The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-08-04
DAISY'S DEMISE.
BY EPEs w. SARGENT.

BLY, announced OalSy SOleLuuAy'
Il gotter die"
Billy Seaton' big blue eyes grew
round NIX surprise.
Don't" he urged. Tommy Bind
ley's birthday Varty is next week, and
they're goin "a have five kinds of cake
and three kinds of ice cream. Bill was
sick last year, and this is last years
! party, too
I'm not going to he dead that long"
explained Daisy. This IS only little
dead"
Il don't see no fun in dying just for
little while" scorned Billy, his fears
allayed. "If 1 was going to die I'd
want to stay de31--bLt l don't want
to die" he added hastily.
Il don't want to-" admitted Daisy,
"'but 1 gotter. You know my lace
shawl?"
Billy nodded. He had reason for
remembering the shawl, for had he not
been spanked for throwing a bit of
! Jelly cake at Daisy when she was wear
ing it? 1t was old and yellow, but they
had made terrible fuss about it.
II cut a teenty place often it." con-
/ tinued Daisy. "It was the littlest bit
of a piece, but" her voice hushed to
an awed whisper, I'm going to be
4
Billy nodded Understandings. 1t
was Mrs. Dunlop's principle to permit
at least twelve hours to elapse between
/ the detection and punishment of jul
venile offenses, during which period
the culprit was permitted to suffer
those agonies of anticipation for more
! effective than the gentle spanking
Billy preferred his mothers plan, in
which the sole of the maternal slipper
| followed hot upon the heels of discov-
cry, and he regarded the tiny culprit
ompassiOnately.
MA won't be back until g." said
Daisy. You help me, won't you,
Billy?''
Billy nodded, and so it happened that
when Mrs Dunlop appeared on the
piazza of the summer resort hotel to
ask if any one had seen her small
daughter, not even Alice, Daisy's elder
sister, could give any information.
At this opportune moment appeared
BILLY from the road leading from the
small stream by courtesy called a river.
In one hand he carried a pail of frogs
and in the other a battred and drip
ping wreck that once had been a straw
hat.
With a scream which startled the
!
the lawn towards the approaching boy.
for her mothers eyes had recognized
4 the headgear which to others was still
a shapeless mass of wet straw.
Where did you get Daisy's hat,
Billy?" demanded the frantic mother
Found it," was the prompt response.
Il was down below the dam huntin'
! frogs, and this come over the dam"
1T is my Daisys,' sobbed the frantic
mother, clasping the wet thing to her
breast. She cut up her lace shawl
4 that had been my own grandmother S
| to make dress for her doll, and
told her that she, should have a whip
ping when j came back from the vii
lage. The poor, sensitive little thing
has drowned Herself
In an instant all was confusion
Kindly hands led the mother back to
the. piazza and the men at once organ
ized searching parties.
Alice Dunlop numbered her con-
] quests by the score, and each sutton
1 WIS hopeful that by recovering her
SISTER, dead or alive, he should win
! gratitude that should later turn the
scales in his favor
Paul Findlay was one of these.
though, to do him justice, he would
have acted as quickly without the in
centive. He was hurrying across the
lawn when pudgy hand tugged at
his coat and drew him toward a clump
of shrubbery.
Gross your heart never to -tell?"
obligated Billy.
Paul gave the desired assurance.
An give me your big jackknife?"
bartered Billy.
ssAnd tho lxpifa accaptad Do,,1
You know the old mill?" reminded
Billy. Not the new one by the dam.
but the one where the dam used to De
! Say Coo-ee three times Remember.
you promised not to give us away"
Paul nodded and rushed on, while
the self-satisfied manager OF The cam
paign went in search OF the chef to
coax him to cook the frog legs for
supper.
1t was not long before Paul returned,
bearing his tiny burden and explain
ing to those who had dragged the pond
that it had occurred to him to search
| the bank further up the stream.
she was all tired out from her
tramp" he concluded, as he placed her
in Mrs. Dunlops arms. she never
was in the water. The wind blew her
hat of"
Tears were turned to repoicing. All
Of the summer girls fastened to offer
Daisy candy out of their boxes, and as
Daisy speedily told her well-planned
story Of how she had strayed into the
woods and had become lost, Bill stood
beside and listened in open-mouthed
admiration to her Munchausen tale.
Then the child was carried upstairs
to be washed and dressed for dinner,
and the beaming Mrs. Dunlop cooed
SOFT pleas of forgiveness.
Billy strOlled away to one of the
summer houses, there to encounter
Paul and Alice in the first blissfuI
stage of their sudden engagement.
They did not see him for a moment,
| Paul, looking up, was the first to no
/ tice him
Come for thy pound of flesh, o,
Shylock?" he demanded.
Billy shook his head.
Il just was walkin' around" he ex-
planned. Il didn't know that you was
here, honest"
"All the. same" declared Paul,
4.