHIEF MENDING.

We were the torments of the school and the
pests of the village, and there were plenty
to say that was the worst of the four.
| Ii we had ever been convicted of any
thing folks might talk; but they had no
right, in our opinion, to charge all the lido
ing of the neighborhood on us simply because
| they could not prove it on anybody.
| One night the sewing society had its
weekly meeting at my mothers house, and
Tom and l overheard them discussing us
| boys
Listeners never hear any good of them
| selves, and we caught it severely that night
How they did go on about us! We thought
they ought to be ashamed of themselves to
abuse mothers boys to her face but that
was their style of fun, suppose.
We voted that we were terribly slam
dered set, and vowed revenge. We silently
climbed down to the ground and sought the
homes of those persons. When they were
tripped up by wires in the path that night,
or found the wheelbarrow where the gate
| ought to be, or ran their noses against strings
at their front doors, or stepped into pals of
water or got their hands sticky when they
| took hold of door knobs-that ought to have
taught them that they should quit abusing
| innocent boys. We were blamed for that
work, though they must have known that
Tom and l were locked up in our room.
| The worst of mischief is that it is liable
| to run into meanness Harmless pranks are
| found to be too tame, and boys seek the
stronger excitement of something malicious.
We four had got started in that line, and
might have made trouble for ourselves and
others, if something hadn't happened to stop
US. 1t happened in this way;
| We seemed to have exhausted all the va
rieties of mischief we could think of, when
Joe Cleve made suggestion.
| Il say, boys, let's go and hang up Miss
| Arms goat!"
| Miss Amanda Arms lived alone in little
house in the village, where her only compan-
ions were her cat, her poodle, her plants,
and goat, which was the greatest pet of ALL
Everybody in the village was acquainted
/ with Mamie.
That night the four of us left our homes
secretly and Ect at Miss AIMS house.
| "It's easy enough, boys" said Joe. 81
will go in there and start her to talking
She will soon get under full headway, and
then you can do anything you choose around
the house and she will never notice it. Just
whistle outside when the job is finished, and
| then will leave"
But Joe got such reception inside as none
of us had been looking for.
Miss Arms was very glad to see him, and
gave him seat by the fire, and made him a
cup of tea, and brought him out nice little
lunch of sweet crackers and the best cheese
| cakes he had ever tasted, and Joe was lust
in clover.
1T was real good of You to step in" said
the old lady. Il am always glad to see
young folks and especially boys. / don't
get on so well with girls as | do with boys
If | wasn't so poor l would give good sup
per every week, and ask all the boys in the
village to come and eat it. can't do that
But begged the principal of the school
awhile ago to take the boys up to the chest
nut woods, and he did so, and hope you had
a good time"
"Did you do that?" asked Joe
eyes. Mr.. Semple is a good friend of
mine. He had made up his mind to expel
four boys on account of freezing up the bell
and | guess you know the four mean He
said he was sure you did it, though he
couldn't prove 1t on you. But l told him
there wasn't an atom of proof against either
of you, and that he had no right at all to ex-
pei any boys on nothing but suspicion, and
he decided not to do it."
"That was very kind of you, Aunt
Mandy" said Joe, whose conscience was
troubling MIN SOrely.
"No; it was only right and fair. I like
boys, and do think that folks ought not to
accuse 'em without good reason.
These are mighty good cheese cakes" 4"
remarked Joe, though he was thinking of the
sad work that was going on outside
"Do you like them? l am glad you do
Help yourself to all you want. Some folks
can't bear goats milk They say it's too
rich. But do think there's nothing makes
such nice cheese cakes. You know my
Mamie? l can't think how I should get on
il it wasn't for her, as l don't feel able to
buy milk. She is such pet, too, that
think the world of her"
Are you too poor to buy milk, Aunt
Mandy"
II am afraid that am, and things seem
to get worse with me every year. But don't
want to bother you with my troubles. Boys
should be happy and free from care"
Joe felt to the bottom of his heart that it
was sinful thing to hang up the goat, and
he wished he could get away. He ventured
to say that there was fine lot of wood in the
yard.
"Oh, yes" replied Miss Arms. my
cousin sent that to me, and l was very
thankful; but it's all cord length you see,
and I'm afraid shan't be strong enough to
1 L
work done"
Joe was nearly crazy to get out of the
house, but Miss Arms, being under full
headway," kept talking to him and pressing
him to eat until he heard whistle outside.
Then he got up and put on his cap.
Il must go, Miss Arms" he said. "My
folks don't allow me to be out late at night.
[ am much obliged to you for your nice lunch
and the cheese cakes"
Take some more, Joe. Let me put them
in your pocket. If you don't care to eat
them you can give them to some of the
other boys. Good night and pleasant
dreams"
Pleasant dreams, indeed, with that goat
hung up in the pear tree! -
"It's all right, Joel" eagerly assured my
brother Tom.
But Joe did not respond in the same joy
Gus tone. He spoke very solemnly.
''It's all wrong" he said Boys, we
must go and take that goat right down"
why, joe" exclaimed, whats the
matter?"
Il will tell you after bit. am going
to take that goat right down out of that pear
tree, and if You fellows don't come and help
me | will never speak to one of you again. I"
We saw that he was in earnest, and of
course something was up" We quietly
released the goat and went home. On the
way Joe related his experience with Miss
Arms, and gave each of us a cheese cake.
The next day was Saturday, and how do
you suppose we spent the holiday?
We met at Miss Arms house and we car
ried two hand saws and saw bucks and two
axes. Before night the whole of that big