Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-02-12
CHAPTER TT

CHAPTER II.
"Dern all stringsv' groaned John, bit
terly, as lie Strengthened himself up for
| another shout. But help was nearer than
| he imagined. His first "Hello-o-o-Ow
was responded to by a shrill, boyish ire
| bic: ''Hi-i-r' from the summit of the hill,
and the same voice, a moment later, in
Quired:
where are your
Down here on the face of the bluff
Thunder. How dye get there?"
''No matter about that. 1 want to get
away"
mo matter about that! Stay where
you are!"
go and get rope and tie it about
tree for me to climb up by"
'Who was your Niger afore 7 took the
job?"
Amt you Danny Mulveil, up there?"
Maybe, and maybe not. Who are you,
| down there?
John Cameron"
The boy emitted a prolonged whistle ex-
pressive of his surprise.
GOSH ne exclaimed. 81 want to see
you where you can't help yourself nor
get at 4 feler!
In his eagerness to enjoy that specta-
Gle he threw himself down and crawled
70 the edge of the cliff, carelessly dislodg-
ing, in his haste, a shower of loose small
stones and earth that, rafting down
about Johns ears, caused him to utter a
loud, apprehensive shout of:
Hi. Look out what you're doing up
there, or you'll be down on top of mer'
The boy chuckled. A brilliantly mis-
chievo 5 idea suggested itself to his mind
where its kind were always welcome.
Say" he demanded. Amt you
mighty sorry now that you ever walloped
boy for fEdin' a watermelon in your
patch?"
Aha. Now l know it's you, Danny
| No; | ought to have given you twice as
much as | did. 1t would have done you
| good. Hi. there! Stop that! You young
! limb of Satan, stop it, he CRIED as an
| other shower of stones and earth, heavier
! than before, fell upon him.
! Danny rolled among the dead leaves
and kicked up his heels in an ecstasy of
delight.
Say he resumed. gathering another
| pile of small missiles in readiness. If a
! boy was to set his dog on your dog, would
! you larrup him like Sam Hill for it
again?"
1t doesn't make any odds to you
whether l would or not. You go and
! fetch 4 rope or get somebody to help me.
Hi. there. Quit that. Col dern ye.''
The freckle-faced. redheaded little imp,
laughing with such abandon that his,
tears blinded him, was digging earth
from the edge of the cliff with stick
and tumbling il down.
III break your back the first time
catch you" yelled the angry man down
below.
Ohio. You Will? Then Id best break
yours first, while l have the chance"
And he recklessly let fall hatful of
stones that John had no little difficulty
in lodging. and which excited him 10
such vocal tempest that the hearing
of it filled Danny's cup of happiness to
the brim.
4 don't suppose" cried the thoroughly
| exasperated young man, that it would
be possible to kill you with a bullet, for
you were born to be hanged; but I'm 4
goat if I don't try 10 wing you with a
snap shot. once for luck. anyway"
Danny laughed more heartily than ever
at his fury. and sent down another lot of
stones. some Of which struck John and
bruised him severely. Goaded to seri-
ously attempting what he threatened. to
save himself from being Drained. young
Cameron Snatched up Il fat stone and
I hastily fixed it in the fork of a small tree
rising in front Of the ledge upon which
he stood. so that bullet fired against it
would ricochet TO where Danny was op-
Grating Then he caught up his rifle
cooked il and waited. saying TO himself
between his set teeth:
I'm pop him the first time he chirps"
But he waited and listened in vain for
the imp'S "chirp." Danny. inspired by &
new idea Of mischief, had suddenly de-
camped. campering swiftly up the road,
he met his sister Hetty-a tall, graceful,
handsome girl-who, with an ak upon her
shoulder, was leisurely approaching.
The lad was not at all bad-hearted. He
simply wanted fun. Unfortunately. that
which commends itself as fun 10 the mind
of & vigorous lively boy is generally char
acterized as deviltry by older persons.
and Danny had a widespread reputation
as an incorrigible imp. But he really
meant no harm. He had a little spite
against John Cameron, who had had oc-
casion 10 switch him a few timeS-as al
most every man in the township had.
more or leSS-but his spite was not
enough 70 prompt desire TO do any real
injury. II demanded nothing more than
the exquisite fun OF soaring John and
getting him Wild with rage, That enjoy
ment achieved. Danny would cheerfully
have gone a long way, if necessary. for
help 10 rescue him. But in the midst of
. ! III ,,,;-.hs,S IN ,,,,eaSyass rha sFlaa Tn-
4 sprightly variation upon il: nothing less
, than putting his sister in his place, and
diverting Johns wrarhful objurgations 10
her innocent head, 10 the mutual confu-
; sion OF the pair. So he ran 70 her, and