The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-03-31


go TO Sunday school you ought TO
know wat happen dem dat mock at
dc afIlcted OF de Lord"
Rachel, coming out OF the house.
heard tho last words and asked. ''Wha'
him saying. Methuaelah?"
Rachel. am sorry to say your son
standet In great need OF chastisement,
He Is a mocker, nam"
"Den / goin' TO give Il 10 him." re-
piled the mother, making a dive at
Son-son, who, always on the alert for
such emergencies, made good his es.
cape.
''Nebber min, me buoy! Wen you
clothes come of tonight is de time!
Shuranee, pickney!"
A threat which she made good In a
way that Son-son did not soon forget,
and the wales on his little body
served to keep strong his desire for
revenge until the opportunity came TO
crafty II. This happened one market
day when Rachel went on 10 the near.
est town, taking Franoella with her,
son-son being left to take care OF the
house. Then the old, time-worn adage
concerning idle hands and mischief re.
ceived confirmation once again.
With nothing 20 do until time TO cook
his midday meal, the boy lay under
the iackfruit tree and fell fast asleep.
He was awakened by the noisy cack.
ling of hen who was slowly hopping
down the ladder OF the fowl-house
Up he jumped, soaring the hen until
she forgot her dignity and flew
screaming away to join the other
members OF Rachel's feathered flock.
while he ran nimbly up the ladder and
as nlmbly down again with a big
brown egg in his hands At the foot
OF the ladder a sudden Thought
struck him; he put his finger In his
mouth and hung his head for a mo-
ment then nodded as II his decision
pleased, him. Taking the ladder into
the house, he proceeded TO investigate
the walls and roof At the point
where his mothers money box lay
hidden he noticed that the thatch had
been disturbed and with a grin OF de-
lighted expectation he put the ladder
into position and running up II was
soon in possession of Rachel's treas
ure. He shook the box, then tried to
get his finger through the opening
and, failing, put the box into his pock.
ct and scrambling down carried the
ladGer back to the fowl-house and re-
turned himself to the shade OF the
jackfruit tree, where, with the aid Of
a penknife, the lid was soon removed
from the box and Son-son gazed at
the golden coins with much curiosity
That they were money he knew, but
of their value or where they might be
changed he was ignorant; besides, he
had no immediate use for them, be.
yond the feeling of anger against her
lover their loss would cause his moth
er. So, digging a deep hole under
shelter of a low-growing rose bush,
and mailing back the lid of the box, he
buried his treasure as he knew was
customary with the Spanish buc-
Then he built a fire of
brambles, cooked his fish and cocoa
thereon, and, having eaten them,
stretched himself once more under his
'avorite tree to yawn away the time
till his mothers return.
Rachel arrived in high spirits, hay-
ing sold her provisions to such good |
, ,dvopfogo fbot 4bo ,r,oddiver o,ourn bad |
been purchased without breaking in
IN her golden store. That evening
when Methuselah came to pay his I
Usual visit, she displayed to his ad-
hiring eyes a piece Of white silk gaily
lowered explaining that the ten
pounds was still intact, and would now
serve to pay for an addition to her
louse, in which they would live after
it being already a good deal
arger than her fiance's bachelor resi-
lence.
AN been t'inkin', Methuselah,"
aid she, dat de bes' ting to do wild
lat money, meanwhile, is to put it in
Ie bank Wat you say to dat? l
ink l will jis' get it down now Vile
'ou is here to hold de ladder for me"
Glancing at the two children, who
we're sound asleep in corner of the
oom, and without waiting for Methu
elah's expression of opinion, she went
ut to get the ladder. AS before, he
eld it in place while she mounted
nd searched among the thatch, her
ace expressing more and more be-
when her treasure was
OF forthcoming. When the truth
awned upon her, she slid down the
adder, and seized the little shrunken
ody at the foot of it in her strong
rms.
What followed Methuselah could
ever rightly recall until he found
imself mounted on his mule, and
ding for dear life out of the yard
t the gate something whizzed past {
is head and startled his mule, which /
roke into a wild gallop, landing Me- |
luselah on the top Of his head in a
)adside drain. Here he lay for !
lille stunned by the fall. and it was
lidnight before he lifted the latch Of I
is little cottage door, and threw him s
Elf, all battered and faint, upon his /
ed. The mule had found his way {
ONE sooner, and was quietly crop
ing the short grass around the hut, 9
ithout one qualm Of conscience to {
sturb his repast. t
Not long after this an uncle of Me- S
luselah's died, leaving him what, in {
le eyes Of his black friends, seemed S
large fortune, and then Rachel be- {
an to repent of her hasty judgment. d
Even if him did teck de money it r
ouldn' matter, for him got more dan v
1t now himself, an him so weak r