The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-04-05
BY klUAN NEE.

size classed as decanter shoppers, and
Edwards mild satire was greeted with
reproving frowns from his sisters.
There was silence for a moment, and
then came a sound like a very energetic
man at work upon an abnormally dusty
carpet.
Il do wish you'd tell that man to let
the horses alone. Teddy" one of the
girls exclaimed, with frown upon her
pretty facet makes me wretched to
hear him"
Let the poor beasts take It quietlyr'
Teddy cried sharply TO the driver. and,
receiving only a scowl in answer, he
turned from italian and addressed the
occupants of the carriage, and particu-
larly his sisters in indolent English.
THE worst trait Of woman" he
murmured, philosophically, sis that she
has no sense of proportion. She'd use
the same switch to punish an elephant
as she'd just made n puppy howl with,
be surprised that the elephant took it
as n caress, and think all the time what
the blow would have meant upon her
own little knuckles."
The brow of the hill was reached.
the carpet-beating finished in a cres-
cendo bang. and the horses started
forward at gallop, which flung the
occupants of the carriage almost into
one another's arms.
There's the proof of my theory"
Teddy continued. THE horses have
Just realized that our particularly
handsome and gentlemanly driver
wishes them to accelerate their pace.
and Cissy has been thinking all the
time what similar encouragement to
move would have felt like to her, over
looking the fact that the skin of n horse
and the skin of a human being differ
in thickness. A thoughtful Providence.
foreseeing that horse would have to
endure a certain amount of energetic
encouragement, fitted the beast with a
hide to bear it, just in the same manner
as Providence has given a thick skin
to young politicians and struggling au-
thors; but a woman cannot see things
in the same light. She fancies-"
a sudden jerking of the carriage dis
turbed the serenity of the juvenile
philosophers thoughts. Another beg
gar stood and blocked the way. The
driver could have passed him. but he
tugged at the reins and drew the horses
from a gallop to a walk, and them held
them stationary as the man stood by
the carriage door.
This pleader for aims was different
from those whom they had overtaken
and passed upon the road.
\ picturesque fellow, tall and
swarthy, handsome as Apollo, with a
figure as 1.-the and active as an athlete.
he looked like an operatic beggar,
whose Rags were assumed, whose trade
was pretense.
His broad-brimmed sombrero swept
the dust as he bowed TO the occupants
Of the carriage.
"Buon dl, signorltas, Buon di, sig
nori"
There was something irresistible in
the happy -go-lucky, jaunty, staggering
demeanor Of the man. He was a men
dicant who seemed not to beg. but to
demand a present for the sake of
Even the colonel was won by the i'm
pudent smile upon the fellows face.
and he flung a lire into the fellows
hat, and two more cllnked against it
as the other masculine travellers fol
lowed his lead.
The man collected the coins and
dropped them into his pocket.
"A thousand thanks, sgnorl," he
cried, "a thousand thanksw
Again his hat swept the dust: again
his head, covered with crisp. curling
hair, bent in mock humility before
them; again his dark eyes flashed ad-
miration at the English girls, and again
the hat was held toward the men.
Times are bad" he said, with
laugh, and his eyes twiukled with mer-
riment crops are poor, visitors are
few, and even such as l, signorl, must
live"
You're an lmpudent, lazy young
scamp. Teddy exclaimed Il wager
you've never done an honest days work
in your life" He dropped another coin
into the mans hat, with a reprovlng
shake Of the head. There You are!
Now clear Off! Drive on, coachmanw
The driver made no attempt TO move,
and the thought came to the minds of
all that this man was not a beggar.
DO you want moref" one of the girls
exclaimed, and her face grew just a
rlhe paler
Il want nothing from you, signorlta,"
he answered, with an impudent flourish
OF his hat, nothing from you; a glance
from your eyes has repaid me for my
long sojourn in the heat Of the day.
But from us, | guess, you want
about all we've got" Lawrence Barton
lnterjected, reaching toward his hip
pocket.
Don't move, signore" the man cried.
Don't move your hand! Your revolv-
er's no good. Look over my headg'
Lawrence Barton instinctlvely laised
his eyes above the Italians head, and
his glance fell upon the barrel OF a
rifle poised upon rock not fifty PAGES
from him.
Il guess you take tn. pool" he said,
composedly; then he laughed as though
the whole thing were n joke. "Thip is
what we call being held up, IN the
United States, colonel" he cried. with
malicious merriment. This fulllls
your desires. You said you'd like TO
see man rob you. Behold the swarthy
brlgand who is going TO do itp'