Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-02-05

OuucI Tie blue d SOOu-sIZtu Sutu Hdu
been built, in which hot coffee, sand
wiches and crispy fried cakes were
served to the hungry coasters, who
came in laughing and noisy relays, be-
ing reminded constantly by their hosts
to stack yer toboggans outside, you
buffers; there's no room in here. Do
you want to upset the coffee? Quit
crowdin' now!'
Cheeks glowed with the frosty night
air and eyes sparkled brightly, while
they joked and chaffed and all talked
at once. 1t was generally known what
the boys intended doing with the mon
ey taken in at their carnival" and
many questions were asked the busy
and not over-patient cooks and walters
about the gym.
mo; it won't be for girls. Maybe
we will have a ladies' day once in
awhile" said West Franklin in answer
to the anxious questions put to him by
some of the long-braided tobogganers.
I'VE can have hop or something ev-
cry few weeks that you girls can come
to, but girls always get jealous over the
other girls togs and things and kick
up ructions, and we amt going to take
chances"
And Mr.. Franklin wiped his heated
face with the tea towel and grinned,
quite unmoved, while shrill chorus of
girl voices told him he was a hateful,
selfish old thing and they wouldn't go
to his old hops and they hoped he would
just break his neck in his nasty old
gymnasium; so there!
But the carnival was lots of fun and
the grown-ups came in great force and
money rolled in at the treasury while
coffee and doughnuts rolled out of the
kitchen.
Next afternoon the meeting was call
ed to order at the foot of the slide, and
Shorty" Harris, the treasurer, was
asked for his report The treasurer
arose, took a dignified attitude, cleared
his throat, and in solemn voice, suit
able to the occasion, read this report,
made out on the fiyleaf of very much
battered algebra.
Coffee, donated by Mr. and Mrs.
Stone; sugar, donated by Mr.. and Mrs.
Jordan; cream, donated by Mr.. and
Mrs. Ellis; butter, donated by my folks;
lanterns, donated by Hunters station
cry store; bread, ham, tongue, mustard,
fried-cakes and dishes, donated by the
club members folks generally; clubs
expenses for carnival, none; balance
left in treasury from box office receipts,
$47.5O.''
There was a Comanche howl of aston
ishment and delight that brought every
body in the neighborhood to their win
dows, and through the uproar Bert
Stones voice could be heard shouting
for "Order!''
will you shut up, you Indians ?" he
exclaimed.
"Shorty, where in thunder did we get
all that money!
"Why, it was this way" said Shol y,
modestly. put sign up at the gate
where took tickets, and it said: 81
am too busy to give back any change.
Just chip in your coin and slide Well,
the kids had their even quarters, but
the groWn-ups read the sign and laugh
ed and went down into their pockets
for big money. See? So we made CON
siderable more than we expected
The clubs joyous appreciation of this
business enterprise fell on Shorty's
back with a hearty shower of boy
thumps that landed him in snow
bank, from which he arose snowy and
indignant.
THAT'S all right" he cried, lodging
behind the slide as they made another
dive for him; iii take your word for
it. You send me valentine if you like,
but cut it out just now, see!''
So the boys hugged each other and
danced few turns in the snow and
pummeled each other delightedly, and
then at last sat down to talk 1t all over.
They finally settled how the money
was to be spent, and the meeting was
just breaking up as little Willie Sum
mefs came breathlessly running down
the street and stopped at the gate to
tell '.the feflers" the news.
Old Granny Jenks-or whisky
jerks" as she was sometimes called
had just been burnt out Her little
shanty was near the schoolhouse and
she was well known to- the boys. Old
granny was very poor, but she clung to
her little tumble-down house and fatty
refused to go to the poorhouse, and
would sometimes use rather profane
language when people would insist that
it was the proper place for her. This
gave her a bad name among the good
people of the town and they would not
have anything to do with her. But she
liked the boys and told them many a
long story about war times and In
dians, while she puffed her little pipe.
And the Toboggan Club boys carried
her tobacco and things to eat at odd
times. And they knew how granny
dreaded dying in the poorhouse. She
had no rent to pay and gathered her
own firewood, and with what the boys
took her she seemed to get along some
how.
Now she was burned out.
Every stick and rag" cried Willie,
with his eyes big. .'And she's yellin'
an howlin'-my!"
The boys were silent and Willie
looked surprised. Bert Stone stared
down at his boots and whistled softly
Shorty Harris kicked the snow against
the gatepost and thrust his hands deep
in his pockets. Soon Stone looked up
suddenly and met the eyes of the rest
of the boys fixed on him anxiously.
Poor old Whisky! It's kind O. tough,
eh?" said Bob Ellis, softly. "Hadn't
we better-better" The boys all
| moved uneasily and then sighed The
sigh relieved the tension and they all
seemed to agree suddenly.
"Yes, let's-the gym can wait come
on!"
Willie stared. The boys, with Stone