The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-24


I why" said the captain 1.-The boys
| have turned you out because you have
refused to give them an Easter holiday.
oh returned Michael, that's 1t, is 1t?
Well. I'll see whether their parents are
to pay me for letting their children play
when they please" So saying, he adj
.vanced to the schoolhouse and demanded
tional surrender.
well, give us holiday them" said 20
little urchins within. land wen let you
in
open the door of the academy''-Mich-
ael would allow nobody to call 1t a school
house-"Open the door of the academy
this instant" said Michael, "or I'll break
1t down..
During this colloQuy took peep into
the fortress to see how the garrison was
affected by the parley. The little ones
were obviously panic-struck at the first
words of commands but their fears were
all chased away by the bold, determined
reply of Peter Jones and Bill Smith, and
they raised a whoop of defiance.
Michael now walked round the acade-
my three times{ examining all its weak
points with great care. Then he paused
reflected for moment and wheeled off
suddenly toward the woods, as though
bright thought had Just struck him. He
| passed 20 things which ] supposed he
might be In quest of-such as hugh stones,
| fence rails, portable logs, and the like
without bestowing the least attention
upon them. He went to one log, searched
| it thoroughly; then to another; then to
o hollow stump. peeped into it with great
care: then to a hollow log, into which he
| looked with equal caution, and so on.
What is he after?" inquired !.
I'm sure | don't know" said the cap
tain but the boys do. Don't you notice
| the GREATNESS silence which prevails In
the schoolhouse, and the intense anxiety
with which they are cycling him trough
| the cracks? ~
| At this moment, Michael had reached a
little excavation at the root of dog
| wood and was in the act of putting his
| hand into 1t when voice from the gar
| rison exclaimed with most touching
| pathos, .Lo'd o messy, he's found my
eggs. Boys, let's give up!'
IT won't give up was the reply from
many voices at once.
Rot your cowardly skin, zeph Petit
bone, you wouldn't give wooden egg for
| all the holidays In the worldv'
| IL these replies did not reconcile Zeph-
aniah to his apprehended loss 1t at least
silenced his complaints. In the meantime
| Michael was employed in relieving Zeph's
storehouse of its provisions and, truly
| its contents told well for Zepf's skill ir
gg-pecking. However, Michael took Out
the eggs with great care, and brought
them within a few PAGES of the school
house and laid them down with equal care
| in full view of the besieged. He revisited
the places which he had searched and tc
which he seemed to have been led by in
tuition for from nearly all of them die
he draw eggs in greater or less numbers
These he treated as he had done Zeph's
keeping each pile separate. Having ar
ranged the eggs in double files before the
door he marched between them with ar
air Of triumph and once more demand
ed surrender, under pain of an entire
destruction of the garrison's provisions.
| Break 'em just as quick as you
please" said George Griffen; .our moth.
ers'll give us a plenty more, won't they
pa?"
II can answer for yours, my SON." sale
the captain; "she would rather give ur
every egg upon the farm than see yol