The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-03
The EVENING STORY
The stone-Tl,rower.
Bv CIaude Ropertson.

l 10y SlauQ0 fSoptHtcOfi.J
There's a boy in the strawberry
bed!"
Next to the Widow Fenwick's coun-
try house was the cottage of Mr..
Davis and between the two was
large strawberry bed. This summer
the Davis family was away among
relatives in the West. and before go
ing it was understood that the yield
of that strawberry bed was to go to
the Fenwicks for the picking. Miss
Nellie Fenwick had pushed her way
through the bushes more than once
while the vines were in blossom to
weed out the grass and dead vines.
The bad boy Of the village had
tcome with the first berries He had
come to eat his fill. but Molly. the
Fenwick cook. had given the alarm
land Miss Nellie had rushed out. She
was no Splinter to overtake a bare
footed boy, and her voice was too
1 gentle to frighten him. She had,
therefore, thrown stones at him from
/ behind the screen of bushes She
could equal him at that. She had
dropped the first under his nose, tax
en- his cap off with the second. and
with the third had sent him away
bowling.
The boy had returned the next hay
and the next. He has seen the girl
in the act of throwing. He had been
taught to believe that no girl ever
born could hit haystack twenty feet
away with stone. He had been hit,
but he laid it to accident. He was
hit again, and again he howled and
| fed, but he would not believe until
| after the third trial. Then he got a
missile on the ear and retreated to
find safer plumber. Four days had
passed when the cook came running
in to give the alarm. She had
caught sight of another trespasser.
She couldn't throw for shucks her
self. and it was her duty to report
| to one who could.
"Back again. is he?" exclaimed the
! girl as she started up. Now. then,
you gather a whole apron full of
stones and I'll show him that I'm in
learnest!''
When Miss Nellie reached the,
| bushes and carefully peeped over, she
| saw a human form on its knees
| among the vines. That human form
She had counted on a strawberry
short-cake for dinner that night.
| The cook stood there loaded with
ammunition. Miss Nellie selected four
or FIVE stones and drew a long breath,
and away they went one after the
| other The human form uttered a
I-yen of establishment and grunt OF
pain and rolled over to scramble up
, again and make off behind the other
| house.
/ "There." shouted the girl, as she
waved her hand in triumph.
Ibid YOU see him ?' asked the cook.
ct saw a bundle of something on
the fly
| that boy or any other boy. 1t wasn't
a cat or a dog. 1t wasn't gander
| or a rooster. 1t was a man. Yes,
sir, it was a man, and he wasn't an
old one at that"
but what was he doing here?
| berries I'm glad hit him. 1t was
some tramp, probably"
The two waited around for spell,
jprepared for a second bombardment,s
but the tramp had enough and MOTH
ling more was seen of him.
1t was 8 O'Clock the next afternoon
when Miss Nellie was doing in her
hammock on the veranda that the
cook came out on tiptoe to shake the
girl by the shoulder and whisper
| Tramp-strawberry bed-stones!
| "What--is he back?"
"IIe is-some one! I've collected the
most beautiful heap of stones you ever
saw. and I believe you can kill him
| this time!'
| $50 he had the cheek to come back
+, Well. I'll show him that strawberry
beds in this neighborhood are not free
TO all. Come on"
WhiZZ - WnlZZ - WIlzz-W -H.i-z,1'
The stones left the hand of the indig-
rant girl, and she was about to throw
| the fifth one when the cook caught
her arm and exclaimed:
That's enough, Miss Nelile-youVe
So she had The human form was
| wing on it's side and a leg was kick
| ing now and then. Miss Nellie was
frightened. She turned pale and whis-
aH1o,1,, s,nnose I've killed himi"
"Hu! You can't kill tramp with
an axe. He's just stunned. He'll come
to directly and take skate"
| But he didn't. They Walted Iive
through the pushes and came upon
/ sight to make them gasp. 1t was
young man lying among the strawber-
ries, and he was bleeding pro1useIy
| the one stoned out the day before,
hut he was far from being a tramp.
'Quick- to the house and get
tandage and some water. eraereo
out what had happened. And while
The cook was gone she did her best to
staunch the flow with her handker-
chief. The victim moaned, but did not
omen his eyes. When the cook return
| ed the wound was bathed and bandag-
ed. During this operation the fearful,
| trembling mistress of the kitchen
whispered:
|
go to hang you, I'll lie and say that
threw the stonesi"
She was sent to notify the stable
man, and he in turn stopped passer-
by on the highway, and the still I'M
| conscious victim was carried to the
| house and laid on bed. Then the
doctor was telephoned for. FIFTEEN
minutes after his arrival he had re-
stored the young man to his senses.
Then he gave him an opiate. He
heard the story of the stone throwing
and then grave1y replied:
'You might have killed him. As it
| is. he may live, but he must remain
| here for at least a week. and during
| that time you must be his nurse. In
| fact, I don't know but what you'll
| Rave to marry him in the end. You
see, he can bring charge of attempt