The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-12-16
BY
{. NELLIE BECK.
!:

about. Dannie. this is my sister
Mary, and this is my sister Nancy
Both girls greeted him cordially, and
welcomed him to the travelling party
Then Grafton turned to bright look
| ing boy about Dannie's size, who was
| lowering near, and said
! Come here Rubberneck, and shake
hands with Docs brother, Dannie
Dannie, this is my brother Ned. You
! boys ought to have a lot of. fun to-
gether on this trip, so get acquainted
While you eat supper"
Say brother, can't Dannie and me
eat at this little table by ourselves,
so we can talk all we want to-"
With the greatest of pleasure"
was the laughing reply, @but let DAN
ME have a word now and then, mind
YOU
And so it was arranged The two
men and the girls sat at one table
and the two happy youngsters had
their independent service at a smaller
one near by.
What a feast of good things it was
for the half-famished little 'newsy."
Oysters stewed in milk, roast turkey
stuffed with oysters, cranberries,
pumpkin and mince pies, ice cream,
cake, candies, raisins, and oranges.
Fortunately Ned's appetite was that
of healthy, vigorous, growing boy,
so that Dannie's ravenous appetite was
not noticeable 1t was the first time
in his life he had ever eaten all he
wanted, and, aside from the Thanks
giving dinner which the Denver
papers annually furnish to their news
boys, the child never before had an
opportunity to eat such nutritious
food, so palatably cooked And never
before, had any meal that he remem-
bered, been favored with such true
hospitality, and shared with so truly
congenial companion as Ned
proved to be. How the older ones
smiled as they heard Ned say:
1--WE haven't been to Pensacola
since the stornl-that is Mary, and
Nan and me-but brother says, it did
lots of good, and will make a bigger
city and have more ships and finer
streets than ever. When we get
there let's go down and climb into
one O. them big old ships that was
wrecked and play we're on a big old
island where there amt nobody but
ba-ad Indians-real bad ones, you
know. | spect there's a whole lot
o. big old cannons on our ship, and
we'll fix 'em up n then we'll 'sprise
the whole town Christmas morning
firm off all them big old guns.
Don't you bet We'll scare 'em good"
and both boys chuckled delightedly
at the picture thus evolved from their
imagination, of all the Pensacola
people hurrying out before daylight
to tremblingly inquire into the I'M
reasonable salute. Don't you bet
they'd think twas a earthquake~
wish twas summer, so we could
go swimmin,'" interpossd Dannie.
Summer nuthin," scornfully said
Ned. Why 1 amt never been there
in summer, and we jes go swimmin'
all the time if we want to-"
Gee! Do you break through the
ice? Must be awful cold"
Gold, Dannie? Why man, they
don't never have no ice to break. o,
course it's kind o cool sometimes.
But brother says if them Pensacola
people d see one of Denver's play
grounds covered with ice the'd think
it was a stray plate glass from one O
these big business blocks" and both
boys ha-ha-ed again so happily that
everybody near laughed in sympathy.
"And o, say" globbled Ned, with
his mouth full of turkey dressing,
I'VE can have row boats on the
bayous, and launches or big steam
ers and go across the bay to the
beach or out to the Gulf And we
can go bathin' in the surf-but you
have to have bathin' suits, cause