The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1902-09-06

the top Of q ladder. Bonaparte. with
his hands t,.ded under his coattails.
looked unfshen he appeared and nc
costed hi On
"You'v,r been rather a long time up
there, 9sse lad" he said as the boy de-
scended with tremulous haste. most
unlike his ordinary slow movements
You didn't hear me calling. sup
posey
Bonaparte whisked the tails OF his
coat up and down as he looked at him.
He (Bonaparte Blenkins) had eyes
which were very farseeiug. He looked
at the pot II was rather small pot
10 have taken three-quarters OF an
hour In the filling He looked AT the
face. II was flushed. And yet Tant'
Saunie kept no wine. He had not
been drinking. His eyes were wide
open and bright. He had not been
sleeping. There was no girl up there
: He had not been making love. 30.
naparte looked at him sagaciously
What would account for the marvellous
change IN the boy coming down the
ladder from the boy going up the lad
der? One thing there was Did not
Tant Sannie keep In the loft "bul
tongs" and nice smoked sausages2
There must be something nice TO eat
up there. Aha. That was Il!
Bonaparte was so Interested In car
rying out this chain OF inductlve rea
soning that he quite forgot TO have his
boots BACKED.
He watched the boy shuttle OF with
the salt pot under ais arm. Then he
stood in his doorway and raised his
eyes 10 the quiet blue sky and audlbly
propounded this riddle 60 himself:
what Is the connection between the
I naked back OF n certain boy with
greatcoat on and a salt pot under his
arm and the tip W horsewhipY An
swer: No connection az present, but
there VIII be soon"
Bonaparte was so pleased with this
sally OF his wit that he chuclled lit.
Tie and went 70 lie down oil his bed
There was bread bnliing that after.
noon, and there was n fire lighted In
the brick oven behind the house, and
Taut' Sannic had left the great wood.
en- elbowed chair in which she passed
her life and waddled out to look al il.
Not far of was Waldo. who. having
thrown a pail Of food into the pigsty,
now leaned over the sod wall looking
NJ the pigs Half of the sly was dry,
but the lower half was a pool Of mud
on the edge Of which the mother SOW
lay with closed eyes. her ten little ones
sucking. The father pig. knee deep In
the mud, stood running his snout into
rotten pumpkin and wriggling his
curled tail
Waldo wondered dreamIly as he
stared why they were pleasant to look
at. Taken singly, they were not beau
tiful; taken together, they were. Was
II not because there was a certain har-
mony about them? The old SOW was
pigs TO their mother, the old boar TO
the rotten pumpkin and all 10 the mud
They suggested the thought OF nothing
that should be added. OF nothing thnt
should be taken away. And, he won
dered on vaguely, was not that the
secret OF all beauty, that you who look
on So he stood dreaming and leaned
farther and farther over the sod wall
and looked at the pigs.
All this time Bonaparte Blenkins was
sloplng down from the house In an
almless sort OF way but be kept one
eye fixed on the pigsty. and each gyra
ton brought him nearer to II. Waldo
stood like thing asleep when Bona
parte came close up 10 him.
In old days, when a small boy play
Ing in an Irish street gutter, he Bona
partel had been Familiarity known
among his comrades under the title OF
Tripping Ben. this from the rare ease
and dexterlty With which, 10y merely
projecting his foot he could preclpiiatc
any unfortunate companion on to the
crown Of his head Years had elapsed
and Tripping Ben had become Bona.
parte. but the old gift was In him still
lie came close O. the plgsty All the
dofUnct memories or lis boyhuOd rrs
turned on him b nood as with an
adrot movement De inserted bis Ieg
between Waldo anu the wall and sent
him over the pigsty
The little pigs were startled M the
strange intruder mud ran behind thclr
mother. who shifted az him Tint
Sannle smote her hands together and
laughed. but Bonaparte was Car from
Joining her Lost IN reverle. he ga2ed
AZ the distant horizon
The sudden reversal Of head and feet
had thrown ont the volume that Waldo
carried IN his breast Bonaparte pick
ed Il up and began 70 inspect II as the
boy climbed slowly over the wall lie
would have walked on suIenly. but he
wnnted his book and waited till IL
should be given him.
''lIar said Bonaparte, raising his
eyes from the leaves OF the book which
he was examining Il hope your coat
has not been injured. IL is OF an ele.
giant cut An heirloom. | presume.
from your paternal grandfather? II
l.yla Mia nnNr