The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-07-01

TEARING THROUGH ness over the en-
THE WOODS. tire neighbor-
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 of,
when the first experimental blastings
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-
tion! And 1t was only midnight!
Caryton sank back and listened with
varying emotions-regret at his gen.
erosity, submission to a just retribu.
tion and finally a pleasurable sensa'
tion of retrograding to his own boy
hood BY l o'clock he was the ring
leader Of all their more daring demon.
strations.
But when he went in, long after
daylight, blackened and burned and
bruised, and tried to make himself
presentable for breakfast he felt thai
he had had enough Of the Fourth.
After breakfast Caryton made di
vision Of the remaining fireworks ant
then slipped from the house with hi
trout rod while the nephews were
gloating over their treasures.
He knew of trout stream that wan
dered aimlessly back among the trees
with apparently no object or destina
tion save to clothe Its banks will
moss. He would follow its eccentri
windings until perhaps he could ge
cool enough to induce some of tn
moss to grow upon him.
But as he passed the last house Il
the village and noted figure In ligh
dress upon the piazza half hidden b.
a climbing rose he was tempted to tur
in and spend the day there. He ha
met Miss Leslie only few times, bu
she was friendly little body and tn
most charming Of all the girls h
knew.
His feet even turned at the gate, bu
as they did so he heard wild ye
from the back yard, and he suddenl
swerved away, merely lifting his ha
to the figure. Miss Leslie had seve
brothers.
A half hour in the woods, and b
was beyond the songs of robins an
orioles and sparrows and only hear
the occasional voices Of hermit thrus
and tanager and woodpecker.
Presently he put his rod togetht
and cast a fly into the stream. Aft'
a half hour of desultory fishing |
found an enticing rock and seated hin
self upon 1t, leaning his back again
a tree trunk.
How long he slept-or If he slept
all-he did not know, but the FIR
thing he was acutely conscious OF WI
an effort to disentangle his hook fro
something behind and Of vicio'
humming In the air.
Turning hastily, he saw that
throwing his fly back for a new ca
he had caught the hook In an 1mmen
hornets nest and that in his effort
disentangle it he was bringing the nc
nets toward him In an angry cloud.
Even as he looked one dropped up'
his ear and another upon his torches
and a third upon the back of his nee
The unexpected pain brought him
his feet with yell.
In the presence Of others the c
would have been suppressed, but pa
here In the woods. with no one
hearing, it was simply a straight y
of surprised evaporation and pain.
moment later he was tearing throu
the woods with the speed OF his
lege racing days and with what ne
lIeyed to be 10000 hornets singing
death song about his head.
He had not gone more than do7
yards when he broke into an or
glade and almost into Miss Lesll
arms. The sight of her brought him
himself and he whirled swiftly W
the intention of dashing In another
rection, for he realized the con
uuences to the girl. But her quiet,
vniaa ctaVn1 him.
Throw yourself down upon y
face Mr.. Caryton," she admonish