The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1905-12-06
A Costly Lesson
for Jim

~ rs the issl s,rss-,As ssFy last
ssid Chester Lsneoh. sfslhfaliy
a. be dfss In sssh lins snd soils1 !
carefully stoal the sfesl = sIil pa
hin hssk 10 he osn cola. ana sise hin
sams Zoe interest 10 bot. bsfoFe sn
other vssk passes over my bead
Cut 90 silica sad clean. srsst thsy'
onmmsal.a his ehun. Hsi Moore. sym
psihessily. -irs . tarnins shsns
ths,. and ! aons, blame yea ess be, "
'tr's bad sneasA Ia have yeaf usp'
spFuns. ana yeaf rsfns tafnse ieess.
Chester yea, On. ssllIns sasfisf -iis
even soFd. Do, whsh u eomss 10 :
triek liks lhls-sfsfy tfoapsf boob col
ffom the lines and siihsf carried no
thfo9A ihio The shahnel lie quite iiHas
10 call = bali, lin Rlshdish wants n
look au,."
4 should THAI ~ agreed bic ffisnd
warmly. a. be iook bic place ~ the iiil
II the ssin. and prepared "a slssf home
safd,
Il sas esfEins ga hiEh hoon - ihr
sun. ana the daY sas a. psffesi ~ ohls
florida days ran BE-, The hlus bio
shy bent above. the blue, blue Nais'
danced and spafklsd hshsaih, as tbs
boat shot over the Fipples toward tao
mouth q the river. ~ lightly e. bird
Il sas Rood tide. and iililsboFoash
river was almost hank full from the salt
-aisFs u Tampa hsy bach uaisf q. u
IL called Tss boys both lived on the
Hyde Park side. almost directly Ops
,i,s the old.fashioned sa~mili owned b.
Jim Riandish's father. ~hish stood on
the Tampa hank Il uas . delightful,
fascinating plase - rendsn QUE for all
the boys Of the neiEhsofhypi, Hoe
they aid love Ia Esihsf In tho tempting
spot. and hear the men talk. and watch
the logs hooked 40 "a the 'silp.- aud
80 the wafer swirl aud eddy around
and around one side 81 the mill jim
siandish Vas BY no means popular
among bis comrades lie pss given 10
mean little tricks. and practical iokrf
which held a huri IN them. ihfonsh him.
one boy OF another vas continually IN
hot water
Tie seemed 20 hold \ special EfldEs
toward Chester. because the latter hal
attained a higher grade In school thar
himself. s.,d won a greatly coveted prize
At the end Of the term. A series Of petty
annoyances and malicious tricks had
snded In the cutting Of the hooss from
the grouper lines Chester had ", up In
the channel.
Chester and Hal separated after tying
the boat At the foot Of the landing.
agreeing 10 meet after dinner and join
the other boys At the old mill.
II was past two O'Clock when the
akin. containing the two boys. sho,
cut from the Hyde Park bank A group
Sf boys hailed their approach ioyfully.
but one glance assured Chester that
lin was not among them.
Where's Jim s,and.sh7" demanded
iial Moore. az they landed.
oh. he's somewhere about the mill.
Dick Carson. He went In
Shen he sighted your skin crossing the
river. What's up. anyway
Hal explained briefly. the circle Of
boys listening In high indignation. But
Chester walked straight TO the mill and
vanished among it's shadows without
saying a word.
The mill was not running. the boom
was full, for IL had been In action all the
but an unexpected call To
town had caused the absence Of MI
and he had stopped the mill
before he left II was time for him TO
be back now unless some unusual bust
ness detained him.
The hands employed In the mill sat on
the bank above. whiting out AK.
helves, during the period of relaxation.
Chester looked over the mill for Jim,
but failed to find him. 80 he slipped qui-
city into the cellar occupied by the ma
chinery. The other boys who had en-
tered after hearing the story Of the miss
ing hooks. followed suit. II was dark
and still down there, only narrow pen
ellis of light fltering through the cracks
in the boards at the end toward the
river, and falling athwart the black pit
in the center As Chester's eyes became
accustomed to the semitwilight Of the
place. he caught sight Of Jim Standish.
moving stealthily among the belts at
the farther end.
II see you, Jim Standish. said Ches-
ter, sharply. You need not Turk in the
shadows. like coward. Come out here
{ want to talk TO you for five minutes.
III YnN want me come and fetch M.