Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1912-05-16

ouly tu0 yOuHB man Heft UOOf
playing on the fiddle, dear"
only playing on the fiddle! Only!
Only! And I must be wrenched again
wrench upon wrench! Mother,
waken up Polly!"
Polly was given q poke and she
opened her eyes and ears and scream
ed out. She had a rival at last. The
idea that something had come into the
n~eighborhood to co:4pete with her
voice maddened her. and she set out
to do justice to the occasion.
Great snakes, mother, but what is
that" gasped young %Islington as he
ceased to draw the bow to turn pale.
Its nothing, dear-nothing tall"
soothed the mother. ~ think the
folks next door have a parrot-just a
parrot"
Think! Think! Why, OF course
they have. and I am housed up here
with this twist and may be for a
month to come! BY the high jumpers
Of Jericho. but won't stand III"
But, Hugh dear"
And he fiddled and fddled and fd.
died, and the parrot yelled and yelled
and yelled, and the minister writing
his mex Sundays sermon II he house
across the street mopped his brow
and walked the floor and didn't say
a~nything-not aloud.
From the first wall Of the violin and
the first yell OF the parrot 1t was
rivalry. It was violin VS.. parrot-par-
rot vs. violin. Oh. the sadness of tt
for the %neighbors!
From morning TIL night, day after
day! II the best Polly could do was
to yell out that she wanted a cracker.
the best the fiddler could do was to
play "Old Black Joe" over and over
again. The advantage rather rested
with the violin. 1t didn't have to
sleep O. nights. while Polly did. she
did her very best to realize that honor
was at stake, ana that she must tri-
urnph or perish, but two hours after
lamplight would find her noddlng and
played out, while the violin was still
wide awake at II p. m.
Mother. that wretch shall never
conquer m~e-never!" Miss May would
exclaim half a dozen times a day;
and like an echo young Mr.. Ellington
would call out:
I'll bring her to her knees. moth.
er-to her knees!"
For a long month the battle ragged.
When a doctor who knows his busi-
ness catches a patient with a wrench
or a twist he is not going to surren.
der his inestimable privilege a day
,h1r< aP pnt, u,anly. IHuan NJ ~
end OF that time he is going to pay an
extra visit-fee $2-to warn him not
to try to climb a thorn tree without
pulling on stove-plpe trousers.
But the day came when Miss May
was permitted to walk out. Also Mr..
Islington! There was a grove a quar-
ter OF a mile away. Miss May natu-
rally headed for the grove. Mr.. Isllng-
ton naturally headed for the same
place.
Miss May naturally carried Polly
along to reward her for her heroic ef.
forts to preserve the family honor.
and Mr.. %Islington carried his violin
along that he might once more hear
the sweet strains OF "Old Black Joe"
in the sunshine. The girl reached the
grove first and was softly meditating
when a step aroused her. That young
man! That violin! They stood be-
fore her, and as she %shuddered the
parrot screamed.
"You-you-you!" gasped the
"~wrenchess."
THE girl with the parrot" exclaim.
/ ed the "twister."
Could aught save the day? Could
anything avert the impending trag-
edy? Had 1t beer two old men or
two old women-good-bye! But It
wal a good Hooking girl and a not at
all %bad-looking young fellow. and they
had had q square fight and were a bit
ashamed OF their petulance. and after
a gasp or two a bit Of a smile came
to their faces. Then the smiles broad
ened. Then grins succeeded. Then
Polly stood on her head and there
were two hearty laughs and Mr..
Isllngton said:
you are Miss Forbes. ! believe,
and ! congratulate you on getting out
again."
And you are Mr.. Islington, ! be-
lieve. and l also congratulate you"
II hope my violin was not disagree
able to you"
And I trust that Polly's chatter
did not make you nervous"
He sat down beside her and he told
her about that high Jump, and she
told him about the barrel. and It's on
record at the county clerks Office that
she even said that OF all musical in
struments she preferred the fiddle,