Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-02

ana 5oked for while. and at last subsidized
| painting. to walt for the rains cessation.
-, Great cat" cried Horace Brown. at last
ITS raining harder than ever This won
| spite of It" 0''0~ -
Not much" declared the others.
Then let's go up In the attic" proposed
Horace. N'00
Your mother wouldn't let US. would
she?' asked Gordon Fisher
| The idea appealed. however, and Bert
raised his voice:
Mother, oh. molher!"
A curly head popped out Of a window
under an awning.
We'll, son?''
Mrs. Brown was thin, as the mother OF
seven sons must needs be. but she was full
| OF fire, courage and fun. Everybody on the
block adored her.
Mother. dearest. we're poor. rained- in
fellows with nowhere to practice in. That
is. we've nowhere to practice out and we
| want to practice in. May we go up in the
after"
ITO play base ball?" was the Mortified
reply.
respectful and appealing silence gave
assent. and after moment, being a true
sport, she said:
yes. go ahead; but, see here, mind you
be as quiet as you can be-
Up the stairs tore nineteen boys. quietly.
| for boys. but nevertheless Mrs. Trennam,
sitting with Mrs. Brown, shuddered.
Mrs. Brown laughed.
"Oh. they are noisy. but wouldn't this be
stupid old world without boys? Thank
God. He made my nerves OF iron and that
| they are all healthy enough to make a
noise. Did I ever tell you about the last
time they really made me angry?"
NO. laughed Mrs. Trennam. II didn't
know you ever were angry"
II was this time, chuckled Mrs. Brown.
exactly the way Bert chuckled. 1T was one
] day while Jean and were sewing here that
1 heard boy after boy creep up the stairs
and go into Horaces room. They were
tot ht,S
| earth they all came At last Bert went up,
| carrying something under his coat. I heard
muff1ed shouts. then stihed yells-stifled
| that Is, for our boys. There was another
| sound I couldn't at all make out. At last
| got so curious that simply walked up
stairs and into Horace's room. 1t was
| filled, simply stuffed with boys, all so
| absorbed that they never heard me come
| in. and on the bed was-you'd never guess
| a cock. Yes. a live cock and he was fight
| ing furiously. Not another cock. They
| had intended to make the real thing. but
| failed to procure the other fighter. So they
| had substituted my grandmother's mirror
| framed in gold. stood 1t up against the
| foot of the bed and that wretched cock was
| trying to kill 1t. I was fearfully angry.
but II seems funny now"
Mercy" calculated Mrs. Trennam, not
| at the tale, but at the increasing racket
above
| adapted to base ball. ano . practice soon
| became farce.
There goes my pocket >oney for a
week" exclaimed Bert. as the ball crashed
| through a window. Who'll go down and
| get TT"
No one offered, so he threw the bat after
It. Then some one found in corner box
| of old hats, relics of numerous uncles and
| fathers. With an old high hat for a ball,
| and bed slat for a bat. the fun went on.
| The supply OF hats seemed inexhaustible,
| and one after another was battered to frag-
ments. In the worst of the racket the
door suddenly opened, and Jean stood
there.
Boys" she shrieked above the din. "oh.
boys, mother says"
Silence cnsued. and Jean went on. laugh
| ing:
Mother says, the SUMS out, It's nearly
tea time. and the ceiling OF the spare room
fs shaking"
So out they went, and after the last boy
was down the stairs were still intact though
q moment before It had not seemed possi-
bic. Tho builder of that house had been
an honest man and a good workman. EVIL
IDENTIFY.
'Eh didn't come into the BROWNE. did her.