Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-07-02

" l4tN Nuhtlul-
TEARING THROUGH ness over the en-
THE WOODS. tire neighbour
hood. Caryton hurried the explosives
through the front hall and hid them
behind the library window draperies.
1t was then II o'clock, and he tiptoed
up TO his room for such sleep as he
could get before the early morning
noises should commence.
Ten minutes later he WAS doing off,
when the first experimental hastings
OF the horn commenced BY the time
he had found a way to pack the bed
clothes about his ears there arose va,
rious accompanying and disquieting
Kisses, snappings and roars.
Then directly under his window
came an explosion that shook the
house and brought him to sitting
posture. They had found his contribu-
ton! And it was only midnight!
Caryton sank back and listened with
varying emotions at his gen.
crosby, submission to a Just retribu.
ton and finally pleasurable sensa-
ton of rctrograding to his own boy
hood. BY l o'clock he was the ring.
leader of all their more daring demon.
STATIONS
But when he went in, long after
daylight blackened and burned and
bruised, and tried to make himself
nrescntabIe for breakfast he felt that
he had had enough of the Fourth.
4 flor lppn l-fo
vision of the remaining fireworks and
then slipped from the house with his
trout rod while the nephews were
gloattng over their treasures
He knew of trout stream that wan
dered aimlessly back among the trees,
with apparently no object or destina.
ton save to clothe its banks with
moss. He would follow its eccentric
Windings until perhaps he could get
cool enough to induce some of the
moss to grow upon him.
But as he passed the last house in
the village and noted a figure in light
dress upon the piazza half hidden by
climbing rose he was tempted to turn
In and spend the day there. He had
met Miss Leslie only a few times but
she was friendly little body and the
most charming of all the girls he
knew.
His feet even turned at the gate but
as they did so he heard a wild veil
from the back yard, and he suddenly |
swervcd away, merely lifting his hat |
IigC 7
brothers.
half hour in the woods. and he
was beyond the songs of robins and
orioles and sparrows and only heard
the occasional voices of hermit thrush
and tanaGer and woodpecker.
Presently he put his rod together
and cast fly into She stream After
q half hour Of desutory fishing he
found an enticing rock and seated him
self upon it, leaning his back against
q tree trunk.
How long he slept-or if he slept at
all-he did not know, but the first
thing he was acutely conscious of was
an effort to diSentangle his hook from
something behind and of vicious
humming in the air.
Turning hastily, he saw that in
throwing his fly back for new cast
he had caught the hook in an immense
hornets nest and that in his effort to
dlsentanSle 1t he was bringing the hor-
nets toward him in an angry cloud.
Even as he looked one dropped upon
his ear and another upon his forehead
and a third upon the back of his neck.
The unexpected pain brought him to
his feet with YELL
In the presence of others the CRY
would have been suppressed but back
here in the woods. with no one In
hearing, it was simply straight yell
OF surprised evaporation and pain. A
moment later he was tearing through
the woods with the speed of his col
lege racing days and with what he be.
lieved to be 10000 hornets singing a
death song about his head.
He had not gone more than a dozen
yards when he broke into an open
glade and almost into Miss Leslie's
arms The sight of her Brought him to
and he whirled swiftly with
The Intention of dashing in another di
rection, for he realized the conse.
quences to the girl. But her quiet, au.
lhorltative voice stayed him.
Throw yourself down upon YOUR
race, AIR. Caryton,"' she admonished.
Quick! It's the only way. DOM $
mind me- am here often and know
now to avoid the hornets"
He hcsitatcd but an instant tbe,
obeyed, burying his face deem in thf t
moss A little while and the yiciou. (
humming lessened and soon died ava, .
Nhen he rose cautiously and looked
around Miss Leslie was standing amono a
he foliage twenty yards away. where t.
she had retrcated so slowly as not r. I
attract the hornets attention. She i,
now came forward. :
nope you're not badly hurt. Mr.
Caryton." a