Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1906-07-25
"CoWards, wnl We desert

march now. double quick, to yonde
shelters, where we will prepare {
meet the enemy" and she pointe
tragically toward a large barn at tn
rear of the school-house.
Under the stimulus of the words G
their leader, the forces rallied sui
hciently to reach the hospitable roc
OF Widow Flaherty's barn Widow Fla
herty, who lived in the upper story G
the barn, was a devout admirer of tn
departed Miss Mullins, and, Maggl
knew, would be valuable addition t
her forces.
) When the policemen made their wa
to the temporary fortress, with man
sly jokes and laughs at the easy tas
before them, they met with locke
doors below and a vigorous respons
from the upper window:
And don't We dare set a foot on m
premises, not one Of We, and if m
voice can't make it plain to We, Nv
somethin' that will talk 50 yen under
stan it," and she held to their view
kettle of boiling hot water.
The arguments of the widow proves
unanswerable, and the policemen de
parted.
The victory was won, but alas fo
the way of great leaders. In the cor
ner of Mrs Flaherty's barn, as thu
November afternoon darkened into
evening, sat the victorious leader o.
the hundred, her face buried in hel
apron, weeping with a woe not to bt
comforted. What cared she that to-
night her name would be upon the
tongue of every boy and girl in the
ward, that even now the newsboys in
the streets were crying her as the
chief attraction of the evening paber:
These things were as nothing, for
awful thought-Roderick Dhu, the Idol
of her heart, was lost. In that fearful
moment when the advance of the en-
envy seemed to endanger her cause
she had dropped the hand of the in
FAINT Roderick, and in the confusion
which followed he had strayed away.
1t grew still darker. Something
must be done, for Roderick Dhu feared
the dark shadows of the night, and it
was drawing near to that delicious
hour when he was wont to lay his lit
tie head upon Maggies devoted shout
der and start on his journey to Slum-
berland.
AS she hurried past the deserted
school-house, she bethought herself
that she had forgotten to search that
building.
Was mat light at the end of the
hall? Probably the janitor, still at
work
Through the glass door Maggie
peeped. She drew back in dismay.
She had quite forgotten that this was
the office of the despised principal.
How the hot blood diu pump itself up
from her valiant heart, as she beheld
the hated tyrant sitting in his chair,
reading-lamp by his side. What was
that? Maggie's heart stopped pumping
for very astonishment, for, snuggled
close in the tyrant's arms, as COM
fortably as he ever lay in Maggie's
own, was the recreant Roderick, look
ing up into the tyrants face with THE
same fascinating goodnight baby
ways that Maggie loved. And the ty-
rant-the hated tyrant-Maggie's eyes
almost swallowed up her face, they
grew so large from looking this same
tyrant was smiling down into the baby
eyes as he softly crooned lullaby.
The voice ceased singing, and the wor-
ried look that Maggie had noticed
upon the face of the principal that
returned. The intuition of
her sex, stimulated by a somewhat
troubled conscience. told Maggie that
the worried look was one for which
she was responsible. AS if fearful that
she might be led to change her mind,
she bolted into the room, planted her
self in front of the astonished princi-
pal, and explained somewhat inco-
herently:
''Oh, sir, it was me that did it all!
stirred EN- up, did They'd never
one of 'em dared do it without; they
said so themselves. And when the cops
came, they'd everyone of 'em backed
out, but called 'em towards. And it
was then l lost the baby, and l wished
I'd never been born before ever
heard of strike or union, sir. And
hen you found him, and cuddled him
up for the night just as he likes to be
,uddled, and I'm SO sorry l made all
he trouble, and you don't need to
worry any more about the old strike,
or I'll declare 1t all off tomorrow
morning, and the kid that dares to
stay away, Ill-I'll-" and although
daggie's fervent voice and earnest
Eyes spoke volumes, the words were
Interrupted by strange choking in
her throat.
If the reporters could have looked
INTO the Shelton school just then, they
would have found abundant material
or a scoop, for the erstwhile leader
II the strike, as the pent-up emotions
# the day found vent in a veritable
Niagara of tears, felt herself drawn
lose to the tyrant's side, her head
esting upon his immaculate coat
,leeve, as he tenderly wiped away the
ears.
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