The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-03-01


nerves We're frightfully tricky. and Of
ten led him 70 be harsh when he didn t
mean II. He couldn't keep order or
make chaps work if they didn't choose.
and oteggles. who had an awfully cum
ming dodge of always rubbing him up
the wrong way and then looking
crushed and broken hearted so as to get
things. which he did. said that Frenchy
was like damp fireworks because you
never knew exactly when he'd 90 off or
how
One day, dashing ont of class with =,
frightful yell. Freckles got sent for.
and Went back and found monsieur
ravlng mad. 1t seemed that Freckles
had yelled too soOn-before he was out
OF the classroom, in fact. and Frenchy
had got palpitation from it. He let into
Freckles properly then. He said he was
his "bete noirc' and .'un sot a yingt-
quatrc carats which means an 1s
carat ass in English, but "a carats in
French and lone of the aborigines
who ought TO be kept on chain" and
many other suchlike things. Freckles
turned all colors. and then white. with
sort of blush tint to his lips. He
didn't say u word but looked at Frenchy
with such Il frightful expression that
felt sollething would happen later All
that happened at the time was that
Freckles got the eighth book of Teie-
machus to write out into French from
English and then correct by Fenelon,
which WAS pretty big job if chap
had been fool enough to try and do
it. and M. Michel went off TO Meri-
vale with big card iuttering on his
coattail with "Ici on parle Francais"
written on it in red pencil. This 1 had
managed to do myself while Frenchy
was jawing Freckles. told Freckles,
but it didn't comfort him much He
said there were some things no mortal
man would stand. and to be called "an
abOrigine' because q man was born in
Australia seemed to him about the BIT
terest insult even an old frog eating
Frenchman could have invented Hap
pening to him Of al chaps it was espe-
ciallya thing which would have to be
revenged. seeing what his views were
He said:
II couldn't bushrange or anything
with clear conscience in the future if
Ihad thing like this hanging over me.
It's the frightfulest slur on my char
acter, and won't sit down under it
FOR SO Frenchmen.
Then he said he should take a week
70 settle what to do. and went into the
playground alone.
Next TINE Frenchy came up he was
just the same as awfully easygo-
ing and jolly and let Freckles off the
a knife, with a corkscrew and other
things including tweezers. as ever you
saw--just the knife for Freckles, con-
sidering his ways. But it didn't come
off. Freckles got white again when he
saw the knife and said:
''Thank you, monsieur 1 don't want
your knife. and the imposition is half
done. and will be finished next time
you come.
Then Frenchy called him silly boy
and tried to make joke and playfully
pinch Freckles by the ear. But nobody
saw the joke, and Freckles lodged
away. Then Frenchy sighed and looked
round to see who should have the knife.
and didn't seem to see anybody in par
ticular. and left it on his desk. He Of
ten sighed in class, and sometimes told
us he was without friends, unless he
might call US friends. and we said he
might
When he went. Freckles told me he
considered the knife was another insult.
Then he explained what he was going
to do. He said:
~ shall finish the iinpo. first, 80 as
not to be obliged to him for anything,
and then shall stick him up
''Stick him up? How?" I said.
Its bushranging expression, he
explained "To stick up man is to
make him stand and deliver what he's
got l sec my way to do this with
Frenchy. He always goes and cones
from Merivale through the woods, as
you know, and now he's up here on
Friday nights coaching Slade and Bet
terton for their army exam. Afterward
he has supper with Mr.. Thompson or
the doctor. There you are. wait my
time in the wood, which is jolly lonely
by night. though it is such q potty lit
tie place hardly worth calling a wood.
Then he comes along, and stick him
up"
s'1t's highway robbery" I said.
"You might get years and years Of i'm
priscnment.
IT might. he said, ''but shan't-
You must begin your career some time.
and I'm going to next Friday night.
I've often got out Of the dormitory and
been in that wood by night. and only
the chaps in the dormitory have known
it,
Well. the night came, and all that
we heard about it till afterward was
that about / 1 o'clock. or possibly even
later than that. there was a fearful
pealing at the front door of Dunston' 8.
and looking out we could see q stretcher
and something on it. That something
was actually Freckles, though the few
chaps who knew what was going to be
done felt sure it must be Frenchy. Be
cause Freckles is feet 10 inches and
growing, and Frenchy isn't more than