The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-17

with all the fiuency that Dan had. Co the joke end of the procession was Iost on her. and the patriotic feeling it stir red in her caused her to shout at the top of her voice, 'Hooray for IreiandIf
 Above the heads of the procession far down the street the cry was borne 10 Dams ears. and instantly, without thinking, he had echoed it.
 The procession, bit astonished by this reception of their joke. kept on its way. stil murdering the lively tune ox The Wearing of the Green" They had nearly reached Dan now. who. sudden~ ly. to every ones astonishment jumped from his hiding place. ran to the hrst boy, snatched from his hand . great green flag he was carrying. and. placing himself at the head of the procession. proceeded. with all the power that was in him. to sing "The Wearing of the Green.~ Unconsciously the musicians altered their time. wayered and died away, but Dan marched on with his banner, singing and singing till 1t seem ed as if his little throat would break.
 THE TABLES TURNED
 The astonished procession. mean- while. didn't know what else to do with their joke but to follow on; and so they paraded all through the streets of the village. and the mothers and sisters. who had been let into the secret of the great joke. didn't know what to think when they saw Dan there at the head of the procession and the band feebly trying to follow the musical aiT he was singing.
 At last the procession wound back again to the house where Dan lived. and now another surprise awaited the jokers.
 Mrs. Deegan appeared at the door. and, with much laughter and talking. seized every boy of them and brought them all into her house. where in the dining room they found feast spread for them. Mrs. Deegan had taken the parade as a sign on the part of the boys of wishing to make up tS Ser son for the mean jokes they had Nyed on him, and she had hurried rfsseA back as soon as the procession h-S3 nnMSed out of sight. put her washs@ away and spread the dainties on co table that simply made the boys sezRe.
 Grown-ups in Hallows were not used to doing much for the younger popuia- ton in the way of spreading feasfs for them, and each boy knew that if he. went home to lunch he would get noth. ing but a cold slice of the meat they had had the night before.
 Horace Jones was particularly fond of good things to eat, and he saw no help for it but to appear as if he had meant all the kind things that Mrs. Deegan and Dan assumed he had meant all along. So as soon as he had slxed the table up. he turned to the other boys, hid the banners which had the worst inscriptions on them, and shouted, Boys. give three cheers for Mrs. Dee- gan and Dan"
 In the meantime, Miss Harlxins. tho schoolteacher, had come to feel little Qualmish about the permission she had given the boys to lock the schoolhouas up for the morning, and shortly before lunch she decided to walk down that way and see what was going on. When she saw the placard on the door she was very angry. for she had not intended anything like that. She tore 1t of. went into the schooihouse and sat down at 0CT uc5k IOr a 1tW NAtfkluH At over. Somehow kinder thoughts of little Dan came into her mind this morning than usually dwelt there. and presently she found herself thinking of the Christi mas present he had given her She thought, of course, it was dreadful trash of some sort, but she decided to open and throw it away while the boy waa not around to see her do it.
 DAN HAD REMEMBERED
 "A. did not throw 1t away. It was sonte- thing that she had some weeks before Christmas spoken of as wanting. And little Dan had remembered All the others had forgotten. but he had remem- bered. Like shot she was out of the schoolhouse and up the road to Dams house.
 The sounds of mirth which met her What had the joke turned out to be. after all2 But at last she rang and was admitted by Mrs. Deegan.
 That good woman almost embraced her in her enthusiasm. 1t was all right. at last, for little Dan, even the school teacher had come to show her change of heart. and Mrs. Deegan, with her big generous Irish nature, quickly overioox- ed the past, and ushered her into tl1a room where the boys sat
 Mrs. Deegan," said Miss Harkins, as soon as she could speak for the noise, T want to tell you about Dan. I want to tell you that he is the best boy in my school. the most studious. the best behaved and the most generous, and that" she paused and looked the now humbled joxers over very carefully. ''the other boys are agreed that he is the incest playfellow they have in the village"
 It only took the boys one minute to understand their teacher. and it also gave them an opportunity for some more of those ear-piereing shouts which had been so frequent that morning.
 LEAN RTDDEItfat