The Republican journal., 1898-04-28
,,.r,vroom of "Mealy Jones.


Vile.
.-t.f named him Harold, and
1et.sI than she knew. He
.. q hoy as one would expect
heroic name. He had big,
ives. a nubbin of chin, and
.ruz ears. and freckles-such
-Ie, II freckles on his face and
.5, such milky way of them
tTdEe of his snub nose, that
H.. Linn "Mealy." And Mealy
The end. When his parents
Harold in the hearing of his
ae boy felt ashamed, for he
sname could give him equal
r- his fellows. There were
when he was alone-that
.e -1an half persuaded himself
real boy. But when he
N lreld Pennington, surnamed
Tile court of Boyhood. and
rraln Carpenter, similarly
Abe." Mealy saw that he
Id, a weak and unsatisfac-
He was handicapped in
80 lie natural boy by
had been a 'perfect little
.hood, and who was mold
thr forms that fashioned
,-re the purpose of this tale
sophy, it would be easy to
-uw that Mealy Jones was a
.-l irv: that from his mother
80 be inherited wide, white,
,s, and from his fathers a
,t whistle through his teeth.
simple tale, with no great
-lye that OF a boy working
III between a fiendisb lust
With trousers and a long
ration in shirt waists with
lima buttons around his
knew how Mealy Jones
m hut Piggy, and Harold's
consider Piggy Pennington
lie Penningtons are Metho-
lpneses are Baptists, and
ed ones, too. However,
lid learn to swim dog
MS and years after the other
had become postgraduates
e and could tread water"
fashion," and LAY" their
llnes permitted her son to go
asionally, but she always
r lin solemn promise not to
water, and Harold, who was
BOY, made it a point not to
when he was beyond the
sly of course he could not
,ep it was. although the bad
14o brought up bottom" had
.- was twelve feet deep.
3ne afternoon Mealy stood
s druggists display window,
- the pills, absently picking
t, kinds which he had taken.
& -0me from his mother with
-,s function not to go near the
rs roamed listlessly from the
IN killer, and turning YEARLY
saw Piggy and Old Abe and
The three boys were scuf-
roSsession of a piece of rope.
5uent in front of the grocery
1oned for Mealy. The lad
.u Some one said:
'caly, and go swimmin' -
ant GO put in Jimmy;
ct him.
90, if | want to-" replied
. but, alas, guilt;ly.
.mr on, said Piggy Penning-
on dast. My ma don t care
-u in-only in dog days"
iesultory debate they started
ts-pushiag one another on
rooster fighting" shout
racing through the streets.
nged to have the other boys
,ataee behavior. He knew,
.Ie was a sham. that he was
m, that he was Il sad make
guilt of the deed he was
,sed him. He wondered how
l'n crime So stolidly, and in
ked as he recalled the stories
nj boys who had drowned
wing their parents. His I'M
.- augmented by the ever pres
DE could not cope with the
-heir sports. He let them
NH often ran whenever his
loaded him TO jostle back.
nd when the group came to
de of the woods, and walked
S. Tree O clock when the boys
4e swimming hole. There the
re, with its ladder of exposed
-"-Aed over the water. Piggy
stripped to the skin, ran
own the sloping bank, splash
t gravel at the waters edge,
.-at INTO the deepest water. Old
aed cautiously, bathing his tenn
a, wrists before sousing all over.
sears threw his shirt high up on
d. he stood ankle deep in the
1gy's exhilaration having worn
a> lime, he picked up a mussel-
hrew it at Jimmy's feet. The
sae3 vide of its mark and sprink-
y Who was sitting on log, TAX
a, shoes.
iiggy, you quit that said
aid nothing. He sprang into
foremost toward Piggy, who
i7m sight. His pursuer saw the
ggy took and followed him.
were few feet apart when jim
Jhe surface, putting and spout
.Atsing the water from his eyes
' He hesitated in his pursuit.
1ssrved the hesitation and with a
'-'atnd movement shot a singing
Rater from the ball of his hand
H zionist S face. Then he turn
-de and swan swiftly to shallow
'Hese he stood and splashed his
Nh' was numbering toward shore
5 shut, painting loudly. With
z aNh Piggy said, "How's that,
AXE bite O this,' or "Want
When Jimmy got where he
A'f IN the creek bottom, he made
Lifting back, but he soon ceas-
God by, gasping for breath, be-
a2 Let's quit"
lowed the fun of ducking, the
Z 'ai the capers of the young hui