The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1912-03-07
'FRECKLES
BY
Gene SGTaGG0m-
Porter
COPYRIGHT. 1904. BY DOUBLEDAY. PACE
q co.

so truly ornamental that, idle like,
chips of the rough places neat, and
this morning. on me soul. It's sight
You see. cutting of the limbs and
trimming up the trunks sets the sap
running. In this hot sun It ferments
IN few hours. There isn't much
room for more things to crowd on
that tree than there are. and TO get
drunken isn't noways possible"
"Weel. / be drawed onr' exclaimed
Mrs. Duncan. what kind of things
do We mean. FrecklesT
"Why. Just an army OF black ants
Some OF them are sucking away like
old topers. Some OF them are setting
up on their tails and hind legs, I'D.
ding away with their fore feet and
wiping their eyes. Some are rolling
around on the ground, contented.
There are quantities of big buebottle
flies over the bark and hanging on the
grasses about. too drunk to steer p
course flying. so they just buzz away
like flying and all the time sitting
! still. The snake feeders are too full 10
feed anything. even more sap to them
selves There's a lot OF hard backed
| bugs-beetles. | guess-colored like the
! brown. blue and black OF q peacock's
tail They hang on until the legs OF
| them are so wake they can't stick o
minute longer. and then they break
away and fall TO the ground They Just
| lay there on their backs, fably claw
| ing air. When IL wears OF q bit, up
they get and go crawling back for
more. aud they so full they bump into
each other and roll over. Sometimes
they can't climb the tree until they
wait 10 sober up little There's lot
OF big black and gold bumblebees, done
for entire. stumbling over the bark
and rolling on the ground. They just
lay there on their backs. rocking from
side to side, singing to themselves like
fat. happy babies. The wild bees keep
up n steady buzzing with the beating
OF their wings.
"1rhe butterflies are the worst old
tOpers of them all. They're Just cir.
Gus. You never saw the beat OF the
beauties. They come every color you
could be naming and every shape you
could be thinking up. They drink and
drink until II I'm driving them away
they stagger as they fly and turn SOM
ersauts In the air. II | lave them
alone they cling to the grasses. SILVER
ing happy-like. and I'm blest. Mother
Duncan. II rhe best of them could be
unlocking the front door with a lead |
pencil. even"
II never heard of anything sac sur
prising." said Mrs. Duncan.
ITS rare sight TO watch them. |
and no one ever mude picture of n
thing like that before. I'm for think
ing" said Freckles earnestly.
Ma" said Mrs. Duncan. ''Ye can
be pretty sure there didna. The Bird
Woman must have word In some way
II ye walk the line and | walk TO
town and tell her"
Freckes took his lunch and went
down TO the swamp. He could find
no trace OF anything, yet he felt
tense nervousness. as II trouble might
be brooding. He came around to his
'oom and cautiously scanned the en-
rance before he stepped I'm. Then he
pushed the bushes apart with his right
lrm and entered. his left nand on the
butt OF his favorite revolver. instantly
ne knew that some one had been there
lie could find no trace OF clew TO
confirm his belief. yet so intimate was
le with the spirit OF the place that he
,new
He was most sure about the case.
Nothing was disturbed. yet It seemed
o Freckles that he could see where
,rylng fingers had tried the lock. He
topped back of the case. carefully
SamlnIng the ground all about it. and
lose by the tree to which II was nailed
q found n deep, fresh footprint I'm the
pongy sofia long. narrow print. that
ras never made by the foot OF Wess-
or The feeling rose that he was {
cling watched
Growing FESTIVE at last under the |
train. be plunged boldly into the {
wamp and searched minutely all
bout his room. but he could not dis {
over the least thing TO give him fur
ler cause for alarm Every rod he
-nyelpd he used the caution that {
1rang from knowledge OF danger and
le direction from which Il would a
-obably come. Several times he v
fought Of sending for Mclean. but for
Is life he could not make up his mind {
, DO II with nothing more tangible q
ian one footprint 10 Justify him. n
He waited until be was sure Duncan o
ould be AZ home II he were coming
" the night. before be went up TO d
upper. The FIRST thing be saw as he q
'Ossed the swale was the big bays in
ie yard G
There had been no one passing that q
", and Duncan readily agreed 10
atcb until Freckies rode 10 town. q
e told Duncan Of the footprint and U
-ged him 20 watch closely. duncan G
"a he might rest easy and. filing his y
" sad taking good revolver. went y
swa 10 the LinberlOst o.
ErsckIss made himself clean and a.
AT and raced for town. bot II vas &
zht and the stars we're shining be