The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-05-14

once we went on q cruise AFTER SnOre
birds. l bagged a few, but the Twins
couldn't hit a flock of balloons with a
cannon, SO they didn't have no luck.
But a little later Van went out alone
with Nate Scudder and I'll be blessed
IL he didn't come back with a dozen
peep and ring.necks. Then the way
he crowed over me and Martin was
s%candalous. till, q week later, Hartley
himself went cunning with Nate and
fetched home IS, bigger and better
than his chum's. And after this, OF
| course, twas nothing but what a great
hunter Scudder was, and rubbing 1t
into me.
The hotel boarders and the town
folks was mighty interested In the
Ozone islanders by this time. The pic
mic boats from the Old Comfort house
generally sailed close to our point to
give the passengers a chance to look
our outfit over. Sometimes the boats
stopped, and then the Twins would
take an observation from an upstairs
window, and, If they liked the looks
of the crowd, would come down and
keep what they called open house.
open house" always meant more
work for Eureka and me. Lucky for
us, twas pretty seldom that the Heav.
enlies liked their callers looks well
enough to open up.
The Baptist minister and his wife
came over to call. There was going
to be q lawn fete and sale" at the
church pretty soon, and the idea was
to get the Twins to donate some
thing. Van Brunt was full of his high
jinks that day, and he took that poor
parson and his wife in tow
First he carted EN- out to the hen
yard. He paraded up and down II
front Of the coops, pointing out the
scraggly Plymouth Rocks as if they
was some kind of freaks, like os
triches. He said they ate a bag o.
corn a day and laid one egg a week
so he fggered that every egg wa:
worth five dollars or so. What did the
parson think of a donation Of half
dozen of them eggs?
Not to eat, you understand" say
Van; but as rarities, as curiosities.
The minister was a young Teller, no
long out of college, and pretty straight
laced. But he had some fun in him
IF 1 might suggest" he says, ="
think one of the hens themselves
would be more acceptable and profit
able. Among our summer people Their
is a great demand for antiques Nos
one of those hens"
That tickled Van. He told Hartle,
afterwards that the minister was
trump. He donated liberal-not witt
eggs nor poultry neither-and prom
Used that he and Hartley would attent
the sale.
And they did. And so did Eurekl
and me. The lawn fete was held |,
the meeting house front yard, an,
twas all rugged up fine with flags ant
tissue paper and bunting. There was
a grab bag and a cake table and
fancy goods table, and l don't know
what all. All the summer folks wa
there, and most Of the town wome,
and girls, and the prices charged 70
things would have been highway rob
berry il it hadn't been a church tina
was charging 'em.
The Heavenlies bought and bough
and bought. They bought everything
the foolishest things. Van bough
three pair Of embroidered %suspender
and a c%rocheted tidy and a pin cush
ion, and Martin got a worsted afghan
and a hand-painted soft pillow, 81
fresh that the paint come off on you
hands when you touched it. An,
'twa'n't any quiet colored paint neith
er. And when you rubbed off one laye
there was another underneath. LII
retta Daniels daughter had painte
it; she al taking lessons and he
ma said that she'd painted that pilloN
over much as a dozen times, becaus
the colors want blending right" O
the subject didn't suit her. Twas s
stiff with paint on top that 'twoul
have been like ramming your hea
into fence to lay on it.
We stayed till most everything wa
sold but a log cabin bed quilt tina
the Christian paupers at the pool
house had made. Nobody seemed t
want that, although they was ga
rags enough in it to build a rainbow
The minister's wife said she was S
sorry. The poor things at the alm'
house had worked so hard.
you wait a minute" says Van. IT.
get rid of It,"
He took out his vest pocket mem'
randum book and tore about ten page
into little squares. Then he mad
numbers on these squares with a pei
ell. Half of these he put into his ha
and, the next l knew, he was standin
on a chair, waving the bedquilt wit
one hand and the hat with t'other.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
: To Cure a Hopeless Heartache.
/ must go to some place where