Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-02-10
Sunny Bank Farm
FLOYD LIVINGSTON


came out / locked for a place where to
hide my head; but hearing the spectators
| cheer louder than ever, | cast furtive
glances at those around me, discovering,
TO my amazement, that they seemed more
delighted with her than with anything
else; while, to crown all, / heard Will
telling young man that ''she was a
splendid rider; that he never saw but one
who could beat Aer." Then turning to
Lizzie, he asked if she would not Ike to
ride in that way? With an involuntary
shudder threw my arm round my sister
as II to protect her frora what I felt
would be worse than a thousand deaths
felt that not all the wealth of the In
dies could tempt me to fill the post that
that rider did Mademoiselle Glaraine
was just finishing up her performance by
riding around the circle without other
support than the posing of one foot ON
mans shoulder. when who should appear
but our father.
He had missed Will and Charlie from
family prayers, and had traced them as
far as the pavilion, where the fee receiver
demanded a quarter ere he would allow
him to enter. 1t was in vain that father
| tried to explain matters, saying "he never
was more, never should; he'd only come
for two boys who had run away" The
door keeper was incorrigible. He'd seen
just as honest looking men," he said,
who were the greatest cheats in the
world, and if father wanted to go in,
he could do so by paying the usual fee;
if not, he must bulge"
Finding there was no alternative faith
cd md L. .a4,~
the tent, scanning with his keen gray
eyes the sea of faces until lie singled out
Charlie, who was so absorbed iii stamp
ing and hallooing at Siademoiseiie Gla-
raine's leaping through q hoop that he
never dreamed of fathers presence un-
til a rough hand was laid upon his Shout
der, and a stern voice demanded of him
why he was there? Perfectly thunder
struck, Charlie started to his feet, but
before he could make any explanation,
father discovered Lizzie and me. Twas
the first suspicion he had of our being
there, and now, when he saw us, he turn
ed pale, and reeled as if smitten by
heavy blow. Had he felled me to the
earth it would have hurt me less than
did the expression of his face and the
| tones of his voice, as he said, you, too,
Rosa! / never thought you would thus
deceive me-"
| l began to cry aloud so did Lizzie, and
| in this way we made our exit from the
circus, followed by Charlie, John and
| Will-the latter of whom, the moment
we were in the open air, began to take
the blame all TO himself, saying that we
never would have thought of going but
for him. and suggesting that he alone
should be punished. as he was the enc
most in fault. l thought this was very
magnanimous in VIII, and l looked up
in fathers face to see how it affected
him, but | could discover nothing, though
the hand that held mine trembled violent
| ~ | presume he thought that in this
case corporal punishment would be of no
avail for we received none but in vari-
GUS ways were we made to feel that we
| had lost the confidence of the family. For
| four long weeks we were each night
locked in our rooms while for the same
length of time we were kept from school,
Lizzie and l reciting our lessons to our
mother. while VIII, Charlie and John, to
use their own words, worked from morn
ing until night"
But the worst part of it ali was the
/ temporary disgrace which our act of dis
| obedience brought upon father. A half
witted fellow, who saw him enter the
| tent. and who knew that we were there
hurried away to the village. with the
startling intelligence that Deacon Lee
and all his family were at the circus
The news spread like wildfre, until by
the time it reached us it was a current
report that not only was father Mt the
circus, but grandma, tool This was more
than the old lady could bear. Sixty-nine
years had she lived without ever having
had q word breathed against her morals
and now, just as her life's sun was set
ting, to have such thing laid to her
charge was too much, and she actually
worried herself into a fever which con-
fined her to the house for several weeks
After this adventure it became a seri-
Gus question in fathers mind as to what
he should do with Will, who kept our
heretofore quiet household in a state of
perpetual excitement Nothing seemed
20 have the least effect upon him save
the mention of his mother, and that for
the time being would subdue him; hut
when temptation came, he invariably
yielded, and Charlie, who was an apt
! scholar. was pretty sure to follow where
| his wild, dashing cousin led. There was
scarcely any boyish vice tie which VIII
was not more or less addicted, and ''Dca-
con Lees sons" who had often been held
up as patterns for their companions, be-
gan soon to prove the old adage true.
that "evil communications corrupt good
manners" After long consultation, it
was decided that he should so to sea, and
the next merchantmen bound for the
/ East Indies bore on its deck, as a com
mon sailor, our cousin Will, who went
from us reluctantly, for to him there
was naught but terror. toll and fear in
"a life on the ocean wave" But there
was no other way TO save him. they said,
and so with bitter grief at our hearts, we
hade adieu to the wAyward BOY. praying
that God would give the winds and
waves charge concerning him, and that
no danger might befall him when afar
on the rolling pillows