Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-01-24
THE
MAGH YEAST CAKE
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

very indignant over the matter. II
seemed to him that whenever he was
having a good time he was interrupted
and dispatched for yeast cake.
The walk to the store through the
sharp atmosphere failed to soothe his
wrath, and the moon which stared him
In the face on his homeward trip saw
an unusually sulky and resentful lad.
When he reached the house, instead
Of going through to the kitchen, in or
der to give Mary, the girl, the yeast
cake, he turned aside into the library.
He resolved that he would make Mary
wait until after supper.
The library was warm and cozy. He
slipped into the big leather easy chair
before the crate and meditated over
his troubles
Il wish | were a million miles off"
he exclaimed.
Come along, then" said gruff,
growly voice close beside him.
Raymond gave start of surprise. He
saw the oldest little man imaginable
standing by the CRATE and scanning him
with a quizzical smile. The stranger
had an enormous face, fiat and as round
and as shiny as a new dollar. With
In the unbroken circumference were
two twinkly dots of eyes. a dab of a
nose, tiny, dimply mouth with up
lifted corners, and just trace of two
ridiculously small ears. There was
no hair at all.
The face appeared to be set directly
upon the shoulders of a short, squat
body, and the body rested upon pair
Of wee legs encased in knickerbockers.
The man had his hands in his pock-
cts. and with his feet as far apart as
possible for him, evidently was waiting
for Raymond to respond.
"S-s-sir?" suffered Raymond.
Il said Come along!'" spoke the
man again, in an Unexpectedly deep,
rumbly voice.
"Where?" blurted Raymond.
why, a million miles off," contin-
ued the man, his tone as squeaky as a
tiddle-string.
But l don't know you," declared
Raymond, alarmed.
Certainly you do" asserted the man,
GROSSLY, and once more in a growl
The idea-when I'm your neighbor,
living only about 100000 miles away,
and you see me lots of times every
month. What stupid! I'm the man
in the moon-therel Don't forget"
'Wh-wh-what?" calculated Ray
mond.
$50 here is your chance to skip so
Jar that they'll never, never find you
to make you go for yeast cakes" pro-
:eeded the intruder.
IL don't want to CO." faltered Ray
mond.
NONSENSE" retorted the man. Then
you shouldn't have wished it. How
ever, we will only go a quarter of a
million, for beginning, and you'll be
right where you can look down and
zee what is happening at home. Quickl
Give me the yeast cake before some
body comes in" and he jerked his
hands from his pockets.
Raymond merely laid the yeast cake
In the extended palm of his queer men,
tor.
The queer little man placed the cake
upon the hearth.
Watch IT." he warned. ITS In a
very warm spot, and to get aboard we
will have to be spry."
Suddenly the cake commenced to
spread and swell
Ready" cried the man, hopping
nimbly about it. Even as he spoke
the yeast cake shot upward smooth,
white column.
"All aboard! All aboard" fairly
screamed the little man, scrambling up
ON it. Raymond also scarcely realiz-
ing what he was doing, threw him
self frantically against the top of the
column, ard his strange friend clutch
cd him by the collar.
Hang on tight" commanded the
moon man.
Up they went, and before Raymond
had time to duck his head they had
crashed through the ceiling and
through the roof as If through paper.
and. quite unframed, were outside be-
meath the starry sky.
Up and up and up they sped. The
apex OF the column was 50 narrow and
SO slippery that Raymond was forced
to cling desperately to maintain his
position. The wind whistled around
his ears in perfect gale, his eyes
watered, and he had a most uncom-
Portable feeling in the pit of his stom-
mach.
Jump! Jump" suddenly ordered his
remarkable companion, violently
twitchinfi his coat collar. And with
out affording Raymond any choice he
hastily fell OF, dragging Raymond with
him. Together they lit in a heap on
a level surface just beneath. Ray
mon6 picked himself up in a hurry
and peered about him with much curl
osity.
They were in the midst of a wide
stretch of country not unlike an ex-
panse of burned prairie, with never an
elevation to break the monotony. All
as fat and bare and uninteresting, save
at their feet, and reaching in either
direction as far as could be deserted.
vss dusty. crooked road bordered