Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-03-26
RsRD LUGAs IN NUGGET
-
5y HAROLD CARTER


when you think you've roped them
they're up and away like a wild NAV
erick Now there was Miss Rose
Crawford, who kept books for Jim
Riley First he thought he'd got her
and then he thought he hadn't, and
then, Just when he thought he had
VEN
We'd heard a new preacher was
coming to Nugget, and naturally the
boys were interested. Doctor Hadley,
who had been with us six years, had
been thought good deal of. His Sat-
urday night illustrated lectures on the
wonders of nature had proved a live
wire jim Riley had won the prize
Doctor Hadley offered for the best col
lection OF lizards and Tom Bullen's
wife got the prize he gave for the best
cake baked for the church sociable;
and so, with the parson gone, we saw
all our innocent pastimes nipped in
The bud unless Mr.. Frank Cunning
ham turned out sociable sort of man
like his predecessor.
The minute he steps off the train,
however, he looks so queer we see
something is wrong He looks about
him surprisedlike
where's your outlaws?" he asks.
"There amt been none here for
these ten years, not since they passed
the antigambling laws" says Tom
Why don't you carry pistols?" the
parson asks, still more surprised.
'They's taxed too high" explains.
Times is hard in Nugget"
What, don't you shoot up tender
feet who take drinks of lemonade?"
he demands.
Everybody drinks lemonade, mis-
ter" explains Jim Riley. This is a
prohibition county" r.
Naturally-this didn't make too good
an impression on US, especially when
he preached a sermon against outlaws
from the pulpit the first Sunday The
boys had another thing against him,
too He'd asked Miss Rose to go bug
gy-riding with him on the Wednesday,
and as Jim Riley had been monopoliz.
ing her a good deal, we didn't like the
butting-in feature However, Miss
Rose went with him.
He didn't talk about nothing but
outlaws" she said to us. He thinks
we're hiding the vice of Nugget from
him to prevent his breaking it up
He says if he spots it he's going to
smash it." b
SO that's why he come nosine
round my back door on Sunday before
church," exclaimed jim, hotly. Want
ed to see if l was violating the tenn
perance laws, eh?"
Well, after another week had gone
by things was getting unbearable
None Of us wanted to lay hands on the
| parson, but we saw he hadn't come tC
Nugget in an understanding spirit
Moreover, he was bothering Miss
Rose, and we didn't like that
Now I tell you how it is, boys,
says Tom Bullen, What he wants il
to prove himself. He's like a youni
horse that hasn't been broke Het
/ like a soldier going into battle, whC
thinks he's a hero and has to lear1
that it will take all his heroism tt
keep from running away. If once h,
! gets up against what he's looking TO
he'll sing pretty small and possibl.
turn out to be a good Teller"
And then he outlined his plan to us
We were to, stage an attempted ah
duction
1t was three nights later, before tn
moon come up, that we carried out tn
plan. Jim and Tom lay in wait at tn
parsonage corner, about the time whel
Miss Rose used to walk home iron
the store We knew the parson woul
be waiting for her, to say good eve
ming and to offer to escort her, an
the rest of us was hiding in Ephraim'
store across the street, to see the fur
Just as Miss Rose was passing tn
parsonage Jim and Tom leaps out an
grabs her Scream? 1 never heard
girl holler like it. Jim said afterwar
Il scared him into thinking he wa
really trying to abduct her.
Help! Help" she cried at the to
of her voice.
suddenly the parsonage door opene
nd Mr. Cunningham came out.
Wh-wh-Whats the matter?" h
hammered.
1t was so dark some of us had take
The opportunity to creep up close, an
l tell you it fairly scared me stiff t
think a man could be such a coward
The parson was positively shakin
with fright, and he looked as if h
as going to turn tail any instant.
you leave that young lady alone,
he mumbled; and then he caught sigh
, Of Miss Roses face.
Next instant he had landed like
catapult right into the pair of then
] Before he knew it, Jim was lying /
T. the road with a cut lip and Tom wa
a leaning against the wall with bruise
eye. But the parson was at thei
again, and there wasn't nothing to d
but to turn tail. We ran, the lot {
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