The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1899-05-26

why - uuIullid lluS IeueCllOl - Qlu
compare myself to a fly? These ques-
tions were adequately answered later.
Our talk for the present was over. The
lights of the house were in sight. The
familiar roar of the surf became louder
and louder, and the dogs, brace of
handsome bloodhounds, bayed melodi-
ously.
"By Jupiter!" said Gerard, sharply,
that is the voice of Demetrius.'
strained my ears in vain, but large
figure loomed suddenly in the fore
ground.
THAT you, Demetrius?" my compan-
ion shouted.
Yes" came the measured response.
"it is l."
The Greek, however, had no intention
of stating his business in my presence.
He assisted his master to descend from
the high buggy and followed him re-
spectfully into the house. I remained
with the horses and helped the coach
man, Jap Byers, an excellent fellow, to
unhitch them-and his tongue. He
chartered volubly.
"Slimy kind o'cuss, that ther Greek,
/. MIR. Livingston. I'm a liar if he didn't
scare the puddin' outer me-"
You don't look as if you were easily
scared" said l.
81 amt" he replied; ''that's fact;
but the Greek he done it. An it warn't
right, neither. Him an me never was
frien's. When he comes a-sashayin'
along as if he owned the hull earth
aim ter look jest leetle mite above his
head, as if | didn't see his royal high
ness; an that mads him an tickles me-"
Jap laughed loudly. had known for
some time that he and Demetrius were
unfriendy.
$50 he scared you?"
"Yes, sir. Ye see, he bosses it around
the house, but I'm the chief here, an
don't allow no monkey business on my
premises. Well, sir, after you left,
Mary, the housemaid, come out, an she
an me had leetle howdy-do. She's
Danish, is Mary, an not one O yer scary
ones. Why"
Get along with your story, Jap. I'm
in hurry"
MARY was tellin' me about the doin's
with the gentleman as was hurt, an
givin' me the hull song an dance"
Where were you, Jap?"
The honest fellow blushed. By the
Pickering light of the stable lantern
could see his freckled face blazing.
I'VE was in the hay NOW" he said, re-
luctantly.
"Where you generally sit, eh?"
Yes" he admitted, with a sheepish
grin. MARY likes the smell O. the hay"
go on. Jap"
"D'ye think" he demanded, eagerly,
"tnat ther Greek was on to the racket
O. me an Mary sittin' in the hay NOW?
Gosh! l guess he was stuck on Mary
hisself. Why, that accounts for the
milk in the cocoanut. Of course. Well,
sir, when she got through tellin' me
how the pore feller couldn't speak nor
move, and"
"She went into all those details?"
"Why, yes; an she had it straight
from Miss Nancy, too. Wimmen folks
must talk, or they'd materially go crazy.
Well, sir, she'd got at last ter the end
O. the yarn, an I'd told her good-by, an
was wavin' her adoo as she stood in the
doorway, when all of a suddent big
shock O. hay comes a-tumblin' down an
ketches me right 'twixt wind an water.
II come nigh KILN me, an Mary, too.
Why, the girl most split herself a-laf1in'.
An, Mr.. Livingston" his pleasant voice
hardened, "that ther Greek, damn his
soul, done it."
pyDreccn1 NV aSfOniSh hmant
'He done it outer meanness. i never
suspicioned the cuss, KNOWN that the
hay was kinder poorly piled an that
I'd bin keerless about the handlin' of
it. But jest before you drew up l hap
pened ter start out fer the house, an
then changed my mind an walked
around the barn. Well, sir, as l come
around that ther corner saw the Greek,
standin' like a statoo on a PEDESTAL.
Where did he come from? Why, from
the NOW, O. course. He piped me off
ter the house, an then crawled out.
He must ha' known that Danish Mary
an I was friens, an he calkilated ter
make an everlastin' scarecTow outer me
before her-the son of a gun! dropped
onter his racket right away, the second
l seen him. He come there a-purpose.
I'D "a thumped him good, if it cost me
this place, but the dogs begun barkin',
the Greek he speaks to 'em as if mo-
lasses candy wouldn't melt in his mouth,
an the next thing l knew he was talk
in with Mr.. Gerard. But, cuss him, I'll
git even."
''But, Jap, how do you know he was
really in the mow?"
why, sir, when l come up with the
lantern l see the hayseed and sticker-
grass on his coat"
l bade Mr.. Byers goodnight, and
walked thoughtfully to the house. My
deductions in regard to this affair diff
fered materially from those of honest
Jap. l could not believe that De-
metrius had willfully set rolling the
shock of hay. If he had concealed him
self in the barn for some specific pur-
pose, would he court detection for the
sake of playing a prank or to crafty
a personal spite? Hardly. The hay,
badly piled and undermined, had obeyed
the laws of gravitation. Possibly in the
ardor of eavesdropping the Greek had
displaced the shock unwittingly. lie
had studied the habits of Jap and his
"best girl" and, wishing to learn the
exact condition of affairs in the house,
had turned his knowledge of sociology
to good account. Very Shiny, as Jap OBJ
served. An Anglo-SaXon blessed with