The Saint Paul globe., 1904-11-13

awful good. Billy did not care for
any He said So That is why Tommy
Haskins ate them ALL Real French
sardines are good. Billy said he had
his mouth fixed for. bass for supper,
and he. didn't propose to spoil his ap-
petite by filling up on sardines Tom
my HaskinS was sure ii would not af-
feet his appetite. He did not like the
stuffed olives, however, and said so
frankly. Billy liked stuffed olives and
ate them all. He explained that
stuffed olives always gave him an ap-
them ate three slices of the -broiled
bacon and wished for more. When the
last crumb of the dinner had disap-
peared they looked. at each other and
smiled.
Then it was that Tommy Haskins
said, Billy. did you ever hear tell Of
folks eatin' frogs?''
Yes
''weil. but do you believe i,?"
Why, yes. In fact, I've eaten them
many time myself"
"Geei''
They're good, Better than spring
chicken-a whole lot better,"
'fCsee-mi-nee Crickets,"
They are. You just take the hind
less, skin them. roll them in. cracker
dust. fry them in butter, and they're
just-honkeyi"
Say. I know where there's a whole
million OF 'em. But We haven't no gun
nor nothin' to shoot 'em with"
You do? Then well have a few!
know how to get EN-"
Billy cut a bit OF red cloth from the
corner Of the laprobe and proceeded
to wrap the hooks.
Anything red makes a bullfrog an
cry. It's like shaking red flag at
bull. You want to pick out your frog.
hold the hook out in front of him, and
ten chances to one he'll make q lump
for IL and get caught. Wen have more
fun this afternoon than We can shake
stick at
They fished for frogs with fair sue
cess until late in the afternoon: then
they started back to where they had
left the horse and buggy. They loiter-
ed by the way. and built little dam
OF stonces across a shallow rifle. They
face of the water. They answered the
piping call of the quail somewhere out
in the green wheat field. AT the cave,
where the sandstone cliff arched over
the creek. Billy discerned some slight
depressions IT. the dry. dusty floor of
the cave, such as one might make by
pressing the finger tips gently into q
little heap OF dust.
Billy asked Tommy Haskins lie he
had ever seen the doodle bugs and, re-
ceiving a negative answer, and the ex-
preston Of Tommy HaskiDs' utter dis
belief in their existence, he dropped
down off his hands and knees and be-
gan repeating the time-henored for
mula for charming doodle bugs from
their subterranean home. The little
!, mounds OF dust began to tremble, and
I then the little dusty beetles came forth
and whirled round and round in q very
excited manner indeed. The boy look
ed his utter establishment, and then
! exclaimed:
BILLY. believe you know purt' nigh
| everything"
Billy smiled and replied: 'T guess
you know thing or two yourself. Say!
Do you s'pose your ma has scaled those
| fish yet?''
Il don't know, but / bet she cooks
'em all right. Once my ma was sick
and we had a hired girl and we purt
| nigh starved to DEATH Pa could beat
her cookin' hisself. 1 heard him tell
ma so. But you just wait till you taste
| my mas cookini"
! When they drove out into the smooth
road along the west side of the section,
Billy handed Tommy Haskins the lines,
| and said:
''Now you drive a bit. Hold a good
4 tight line. chirrup twice, and / guess
| Prince will not need any whip
Tommy Haskins squared his elbows.
chirruped twice, and the roadster shot
/ forward with a suddenness that almost
| took the boys breath. Prince could
| do two-forty clip, and it was the first
| time Tommy Haskins had ever drawn
| line over anything faster than one Of
his pas old farm horses. The fence
posts, the grazing cattle, the row OF
catalpa trees along the roadside, all
| seemed TO be flying in the opposite di-
| rection. Tommy Haskins drew harder
1 still upon the lines, his feet we'll
| braced against the foot rail, but the