The Worthington advance., 1901-01-25


and covering them with dead leaves
he began picking and eating raspber-
ries' until his bronzed cheeks were
covered with the juices of the fruit.
The scent of clover blooms and fresh
grasses made his notrils dilate, and
while the birds sang for him from
the trees the nodding buttercups and
daisies shook their heads at him and
seemed to say:
Little boy, you're playing hookey!"
When Mickey entered the woods
he lay down upon the brown needles
at the foot of the pine trees and
watched the butterflies fitting over
him on yellow wings. And as he lay
there the luxury of Incidence stole in
upon his senses and the gentle sough-
ing of the pines fell with soothing
influence upon his ear. The drowsy
hum of bees and the inarticulate
voices of the wood lulled him to
sleep. How long he lay there Mickey
could not tell. He was rudely awak-
ened by big black ant which had
crawled up his trousers leg, and a
great yellow, hairy caterpillar cross
ing the bridge of his nose. As he sat
up and brushed away these insects a
cat-bird in tree near by began to
jeer at him with what to Mickey's ex-
cited fancy were the words:
"Playing hockey! Playing hookey!"
In some mysterious manner gladness
seemed to 60 out of the day for little
Mike at this cruel taunt. The odors of
the flowers were just as sweet as they
had been before, the moss at the foot
of the pine trees was as vivid a green,
the swallows dipped as gracefully over
the field of billowy wheat, but the
charm of all this beauteous panorama
| was gone. His toe began to hurt again.
With dropping head and limping gait,
Mickey plunged deeper into the woods.
At the foot of a big rock he found a
spring. Lying at full length upon the
sward he put his lips down to the wa
ted and drank deep of the champag gne
of the woods. The reflection of his face
in the spring grinned sardonically at
him. And from the brown eyes shin.
ing from the cool depths came re-
proachful glance which seemed to say:
"The leather strap is waiting for you
in the kitchen!"
All that afternoon he wandered
through the woods seeking happiness,
but finding none. He flew for refuge
to the birch tree, but the bark had
lost all it's old-time sweetness. The
sassafras root which often had tasted
like honey in his mouth now took on
the flavor of worm-wood. AS he re-
traced his steps to the stone wall
where he had hidden his books the aw-
full consciousness came to him that he
would be obliged to tell lie in order
to escape whipping. Like a thief in
the night he sneaked down the steep
hillside up which he had climbed so
cheerfully in the morning, and five
minutes later entered the shanty. So
| downcast was he and SO furtive in man
| ner that his mothers attentions was at
tracted to him. Just at this moment a
big humble bee wearing black velvet
vest with yellow stripes blundered into
the room.
"Are ye sick, Mickey?" said his
mother, so.icitously
"No; I'm not sick, mother" said lit
tie Mike, ''but me toe is hurtin' me.''
"Well, what makes ye act so
quare?"
| solcitude and with so kindly look
that little Mikes eyes began to over
flow as his mother tried to 'shoo' the
humble bee out of the room.
"l'm glad you're not wicked little
boy, Mickey, like thin Doolans," con-
tinued Mrs. Finn. ''If ye were I'd be
thinkin' that humble bee would be
afther stingin' ye. shure that's what
humble bees does be doin'-stingin' lit
tie boys fur their sins!"
Slap went the end of Mrs. Firms
apron against the wall and away sailed
the bee out of the window like an ami.
mated jewel of jet and amber.
Little Mike was oppressed with
fears. The haunting consciousness OF
wrong-doing weighed him down like
the guilt of a murderer. He felt a
great load taken off his conscience
when the bundle bee flew out of the
window, for he believed implicitly that
the insect had flown into the shanty
for the purpose of stinging him be.
cause he had played "hookey.' He
busted himself about the yard, milking
the goat and chopping wood. He was
so unusually jealous and quiet in this
work, that his mothers suspicious
were awakened.
"Faix," said she, I'm afeerd me lit.
tie boys been up to mischief, he's actin
that quare. Shure, he has berry
stains on his face, an there's no berries
at school,. Musha, I'm afther thinkin
he was playin' hookey!"
Just then Mickey came into thu
shanty with another armful of wood
His mother looked at him closely, un
observed by the boy, and saw that hi.
knees were stained with grass juice
and that to the back of his jacket clune
some tell-tale pine needles. But she
kept her own counsel and awaited de
velopments, satisfied that Micke,
would confess his guilt. Another arm
full of wood had been thrown undeg
the stove, and little Mike looked up tt
catch the expected approving glance
of his mother, when Mrs. Finn cried II
alarm:
Look out, Mickey; here comes tn,
humble bee fur ye!"
Again the fears of the boy wer,
awakened, and turning quickly b.
struck a frantic blow at the bee. Thi
evidently angered the insect, for i
avoided the blow, flew over the boy
head and stung him on the back of th