The San Francisco call., 1906-04-08

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E-eN q n barn caves. In the
EL4f 81 a apple tree a robins
H kM song throbbed at in
u NJ tervals, and the jays
~ were chattering in
n y cessantly in the cher
! " trees by the fence.
g The dew was still on
the grass that lay in
TxEz the paraEelogram of
! I~rMH snade made by the
HHIAY.4W Sears dwelling, and
5 kLSGShAk in the twilight OF
grass Land al the elf-people were whis-
p6r'ng and tittering and scsmpering about
III surreptitious revel- The breeze Of
dawn. tired and worn out. was sinking
10 q itful 6oze in The cottonwood foliage
uear- by. la the lattice Of the kitchen
porch to butterflies We're chasing their
Itilc brethren, the sun iecks, in and out
among She branches of the climbing rose.
Even the humble burdock weeds and sun
flowers lining the path that led to the
gate seemed to f- exalted by the breath
cf the mOrning air. q I they were not
out OF harmony with the fine. high soul
OF things And Yet. in that hour. lanes
Sears stood near a rain barrel bObbing
up ard down on a churn handle with a
green checked gingham apron tied about
h.s neck. His back ached. and his heart
was fCll or bitterness at the scheme OF
creation. Fer il was Saturday morning
his by every law. precedent or tradition
known or reported in the Court Of Boy
VILE. But instead Of inhaling the joys
Of the new Gay, James, whose courtly
7sfr
grsnules on the dasher, and promised
God that. If He would let him grow up,
his little boy should never have TO churn. P
Ever and anon. from some chamber in
the house behind him. came the faint,
gasping cry Of . day-Old baby. That cry
drowned the cooing Of the doves, the
song Of the robin and the chirping OF the
dWellers in the grass; 10 Jimmy the bleat
OF the little human lamb sounded like
the roar Of lion. He could endure penal
servitude on his Saturday with a patience
born Of something approaching q philoso-
ply; ne could wear a checked gingham
apron, even as a saint wears an unbs-
coming halo; but the arrival OF the new
baby-the fifth addition TO the family in
the short period Of years covered by Jim
nay Sears memory-brOught q prickly pill
Of wrath and dropped il in the youths
brlmfuu cup Of woe. As the minutes
dragged weafily along, Jimmy Sears re-
viewed the story Of his thraIldom. He
thought CT how, ia his short-dress days,
he had been put 10 rocking q cradle; how,
In his klted days, there had been ever a
baby's calico dress TO consider: how. from
his earliest fishing days, there had been
always tot tagging after him, throwing
sticks and stones in the water TO scare
the nsh; and how, now in his swimming
ana csve-dweliing days. there was
swarm Of tow-headed Searses, a creeper,
fodder, stumbler and a sneaker TO
run away from.
As the churn dasher grew heavier the
wrath in Jimmy's cup began TO sputter
dissolving into that which in his older
sisters heart would have been tears: in
Jimmy's heart It took the form OF con-
vulsive shifting. The boy could hear his
sister clattering the breakfast dishes III
tho kitchen. The thing that ground upon
his heart was the firm football of Mrs.
Jones, q neighbor woman, who was over
seeing the affairs of the household. Jim
my could not remember hearing that
footstep except in times of what seemed
10 him TO be the family's disgrace. He
hated Mrs Jones because she tried to
cool mis- ire by describing the superior
points Of the particular new baby that
had arrived each time she came upon her
6rrauds OF neighborIy mercy. Just as the
yellow grsnules began 10 appear in the
buttermilk pool on the churn top Jimmy
ucard a step on the gravel walk behind
him. The step came nearer. When Jim
my lifted his eyes. they glared into the
face Of Harold Jones. Choler cooled into
surprise. and surprise exploded into
Vapid grinning Huh which was fol-
lowed by another HUH" that gurgled
out into read laugh as Jimmy greeted
the visitor. The Jones boy giggled, and
Jimmy found his tongue and asked: did
aIa-
that he. too. was 2 slave Of the churn,
tho freemasOrry Of BOyVille was estab-
lished. A moment later ''Mealy'-which
was Harold's title in the court-was ex-
employing the work. When Mrs. Jones
came out of the house to take care of
the butter. she saw her son and Jimmy
lying on the grass. Half an hour later
the boys in the barn heard Mrs. Jones'
voice calling: Harold. o Harold, don't
you want 10 come and look at the babyT'
Now. James Sears, in the twenty-four
hours Of his new sister life, had. not let
the fact Of her existence form expression
on h.s lips Much less had he lowered his
hostile naE TO salute her. But he knew
ins:inctvely that Harold Jones was the
soyt Of boy who would unsex himself
bs looking al a baby. When Mealy an
swcred, ''Yes'm." and trotted down the
back yard path TO the kitchen. Jimmy
Sears scorned him heartily enough to
fancy Mealy in the act of holding the
ioathsome thing in his arms Further
contumely was beyond Jimmy's inagina-
tion.
When Meaiy Jones came back the barn
wherein he had left Jimmy empty,
and only when Mealy had started home
ward and q clod came whizzing down
the alley hitting him under the ear, did
Mealy know how Jimmy Sears resented
an insult Aealy looked around; no one
was in sight.
Right here the reader should know
that Jimmy Sears was not alone in his
displeasure. There was mutiny in the
Sears household. When the baby came.
the four elo-r Of the seven Sears chill
dren Joined Jimmy in informal. silent Sc
oition They looked upon the newcomer
as an intruder. For all who extended
sympathy 10 rnc pretenoer the insurgents
developed q wholesome scorn.
This scorn fell most heavily upon Mrs
Jones. The Sears children regarded her
familiar jocularity with undisguised re-
pugnance: and when Jimmy heard Mrs
Jones tell his little sister Annie. that
morning. that she was no longer the
baby, Jimmy's rage at what he consid-
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