Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-03-27
COnCeited Billy
81 81 So ssggI 81 81
By CHARLES G.. d. ROBERTS.

did you see noose-fght, Uncle Andy
asked the Shany Kid who had been watching set-to
between two small black ants and big brown
We'll" said Uncle Andy, automatically he
knocked out his pipe the log, they certainly
great scrappers those big bull moose But the fellow
that thinks he fight a moose-calf. There was a
little chap down the Diggity gnash one Summer that
tate to say So
What was his name' inquired the shanty Kid
B se neay
Big Moose and this little bull felt much bigger than
he was ever going TO be. His mother the biggest, and
blacklist and hercest moscow the DiggIty gnash
thought him the most beautiful thing the world and
never butted him around to teach him his place. the
way the other mothers used do their youngsters.
WAS he really beautiful" demanded the S.Ianty
"Humphp grunted Uncle Andy What would you
Think His color nice enough, to be sure. being
rich dark brown. But he had big, awkward head,
with ridcuously long overhanging upper lp-and
big awkward low the head--and legs,
which were absurdly long and awkward, tipped with
huge, spreading hoos then his shoulders were SO big
actually mean And his tail--why the poorest mule
earth would have been ashamed to tit only
But if Billy Gitchemoos was bumptious there was,
after all, some excuse for it outside of his mothers
spoiling many things happened TO make him feel
big For instance, one day when his mother in
the water eating water-ily roots, he decided wade
up to the knees he stopped rather startled There
right in front of him, the end of drowned stump,
sat huge frog staring at him with strange, bright
frog terribly frightened, turned somersault the
log and disappeared with great splash. No wonder,
said Uncle Andy, with sdeong glance at the Shanty
Kid, Billy felt proud of himself Tor that frogs eyes
very fierce"
The Shanty Kid giggled.
Another time, when he had wandered little away
from his mother. he face face with a big
brown rabbit behind bush, The RABBIT right up
its hind quarters, stuck its long forward and
looked him severely He had rabbit
before but he shook his head brayely the intruder,
and snorted as loud as he could and the rabbit ran
away at once, its white tail bobbing franticay. 1t
the way with the partridges the squirrels,
and even the fat sury woodchucks. Sometimes the
woodchucks were saucy enough to face him when he
snored them; but when he lowered his big head and
ran at them, they got ont of his way, tell you"
Il guess they had to!" agreed the Shanty Kid, sha-
king his head sympathetcally
80 you see it wonder that Billy Gitche-
moos felt big But day. along toward Fall, he
came bump up against hard experience"
"Huh!" said the Shanty Kid. What t?
WELL" said Uncle Andy "in this case it was young
bear cub whose mother had been shot few days
earlier and who was very busy trying to learn how
to- look out for himself Billy had wandered off by
himself up among the broken, bushy ravines of the
ridge that shuts in the river valley and all at he
upon the cub. The cub said Wool, and sat up,
just the rabbit had done-but he looked much
terrible than the rabbit tell you with his black fur
and brown and fierce, twnklng little eyes Also
he big number of rabbits put together But
Billy didn't care for that He>snarted shook his head