The Prescott daily news., 1912-08-29
THE RED-HEADED
 BOYS BIG BONFIRE


 telephone pole in the alley, no right minded person could blame her for losing her temper if red-headed boy with wide mouth and the Ingenuity of fiend should start smudgy bon fire directly below.
 The red-headed boy worked In Simms grocery, one of the stores that occupied the ground floor of the flat building. He was poking the fire as though he enjoyed 1t when Miss Clancy saw him.
 Say, you, Tommy Herkimer!S Miss Clancy called threateningly. See what you're doing to my wash!~
 Tommy grinned up at her and gave the fire another stirring. Great clouds of smoke and black smudges wavered upward, seeking the chaste whiteness of the Clancy linen.
 "Stop it!" Miss Clancy shrieked, shaking one fist in the offenders di- rection. The fist was small and white, for 1t was Miss Clancy's mother who had washed the clothes, her pretty daughters share in the work being the hanging out process. Mrs. Clancy was proud of Sadie's hands just as she was proud of Sadie's crisply curling black hair and blue eyes and the gen. eral freshness of her. "Stop it, I say! You're horrid, and if you don't stop 1t I'll"
 "Yah-h-h!" yelled Tommy, derisive- ly. q ain't afraid of you, Sadie Clan cy! You cant do nothin'!" Sadie Clancy shot down the one flight of stairs like an angry comet and catapulted toward Tommy. Drop ping the broom handle with which he was stirring the fire, Tommy bolted, with Sadie after him. He darted to- ward the back door of the grocery and swerved just as that door filled with the bulk of young Simms himself. Young Simms being Sadie's devoted worshiper, Tommy recognized that here was no safe haven. Indeed, after a breathless word from Sadie, Simms also joined the chase down the alley As he rushed past one of the delivery wagons he caught his foot In the trailing lines and pitched headlong In the dust.
 Pickles and prunes!" young Simms exploded as he staggered up. "Oh, did you hurt yourself?" Sadie cried, looking around in horror. Right in her course was the water hydrant and, hitting it, she, too, ornamented the alley pavement.
 Don't you know anything worse | than that?" she gasped out furiously as Simms picked her up, roaring Coffee cakes and buns! Let me get my hands on him!"
 Tommy, who had paused interested ly to view the unexpected gymnastics, | was doubled up in mirth. He began | to run again when his furious pur- suers darted toward him. Spying an | open door into the basement under Leigh's furniture store, he dashed in and his pursuers followed. Sadie was in the lead. Rounding some crates of dressers, she saw a human object shrunk up close to the last crate. She grabbed it with shriek of triumph, to which the object responded with howl. Young Simms, arriving, also grabbed.
 'Gotchu!" the object yelled in terri ble slee. Twill play tag in my base ment and carve initials all over the mahogany, will yer? I'll teach you kids lesson! I've been a-layin for yeh and now I've got yeh!" Leigh, the furniture man, as he spoke was shaking Sadie and young Simms, occasionally knocking their heads together for emphasis. Sudden ly the size of Simms seemed to con- fuse him and he jerked his captives into the light of gas jet.
 Good land!" Leigh gurgled, releas- ing his hold. He stared at his neigh bors whom he had been shaking.
 "Why-why-" stammered Leigh, and sat down meekly. Then he gave sort of groan and scrambled to his feet. He had sat down in a bucket of varnish-
 "Oh-h-h-h!" Sadie wept historically, clinging to young Simms. He put his arm around her protectingly and jam- med 1t against nall point that was projecting through one of the uprights in the wall.
 "Woo-o-of!" roared simms, clasping his wound
 Somewhere in the distance of the basement there was a strangled but demoniac laugh that sounded as though emanating from a red-headed boy with wide mouth.
 Let him go." said young Simms as he put his arm around Sadie again.