The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-06-01

ana IL was the WIDOW VINO broke the 81
lence. AS David had conjectured, she
was interested at last, and sat leaning
forward with her hands clasped in her
lap.
Well" she exclaimed, "ain't ye goin'
on? What did he say to ye?"
"Cert'nly, certn'ly," responded Da-
vid, I'll tell We near's l en- remember,
an / en- remember putty near. As
told We, / felt a twitch at my hair, an
he said: What be you thinkin' about,
sonny?' looked up at HIM, an looked
away quick. L dunno says, diggin'
my big toe into the dust; an then,
dunno how 1 got the spunk to. for |
was shyer'n a rat, guess l was thinkin'
bout mendin' that fence up in the ten
acre lot S much s anythin',' says.
"'Ain't you goin' to the cirkis, he
says.
~ amt got no money to go to cir
kises,' / says, rubin the dusty toes o
one foot over t'other, nor nothin' else,'
l says.
David nodded in reminiscent SYM
pathy, and rubbed his bald poll with
the back of his hand.
"Wa'al," interiected the widow.
"Wa'al," said David, resuming, "he
says to me: Would you like to go to
the cirkis? and with that it occurred
to me that l did want to go to that
cirkis more'n anythin' / ever wanted to
before-nor since, it seems to me. But
l tell We the truth, l was so far finn
expectin' to go t really hadn't
knowed / wanted to. l looked at him
an then down again, an began ten
derin' up stun-bruise on one heel
agin the other instep, an all says was,
bein so dum'd shy: I Dunno l says.
But l guess he seen in n face what my
feelin's was, fer he kind y laughed an
pulled out half dollar an says: ID
you think you could git couple o
tickits in that crowd? If you kin, l
think I'll GO myself, but l don't want
to git my boots all dust he says. 1
allowed 1 cd try; an | guess them
bare feet O. mine tore up the dust some
gettin' over to the wagin. Wa'al, had
another scare gettin' the tickits. fer
fear some one that knowed me d see
me with a half a dollar, an think l
must "a stole the money. But | got
'em an carried 'em back to him. He
got off about a rod or so an stopped an
looked back Amt you comm" he
says.
"'Be I goin' with your saw.
"'Why not?' he says, Mess you'd
ruther go alone an he put his finger
an thumb into his vest pocket. Wa'al,
ma'am, looked at him minute, with
his shiny hat an boots, an fine clo'es,
an gold pin, an thought of my ragged
ole shirt, an cotton pants, an old chip
hat with the brim most gone, an my
tin pail an all. L amt fit to-, l says,
ready to cry-an'-wa'al, he jest
laughed, an says: Nonsense he says,
come along. a man needn't be ashamed
of his worllin' clo'es,' he says, an I'm
dum'd if he didn't take holt of hay
hand, an in we went that way to-
gether.
81 amt goin' to go over the hull
show" proceeded David, well S / re-
member it. The didn't nothin' git away
from me that afternoon, an once |
come near to sticliin' piece O ginger
bread into my ear stead o my mouth.
/ had my ten-cent piece that Billy 2.
give me, but he wouldn't let me buy
nothin'; an when the gingerbread
man come along he says: Air We hun
CRY, Dave?' I'D told him my name),
Air we hungry?' Wa'al, was a CROWN
boy, an / was hungry putty much all
the time. He bought two big squares
an gin me one.
cWa'al," he went on, ''we done the
hull ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, lemon
ade-pink lemonade, an he took some
O that-popcorn, peanuts, pep'mint
candy, cin'mun candy-scat my -!
an he payin' fer ev'rythin'--l thought
he was jest made o money! An / re-
member how we talked about all the
doin's; the ridin, an jumpin', an sum-
mersetin', an all-fer he'd got all the
shyniss out of me for the time-an'
once 1 looked up 1T him, an he looked
down at ne with that curious look in
his eyes an put his hand on my snoul-
der. Wa'al, now, l tell We, | had a
queer, crinbly feelin' go up an down
my back, an like to up an cried.
''Waal, the cirkis fn'Iy conc to an
end, an the crowd hustled to git out
s if they was afraid the tent'd come
down on 'em. j got kind o mixed up
in 'em, an somebody tried to git my
tin pail, or | thought he did, an the
upshot was that l lost sight o. Billy p,
and couldn't make out to ketch a
glimpse of him nowhere. An then
kind O. come down to earth, kerchung.
It was five o'clock, an l had better'n
four miles to walk-mostly up hill
an if l knowed anything bout the old
man, an l thought l did, had the all
fredest lickin' ahead of me t I'd ever
got, an that was sayin' Il good deal.
But, boy S L was, had grit enough to
allow twas with it, an off l put"
did he lick yer much?" inquired
Mrs. Cullom, anXiously
'Wa'al," replied David, "he done his
best. He was layin' fer me when |
struck the front gate-I knowed it