Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-02-20
most every day and they wanted &c


birds / bagged 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
If he didn't come back with a dozen
peep and ring-necks- Then the way
he crowed over me and Martin was
scandalous, till, 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 great
hunter Scudder was, and rubbing it
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 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 a 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 'em out to the hen
yard. He paraded up and down in
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 of
corn a day and laid one egg week,
so he figgered that every egg was
worth five dollars or so. What did the
parson think of a donation of half
dozen of them eggs?
Not to eat, you understand" says
Van; but as rarities, as curiosities."
The minister was a young Teller not
long out of college, and pretty straight
laced. But he had some fun in him.
IF 1 might suggest" he says, 81
think one of the hens themselves
would be more acceptable and profit
able. Among our summer people there
a
one of those hens"
That tickled Van. He told Hartley
afterwards that the minister was a
trump. He donated Hberal-not with
eggs nor poultry neither-and prom
ised that he and Hartley would attend
the sale.
And they did. And SO did Eureka
and me. The lawn fete was held in
he
twas all rugged up fine with flags and
tissue paper and bunting There was a
a grab bag and cake table and a
fancy goods table, and I don't know
what all. All the summer folks was
there, and most of the town women
and girls, and the prices charged for
things would have been highway rob-
berry if it hadn't been a church that
was charging 'em.
The Heavenlies bought and bought
and bought. They bought everything
the foolishest things. Van bought
three pair of embroidered suspenders
and a crocheted tidy and a pin cush-
ion, and Martin got worsted afghan
and a hand-painted soft pillow, SO
fresh that the paint come off on your
hands when you touched it. And
'twa'n't any quiet colored paint Meth
er. And when you rubbed off one layer
there was another underneath Luz
retta Daniels daughter had painted
it.; she was taking lessons and her
ma said that she'd painted that pillow
over much as a dozen times, because
the colors want blending right" or
the subject didn't suit her. Twas SO
stiff with paint on top that 'twould
have been like ramming your head
into fence to lay on it.
We stayed till most everything was
sold but a log cabin bed quilt that
the Christian paupers at the poor
house had made. Nobody seemed to
want that, although they was gay
rags enough in it to build a rainbow.
The minister's wife said she was so
sorry. The poor things at the aims
house had worked SO hard.
You wait minute says Van. I'll
get rid of it,
He took out his vest pocket memo
randum book and tore about ten pages
into little squares. Then he made
numbers on these squares with pen
Gil Half of these he put into his hat,
and, the next 1 knew, he was standing
on a chair, waving the bedquilt with