Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-10-20

HE DREW HIMSELF UP INTO AN APPLE
TREE.
oism, she had to depart for home
without having told him anything
about it. Other girls who also loved
and adored may have sent him notes
and bouquets, but Hattie would have
been frightened at the idea. She de-
parted for home, hiding her feelings
from everybody, and her brother Bill
and her fathers hired man never look
ed so common to her before. The idea
of one of them pulling out revolver
and crying 'Zoundsr' seemed like the
rankest burleyque to her.
Providence brought things around in
a queer way two months later-that is,
1t brought Colonel Bings, as he had
been named on the programme, to the
farm of Abel Saunders as boarder.
Farmer Saunders didn't banker for
boarders, and his wife agreed that Ii
wouldn't be worth the bother, but Hat
tie settled 1t as soon as she set eyes on
the stranger Here was the hero Of
the play standing before her, hat In
hand, and she would have given five
years of her life rather than that he
should go elsewhere. He was out for
a fortnight's vacation and was willing
to sleep on a straw bed and eat pota-
toes with the jackets on, and after
bit he was taken In, Hattie was lit
tie disappointed that he didn't throw
her father over the well curb and her
brother Bill over the fence in the first
fifteen minutes, but she was a girl of
patience, and she gave him time. She
also realized that 1t must be hard work
on the voice and muscles for a man
to be hero all the time He must
have day Off now and then to re-
cuperate.
Supper was the first meal Colonel
Bings sat down to- He didn't have
any eagle feathers in his hair or buck
skin fringe on his jacket or trousers,
and he didn't mince his food like a
hero. On the contrary, as brother Bill
took occasion to remark, he Just shov-
eled it in" and put the hired man to
the blush, 1t was disappointment,
but Hattie was not discouraged. She
sat down with her hero that evening to
draw him out. He was ready to be
drawn. He said he got a salary of $50
per week for playing the part Of Colo
nei Bings, or would have had If the
manager hadn't cut sticks and left him
in the lurch, The girl had made up her
mind that nothing less than $1,000 per
week could command such talent as
that and that hundred dollar bills were
4nha IN IN
hook something of drop In her estima-
ton,
In the play he had saved q sweet
faced heroine whose tears had cap
tured Miss Hatties sympathies at an
early stage, although at the same time
she had been made n little Jealous by
her being carried around In the hero's
arms when she could just as well have
walked. She was now to learn that
the heroine was woman of forty
who had been married and divorced
three or four times and whose sweet
face was made so by grease and paint.
The hero also further mentioned that
the heroine's trunk was being held by
her landlady for six weeks board.
There was no posing on his part as
he walked about under the apple trees.
When he was bitten by a mosquito
Hattie expected to hear him call out
"Zoundsw or "S'deathr' but he didn't.
He called out Thunder instead
When the hour grew late and bedtime
came he didn't bend over her little
brown hand and kick cut one foot, as
Ia,. br-ttc tIls
good night and said It looked as If
there might be rain before morning.
The hero worshiper went to bed with
q heartache, and the more she thought
things over the more disappointed she
was. She almost cried over 1t, but aft
er awhile she found several excuses
for Colonel Bings. He was probably
tired out, perhaps he had headache,
maybe the heroine had tried to borrow
money of him. At any rate, she would
not believe that he was only common
| clay till he had been further tried.
The next morning brought hope to
| her heart. He was heard shouting
"Egadw and Thou varlet"' to himself
| in his room before breakfast, and bis
manners were courtly as he sat down to
| tackle the fried pork and hard boiled
| eggs. After the breakfast things had
| been cleared away the girl Invited him
to walk across the field to the goose
| berry bushes with her. and it did her
soul good to see him assume his heroic
| stride as he walked beside her. In her
| minds eve she was picturing the scene
| where he slew three villains and cried
| "IIa. ha"' In triumph. when be sud
| denly sprang from hcr side and drew
himself up into an apple tree. \ year
ling calf was coming across the field