Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1903-11-20
A NEW SAME,

percy ndu come up 10
Perryville to spend a week, writes
Charles Battell Loomis In the st.
Nicholas. He had been there just
twelve hours, having come the night
before, and he had already been classi-
fed and ~pigeonholed by the Goodrich
twins, his country cousins, whom he
was visiting. He couldn't climb a tree;
he couldn't swim; he threw a ball like
a girl; the delights Of using a sling
were unknown to him; and he had to
go to bed at half-past seven. AS he
was a year older than the twins, who
were eight, this last stamped him as
a m~olly-coddle.
After breakfast the three boys went
out to the barn, where the twins ran
up ladders and walked the narrow
crossbeams thirty feet above the floor
as uncoacernedly as if they were on
the ground.
Percy caught his breath. ooh, 1
wish I could do that! I'd love to do
all those things, bat nam won't let
me because it makes me dizzy"
"Oh, it's as easy as pie. See me
fly" And Albert took a flying leap
of fifteen feet into the hay, followed
by his brother.
Then they compared muscles, and
found that Percy's were lawfully fab
by" Their own were like iron. But
| showing off soon palled on all three
boys, and they began to wonder what
they could play.
81 made up a game the other day."
said Percy, in the slow. sober tones
that had struck the twins is sescuri-
Gus. They chartered as fast and as
shrilly as monkeys themselves, in spite
of their mothers hourly protests.
did youY" said Albert.
"Out of your own head?" said Her
bert.
"Oh, it's easy. I often make 'em
up" said Perez, delighted to have
made an impression on these athletic
boys, who could do so many things
so much older.
TELL us how you play it," said the
twins, together. eager for some nov
city.
"Well, it's a kind of tag. I'll be it,
and I'll start to run after you, just
the same as / would in tag" AS he
spoke, the twins, who had been lying
in the hay, jumped to their feet and
ran out Of the barn. "Hold on" said
Percy, 81 must tell you something
about it first. AS 1 run after you
boiler out a letter of the alphabet, like
G.. and then if you think of an animal
whose name begins with G, and shout
it, I can't tag you; but if you don't
shout, then 1 tag you, and you're it,
and must run after the others and
holler out a letter. 1t must be some
animal, oe if you choose you can call
out flowers. But it must be either ami.
mails or flowers or countries or fruits,
you mustn't mix 'em up in the same
game. Now you start and I'll follow
81 hope he says the same letter
again, because I've got a bully animal
all ready" said Herbert to Albert.
The boys had not run fifty feet be
fore they found that. whatever else
Percy could not do, he certainly could
run. He was almost upon Herbert
before he shouted, and then he yelled
sc" as before.
Herbert waited until Percy reached
out his hand to tag, and then he
shouted, Seal"
"Tagv said Percy, with a burst OF
laughter.
That's no fair" said Herbert. q
said seal before you touched me-"
But seal doesn't begin with a G; il
begins with an S." said Percy, soberly
"How about sealing? Isn't that
c-e-ili-n-g?"
1.-The plaster one is, but hunting the
animal isn't" said Percy, with author.
ity.
Hes right, Bert" said Al, who had
run Up. you're it, fast enough"
Every WELL" said Bert. READY!
And the two fed before him. He pur
sued Percy, who ran feetly out into
the road. After a long chase Percy
stuhbed his toe and Herbert gained
enough on him to call out &c"
"Gnur yelled Percy. But, with 8
derisive laugh, Herbert closed on hin
and tagged him.
81 didn't say NJ said G."
"And 1 said gnu-g-n-u," said Percy
simply.
"Say, a fellow needn't ever gel
caught If he spells that way" sale
Bert. angrily. "G-p-o-n-y, pony. That:
dead easy" But again Al came vi
and declared that Percy was right.
They played the game for over ar
hour. Sometimes even Percy did no
think fast enough or run fast enough
to avoid being it. and after a while
they gave a variety to the game by
changing to flowers; and there they
rather got the best of Percy, who was
not familiar with as many varieties
as the country boys were. Bert made
laughable mistakes in spelling. and A
gave 'phlox' as an Il flower.
At last, when they grew tired of the
sport, they all went up in the haylofr
together. The twins helped Percy uI
the ladder. They tumbled into The
hay.
You're all right" said All. "Yor
can run fine, and that's a bully game
Sand you can spell 'out of sight,
said Bert.
"Td rather be able to climb a tree
like you fellows, than spell any wore
I ever saw" said Percy, modestly.
"Comc on out then and we'll teacl
YOU" said the twins, in unison.