Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1913-01-16

II. Fl. Brewer of Chicago). was a great
tomboy and idoliZed her cousin, and
the two spent many a long. happy sum-
mer day at play in the woods. Long
before she knew letter he had filed
her mind and Imagination with the
Leather Stocking Tales" and what
he read to her or told her in the twi-
light on the veranda they acted out in
their play next day Casting aside all
the encumbranceS of civilization except
that which conservative authority in
the shape of the aunt and mother re-
quired, they stained their faces. arms
and legs with pokeberry juice and with
headdresses of feathers and armed
with bows and arrows crept out of the
house and stationed themselves by the
side Of lonely road leading from Au-
gusta to n negro settlement in the
piny woods Here they would lie in
wait until chance brought them their
victims in the shape of little darkies
on their way to town with bundles of
bloodcurdling warwhoops, they would
dash out upon the unsnspecting prey.
brandishing wooden tomahawks in
frightful fashion.
On other occasions the little girl had
to enact the part of various kinds of
game. Once she was supposed to be a
squirrel In the top Of a tree. So good
a mnrksman was her cousin that she
was hit by sm arrow and came tum-
bling to the ground at his feet. The
terrified little hunter carried her limp
body into the house with conscience
torn as It probably never has been
since, crying: Il am murderer. 1t
wasn't an accident killed her"
Young bones are supple, and the little
girl had happily sustained no injury,
Mr. Bones house stood next to the
United States arsenal. which after the
close OF the war was occupied by the
Federal troops, Tommy and Jessie
never tired of going to the guard
house. at the entrance to the arsenal
grounds, to look at the soldiers and
talk with them. One day. however.
Jessie's mother explained to her that
those friends of theirs We're Yankees
and had fought against the south 1t
was a great blow to the couple. and
they often discussed the feasibility of
converting the Yankees into PreSbyte-
rians. all good people being Presbyte-
rians and all wicked ones Yankees
Tom Wilson, for one reason or an
other, was not taught his letters until
long past the date at which most
youngsters have learned to read 1t
may have been that his mother, who
had been streuuouSly taught in her
! young years In England and who used
In later life to speak feelingily Of the
/ folly of having to learn Latin in ones
sixth year. had ideas OF her own about
forcing the young intellect II may
have been his father. who was a man
of very great positivenesS and origi.
nality of opinion, was averse to having
his son get his first gltmpsrs into the
world of knowledge otherwise than
through himself But. however Il
came about, Tom Wilson was not
taught his alphabet until he was nine
years old. There was great deal OF
reading aloud In the family. not only
his father and mother. but his two sis
tiers, frequently reading him choice ex
tracts from standard books Sir Wal
ter Scott and Dickens were made fa
mllar to the lad in this way He re-
members still the pleasure which his
father showed In "Pickwick." reading
the iuStallments aloud. with Mrs Wi
son as the Special audience, though
even NJ the early age OF eight the boy
remembers that he appreciated much
o: the humor OF the young author.