Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-05-21


his head. He had not Looked in the d.
rec:ion from which the stone had come,
but he had Degun Immediately to yell:
You, Jim! Quit. Quit, tell yer,
Jim! Watch out! You gwine break
somethin', Jimr'
"Yahr taunted the boy, as with the
speed and ease of light cavalryman
he maueuvered in the distance. "Yah!
Told on me, did you! Told on me, hey
There. How do you like that" The
missiles resounded against the stable.
"Watch out. jim! You gwine break
something. Jim, tell yer! Quit yer
foolishness, Jim! Ow! Watch out,
boy! T.
There was crash. With diabolic
ingenuity one of Jimmie's pebbles had
| entered the carriage house and had
landed among row of carriage lamps
OIL shelf creating havoc which was
apparently beyond all reason Of physi-
cal law. 1t seemed to Jimmie that the
racket of failing glass could have been
uCdlt IA iu Nouhts.
Peter was q prophet who after per-
secution was suffered to recall every
tnlng to the mlnd or the prosecutor.
''There. Knew it! Knew 1t! Now, ]
railion, you'll quit! Hi! Jes look ut
desc ycre lamps. Fer lam sake! Oh,
now yer pop jes break ev'ry bone in yer
bodyw
In the doorway of the kitchen the
cock appeared with startled face.
.limmie's father and mother came sud-
denly out Oil the front veranda. What
was that noiseT" called the doctor.
Peter went forward to explain. Jim,
he WAS er-hcavin' rocks at me, docteh,
an erlong come one rock an go blam!
inter all TIL lamps an jes skitter 'em
t. bits. ieclayah''-
Jimmie. half blinded with emotion,
was nevertheless aware of lightning
glance from his father, Il glance which
cowed ana frightened him to the ends
of his toes. Ec heard the steady but
deadly tones of his father in fury,
"Go into the house, and wait until
comep'
Bowed in anguish, the boy moved
across the lawn and up the steps. His
mother was standing on the veranda
still gazing toward the stab,h. He
lOitered In the faint hope that she
might take some small pity on his
state. But she could have needed him
no less If he had been invisible. lie en-
tered the house.
When the doctor returned from his
investigation Of the harm done by Jim
mics hand. Mrs. Trescott looked ut him
anXiously. for she knew that he was
concealing some volcanic impulses.
"Well:" she asked.
ut isn't the lamps" he said at first.
He seated himself on the rail. Il don't
know what we are going to do with
that boy. 1t isn't so much the lamps
as 1t is the other thing. He was throw
ing stones at Peter because Peter told
me about the reyolver. What are we
going to do with him?'
I'm sure | don't know" replied the
mother. We've tried almost every
thing. OF course much of it Is pure
animal spirits. Jimmie is not natural
ly vicious
"Oh, | know" interrupted the doctor
impatiently. "Do you suppose when
the stones were singing about Peters
ears he cared whether they were flung
by boy who was naturally vicious or
boy who was not? The question
might interest him afterward, but at
the time he was mainly occupied IN
lodging the. effects of pure animal
spirits"
Don't be too hard on the boy, Ned.
There's lots Of time yet He's so young
yet. and ! believe lie gets most Of
his nau"htiness from that wrctched
Dalzel boy. That DalZel boy-wcll.
he':; simply awful Then, with true
mc;hery instinct to Shift blame from
her own boys shoulders, she proceed
ed to sketch the character Of the Dal-
zcl boy in lines that would have made
that talented young vagabond stare.
1t was not admittedly her feeling that
the doctors attention should be divert
ed from the main issue and his indig-
nation divi!ed among the camps, but
presently the doctor felt himself burn
with wrath for the DalZel boy.
"Why don't you keep Jimmie away
from HING he demanded. Jimmie
has no business conSorting with aban-
doned little predestined Jail birds like
him. If / catch him on the place I'll
box his ears"
IL l.; simply impossible unless we
kept Jimmie shut up all the time said
Mrs. Trescctt. 81 can't watch him
every minute OF the dag. and the mo-
ment my back Is turned he's off"
81 should think those Dalzel people
would hire somebody to brinG up their
chila for them," said the doctor. "'rhey
don't seem to know how to do 1t them
selves"
Presently you would have thought
from the tn!i that one Willie Dalzel
had been throwing stones at Peter
Washington because Peter Washington
had told DR.. Trescott that Willie Dal-
eel had come into possession of re-
volver.
In the meantime Jimmie had gone
into the house to await the coming OF
his father. He was In rebellious
mood. He had not intended to lie
stroy the carriage lamps. He had been
merely hurling stones ut a creature
whose pcriidy deserved such action,
and the hitting the lamps had been
merely another move of the great con-
spirator Fate to force one Jimmie
Trescott into dark and troublous ways.
The boy was beginning TO find the
world Il bitter place. He couldn't win
appreciation for single virtue: he
could only achieve quick, rigorous pun
Ishment for his misdemean0rs. Every
thing was an enemy. Now there were
those silly old lamps-what were they
doing up OH that shelf anyhow? 1t
would have been just as easy for them
ut the tine to have been In some other
place, but no; there they had been,
like the crowd that is passing under
the wall when the mason for the first
time in twenty years let's fall a brick.
Furthermore. the flight Of that stone
had been perfectly unreasonable. 1t
had been sort Of freak in physical