Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-28

cate Pinkey anywhere, then after
another whistle from Pinkey, Bunny
| was able to distinguish form which
he recognized as that of his chum and
on coming closer he was surprised to
see also the wheelbarrow and shovel
which Pinkey had brought along with
/ him.
Whats up. Pinkey inquired Bun
ny, in surprise. "What are you goin'
to do with the wheeIbarrow this time
O. night?"
Coin to celebrate Arbor Day
again. answered Pinkey, without go
ing into details; "come on"
Coin to what?" questioned the be-
wildered Bunny. 81 got enough Arbor
Day today to do me for while, didn't
your"
Eyes, but it didn't suit me. I'm
goin' to dig UP that tree we planted
today and take it down to Red Feath-
er's yard and plant it again. She took
our holiday away from us so let's give
her the old tree too"
"Whew, Pinkey, that's what" ex-
claimed Bunny, enthusiastically,
won't she be mad when she has to
pay to have it brought baclk?"
|
have what's ours, we don't want her
buying trees for us, and putin ribbons
on the shovel we plant 'em with"
Eyes, an maxim us dress up and
say lot O. speeches too" That was
the part of the program which had ap-
pealed to Bunny less than all the rest.
In high glee, though with as little
noise as passible, the pair started for
the schoolhouse yard. They took a
roundabout way in order to avoid pos
sible detection and approached the en-
closure carefully. They found 1t i'm
possible to take the wheelbarrow
through the turnstill and left it out
side the fence, at point as near as
possible to the tree. There being only
little-used path on that side of the
yard they were in no danger of being
seen.
Silently and hurriedly they worked.
first one and then the other, throwing
out the earth which was still quite
loose, and soon they had reached the
roots of the tree 1t was now but a
small task to lift it from the hole and
carry it to the fence.
"Pass'er over, Bunny" said Pinkey,
after he had climbed the fence. eve
got to hurry now or it'll be late before
we get through"
With the tree safely loaded on the
wheelbarrow, the boys set out for Red
Feathers house, several blocks dis
rant. They took the middle of the
road for it, that being considered by
Pinkey as safer than the sidewalk.
At length they reached the street
parallel to that on which Red Feathers
house faced. Here they lifted the tree
and the shovel from the wheelbarrow
and dropped them over the fence into
the vacant lot which adjoined Red
Feathers back yard. After hiding the
, wheelbarrow by turning it upside down
in the ditch at the side of the road,
they climbed the fence, picked up their
tree and shovel again and cautiously
approached the house. To their de-
light, the front part of the house was
dark and with proper care they could
complete thir task without detection.
Selecting a CONSPICUOUS spot in the
front yard, not far from the. gate, Pink
ey set to work digging hole in which
to plant the tree He was relieved by
Bunny when he grew tired and, after
; a few changes, they had the hole
. ready to receive the tree.
"Never mind sayin' your speech
Bunny" said Pinkey gleefully, when
they had set the tree in position, ''just
you shovel the dirt in as fast as you
can while l tramp it down." at the
same time holding on to the tree and
dancing around it, packing down the
| loose earth as Bunny threw it in.
| 81 ought to have few ribbons on
this shovel" observed Bunny, straight
, ening UP to rest his back moment
'I always like to have ribbons on a
shovel when I plant trees"
/ 'tThs is holiday" repeated Pinkey
; after the manner Of Red Feather
, "This is a serious occasion. Get tc
} work.
7 Thus joking and in high spirits over
t their escapade, Pinkey and Bunny com
t pleted their task, packed the sod neat
: ly around the trunk of the tree, anG
stood for a few minutes gazing OF
: their handiwork with unconcealed ad
miration.
} Looks pretty fine, doesn't it." said
Bunny, ut seems perfectly at home
r 81 wonder If this resting place will
t last as long as the other one did, sale
Pinkey, remembering his verse, "Tha
: corridor of time at the schoolhoust
5 yard was a pretty short one, seem:
: to me-" At this bright remark the!
both enjoyed good laugh.
l With one last look at their cleve
piece of work, and a few contentet
. chucl1les, Pinkey and Bunny departed
l by the route they had come. The.
|, loaded the shovel in the wheelbarrov
once more and started home wei
pleased at the outcome of their ven
e ture and feeling that they had wei
e repaid Red Feather for her heartless
0 ness of the afternoon.
"And now won't the rest of the fel
e lows wish they had hand in it?" SAT-
/, Pinkey, as they separated, Tell yo7
t what, Bunny, it takes us to keep evel
with Red Feather!"
e Pinkey replaced the wheelbarroy
l. and the shovel in the woodshed an
entered the house with an air of III
;, concern that aroused no suspicion tina
l. he had been doing anything unusua
: 1t was quite the custom for the boy
Y of Enterprise to congregate in the ey
irit CON n