The San Francisco call., 1910-12-11
On 8 I'LL.

I gave a leap and cleared it, but he
forgot 1t was there, and fell. just about
as far and as hard as he could fall
just as 1 expected. Then / had my
laugh, and I guess he did, too, inward
ly, for he always liked fair play and en-
joyed the joke, even when 1t was on
him, but all he said was, Didn't thee
know 1 might have broken a leg?'"
Practical Joking is a contagious NAL
ady, and it wasn't long before we
planned an elaborate stunt-a sheet
and pillow case surprise party on the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. tribe of cousins
living about mile down from Uncle
Wits. Edith and Belle put in most of
the day making masks, for in the coun-
try all such things must be home made
Seems to me half the fun is doing the
thing about as quick as you have
thought about it, anyhow While we
were planning, and all through the day
at intervals, Uncle Will would say,
you're foolish. Let me give them a
hint down there. Those madcap boys,
especially that Ike that is down from
Greensburg visiting. are just as likely
as not to begin shooting when they see
a lot of ghosts. They may think it's
kuklux come to life" But we laughed
at the idea and made him promise not
to give even hint.
When we were ready, we were as
fine looking a lot of ghosts as you
could wish to see. Sam had fastened
the lantern on top of his head, lit, and
with the mask in position, had draped
his sheet from there, so it made him
about seven feet tall Each one of us
had tried some fantastic touch, but
Sam was the best Uncle VIII hadn't
come in from the barn when we
were all ready to start, and when he
did come he was much annoyed because
Jones had sent one of the little boys
over to ask If Uncle Will wouldn't
come over as soon as he could to give
him a lift for a few minutes. AS the
boy didn't know exactly what his
father was doing or intending, and
1t makes a heap OF difference some
times, he guessed he would be Obliged
to go. so we could carry his things and
he would hike along; we could go slow,
and he thought he could overtake us.
We had planned to let the Richard
sons know of our arrival by Kilkenny
serenade. OF course, you know what
that is. Each one has selected a song
different from all the others and at
signal from the conductor we attack
in a unison that would gladden. the
heart of our old singing master. In
order not to be diverted from his
chosen song each must sing as loud as
is possible. We all did, and it was go
ing fine when the guns began to pop
from an upper window and Uncle Had
fey groaned. I'm shot, I'm shot!" and
seemed to be falling. OF course, the
joke was on us. as soon as we had got
to rights enough to realize that Uncle
viii had sure enough "hiked along
fast" got the boys with their guns,
telling them not a word except keep
still and shoot when / shoot" OF
course, when the serenade began they
understood and of course they all fired
into the air, and of course Uncle Had
ley only said he was shot because
Uncle Will had told him to say that.
Nobody felt bad over il. We payed
charades-the old fashioned kind, where
you make up your own talk and busi-
ness as you go along on lines the cap
tain has suggested-all evening, and
Uncle viii and Uncle Hadley were al
ways getting the worst Of it. We'd had
no chance TO plan how we would get
even, but il seemed to come perfectly
natural to every one of us to give them
the worst Of il. With. the Richardson
crowd we were IA in all, just plenty for
good acts. / wonder why you children
don't play charades,