Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-06-05
HOW TAN BROKE
4 COMMANDMENT
By Gabrielle E. Jackson.

And may | make it every bit my
self? | don't want you to do a single
thing but stand beside me and tell me
how"
Every bit | won't SO much a5 point
my finger at it without permission.
But first we must catch our hare be
fore we can make our SOUP" and
iDenise's mother laughed as she laid
her arm across. her little girls Shout
der, and together they stepped from
the Birds Nest" as the little play
house was called
1t was a lovely morning in the late
summer, and Denise was to take her
cooking lesson. Peaches were in
season, and a fine peach short-cake
was to be made for her fathers lunch
con. Just now he and John, the coach
Van, were out in the orchard beyond
the lawn, where the trees were bend
ing beneath the weight of the great
luscious peaches John was picking
and placing in the baskets which stood
upon the ground
Like prudent cooks, Denise and her
mother had started the fire in the tiny
cooking stove in order that the oven
might be in prime condition for the
baking. Beauty buttons and Sailor,
the two dogs, were stretched before
the door of the play house kitchen
ready to bound in at the very first
Whit of anything eatable, but thus
far, nothing more appetizing than
smoke of pine wood had drifted
through the doorway and, as their
lungs were in perfect condition, they
had no reason to appreciate the resin
Gus odor. AS Mrs. Leonard and Den
Use crossed the threshold they sprang
up and followed. Ned Toodles and
Tan, Denise's pony and goat, were out
IL the orchard feasting upon the
peaches which were not considered
perfect enough for the baskets. Ned,
marvellous to relate, was behaving in
the most exemplary manner, and had
evinced no desire to touch any peaches
save those placed before him. Not so
Tan. He was laundering after the
fesh-pots of his tWOfooted friends,
and was fully convinced that the
baskets would taste ten times nicer
than those in the pile he was sharing
with Ned. He had more than once
sided off toward a particularly tempt
ing basket, only to be driven from it
by John, who suspected his intentions.
But. then, how could the peaches he
was sharing with Ned taste like those
which were being laid aside for Den
Use? Ned's very presence was enough
TO lmpart bitter taste to those Tan
was forced to share with him, for was
not Ned an interloper anyway?
From the very day of his arrival
upon the scene Tan detested him, and
as time went by he grew more and
more jealous, and had he possessed
hands instead of hoofs l am sure that
they would have felt of his nose more
than once in order to ascertain whether
or not that organ still retained the
shape nature intended it should Not
that Denise loved Tan less than for
merly, but he was growing very old,
and she was growing bigger all the
time, so his little carriage she had
ridden so comfortably when she was
4 years old had become a tight fit for
the 11-year-old lassie. and she felt that
she was too heavy for dear old Tan
to draw. OF course, Tan could not
understand all this, and when he saw
Denise go dashing off in Ned's little
phaeton, or canter away upon Ned's
back, he would set up a piteous bleat-
ing and try hard to follow
And SO pony and goat lived in
state OF tolerance of each other; at
least, it was tolerance on Tan's part.
Ned was such a happy-go-lucky little
chap that he loved everybody and
everybody loved him But Tan was
consumed by jealousy, and many
time would stand glowering at Ned as
he passed by, and the very instant he
was gone little way beyond him I'D
Tan would rear upon his hind legs.
and, with menacing lowering OF his
horns, give one or two defiant skips
as though to say:
oh, you dandy! If I only dared
give you one good poke!"
AS Denise and her mother came
across the lawn, with Sailor and
Beauty close at their heels, Ned raised
his head from his juicy feast and gave
them a rather slobbery Whitney of
welcome, and Tan went up to his little
mistress to rub himself against her in
a most insinuating way.
Hello, little cook, Have you come
to market" called her father
Eyes, and | want the very best the
market has to offer" cried Denise.
See, you may put a dozen of the best
and rosiest right in this little basket. Z"
and she handed him the small basket
she was carrying.
Just as he took if from her a COM
bination of the most appalling sounds
caused her to jump about a foot
straight into the air
A wild bleat from Tan. an angry
growl from Sailor, a furious barlins
from Beauty and snort of utter dis.
gust from Ned, whose whole attitude
seemed to say:
There! l knew his jealousy of me
would get him into a scrape sooner OF
later
And sure enough it had. A sad one
for when Denise turned around she
beheld Tan struggling with Sailor. who
\ held him tightly by the nose. Truly
the poor nose was nearer being con-
of joint" than it had ever been before
for Sailor held on with will, no,