The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-04-05

Sir Grayplume came homo one
morning in great excitement and with
a big lump on his nose What do
you think ?" he said to Lady Gray
plume There are two boys at the
farmhouse. those who were here last
summer. They've brought slfngsnots
this time and are plugging that
what they call it--everything that
runs or flies. Just look at my nose.
20. you poor thing How 1t must
hurt" his wife exclaimed as she nur-
RED to apply first aid" After she
had licked the bruise--it was where
Sir Grayplume could not attend TO II
himself and fused over him DIT.
she said, Dear me! l must call the
children right away | went nave
minutes peace while they are our OF
my sight. Whatever shall We do. my
lord 2"
do? Well have to move
What? Leave this lovely oak rec,
with all our supplies in and every
thing fixed snug for the winter why.
my lord, you must be crazy ~ VIII
take us two weeks to move all our
stuff, and where shall we find an'thsr
house like this--so high up and saIe
and with seven big. roomy closets
Sir Grayplume. manlike. could only
say: II don't know. but / do Know
that I've got to take nap. I'm ured
to death, for I never ran so fast IN
my life" He curled himself into a
little ball, drew his bushy tail over his
wounded face. and shut his eyes.
Lady Grayplume put her head out
of her knothole door and gave WIN
Ing chirrup. In minute three nano,
some halfgrown Grayplumes whisked
in. Like all children. they were hun
cry when they got home, and they had
to have a luncheon. After they had
eaten some beechnuts, their motner
told them the bad news and charged
them not to stir a foot or tail out OF
the house until after they moved
Like good children. they cuddled
down beside their father and kept so
still that they soon fell asleep.
Lady Grayplume expected visitors
that day her cousins who lived In the
hickory grove She had planned to
have appledumplings for dinner ana
siingshots or not, she didn't Intend
to change her bill of fare. The
apple pickers had left some scatter
ing apples on the sweet apple tree.
and would be a shame to let them 60
to waste Besides, the heavy frosts
were due any night, and she wished
to have fresh food as long as possible.
Leaving her family sound asleep,
she hurried away to the orchard. al
ways keeping under cover as much
as possible. She reached the sweet
apple tree and scented a nice rosy
apple She got 1t safely home and re-
turned for another. This time she
found Tommy Topknot hunting for
borers. He was hammering away so
buslIy that he didn't stop to say
Good morning" Lady Grayplume
had just. found another rosy checked
apple when Zip" went little stone
against the limb she was on. There
wasn't boy in sight. but she was
sure 1t came from those horrid boys.
Tommy Topknot flew away, and Lady
Grayplume dropped her apple and
scurried into Mrs. Redplume's front
door (the Redplumes used to live in
the sweet apple tree, but had moved
Just before nut gathering time.) How
glad she was to find a refuge so
near
Harls What was that frightful
dams. That was exactly what the
and they burst from the shed where
they had been hiding and began to
dance around the tree like mad. La
dy Grayplume huddled into the dark
est corner she could find and bristled
with fright. She would have been
more frightened had she known that
she was a tiger and that Tommy Top
knot was bald eagle, and that Red
Cloud and XIII Scalp meant to take
them to their wigwam. dead ar alive.
But bark again, Somebody had
seen the shooting. Grandpa. Wasn't