The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-04-18

going to the circus. Ablgail's hitter.
ness Increased She yearned to 20 10
the circus herself.
At last, when darkness settled over
Green lane and the cricket orchestra
was in full swing. Abigail arose with
determined air and walked around
her house to the woodshed. There
were no other houses in Green lane,
and she had the quiet little place to
herself Deliberately she chose a
Ratchet from the several that were
ranged along the vail and in the dark.
ness tried its edge with her thumb.
Satisfied, she went out into the lane
and gained Hannah Payne's front yard.
Under the mulberry tree it was very
dark, and Abigail kneit down ana ran
her fingers around the trunk until she
found a place where she knew the bark
was rough and Scared. A horse had
nlbbled the trunk when the tree had
been mere sapling.
Then, to the music of the circus band
playing down on the green, ABIGAIL
Hodson smote the mulberry tree blow
after blow on the rough SCARED place.
The Ratchet was sharp, and. her thin.
wiry arms were strong, and the blade
bit deep into the tree. A brisk north
west wind was blowing, and Abigail
had barely reached the heart Of the
tree when a hard gust came. There
was splitting, cracking sound. and
she had scarcely reached place OF
safety before the mulberry tree crash.
ed down, breaking the fence in its fall.
(, As IL suddenly impressed by the gray
ity Of the deed she had committed, abb
gail Hodson stood for several moments
as IL stunned. Then with a frightened
glance around her she picked up her
skirts and scudded home again. No
guilty murderer could have cleaned the
telltale instrument more carefully than
did Abigail her Ratchet after the fall
OF the tree.
Then she hastily changed her dress,
locked her house and ran down Green
lane. Five minutes afterward she en-
tered the circus tent. Yes. for the tlrst
time in her life Abigail Hodson went
to circus.
Hannah Payne saw her and nearly
tumbled or her narrow seat, She
crushed the bag of peanuts she had
been consuming into her pocket and
craned her neck to see where her erst-
while friend would sit Abigail took a
seat directly opposite Hannah Payne.
All the people stared very hard when
Abigail came into the tent because
they knew that her father and her
grandfather had disapproved of cir
cuses, and when the Hodsons disap
proved of anything their stubbornness
was quite rs remarkable as that Of the
Paynes.
Abigail Hodson broke all presidents
by entering the tent. and there was lit
tie doubt that her fellow church mem
bers would require an explanation. In
the meantime she must enjoy 1t IL she
could. for never again would she have
the inspiration. provocation. despera
tion-call 1t what you will-sufficient to
sustnin her during such trying ordeaI
Such was her excitement concerning
the mulberry tree that she did not en-
joy the circus at all. The clowns ap
peared silly, the horses old and decrepii
compared TO the graceful animals de.
plcted on the billboards: the lonely elG.
plant looked muddy and ancient be.
yond all belief: the performing dogs
were foolishly self conceited. This was
Abigail's estimate of her first circus.
When it was over she crowded for
ward TO make her escape from friends
and acquaintances who might have
seen her there and asked embarrassing
questions. She was almost the first
one to leave the tent. and she sped
away down the street with feet that
barely touched the ground. She made
up her mind that Hannah would guess
who had committed the deed. and she
Abigail, would not deny it She would
stoutly maintain that the tree was a
nuisance-a public nuisance-and II
Hannah Payne wanted to begin a suit
against her she could hive the papers
served at any instant
BY this time Abigail had reached
Green lane and was toiling up its
steep incline Ahead Of her in the
darkness she could see the darker bulk
of the fallen tree. and as she reached it
she hesitated. Behind her there came
hurried footsteps-those of Hannah