The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-27
DAILY SHORT STORY

the country In search OF mad dogD to
kill or highwaymen to arrest Mr.. De
Quincy did nothing Of the sort. He sat
on the veranda and smoked. or lay I'M
der the apple trees and snoozed. and
mad dogs and highwaymen had . good
time Of ii. He did rouse himself on An
occasion and take . pail to milk. but
he didn't have the bearing Of q hero
and he didn't look Q bit like one when
the COW kicked out and sent him
sprawling. He had shouldered . maiden
and walked backwards over Q bridge
while facing the desperate 4 flaws. but
instead Of shoulderinE the COW and cry
ing out: Back. 70 hounds Of hell. or
I fire" he had made . bse-line for the
house. On the stage tho gallop Of his
horse had been heard behind the
scenes as he came dashing up to the
rescue. and though Sybil couldn't see
him. she ina gined what Q hero figure
he cut One day on the farm he mount
ed the old gray marc for . little exer-
else. but the moment she struck Q trot
he was bounced OF. and complained Of
his back for two days
The second weeks board was due, hit
Mr.. De Quincy didn't alluds to II. SybIl
was to have the second "a to buy Q shirt
waist in one way It seemed to her that
1t was beneath a hero's dignity to speak
Of IS in cash, but in another she wondered
room window some night and leave her
shoeless and vaistlesa She had decided
not to make herself known to him, but
there was yet some Of the romance left.
The father had been saving wood and
saying nothing. but when the time came
to act he was on deck He felt that one
good shock was all that was needed. and
he prepared II. As he sat resting In his
aching back after dinner. he remarked to
tn hero. who had eaten As heartily a. II
he had paid his board in advance:
by the way. have you hunted for the
nests Of any medder larks yetr'
Il have not" was the reply.
Better go down in the medder where
you see that bush and the tall grass
around It I've read . heap Of poetry
about medder larks."
At that Mr.. De Quincy stood up and
recited a poem T., which the meadow lark
was referred to - terms Of highest
eulogy, and then sat down and said that
as soon as he was through smoking he
would take a wander down to the bush
and investigate. He loved nature. That's
why he was out in the country instead of
putting in the weeks at the Waldorf. He
wanted to get Just as close to nature as
he could. except kicking cows and old
gray mares There was an artifciality
about them that he did not like. He had
been studying the trees, the grass. the
growing corn, and many other things,
and now the meadow lark rising to greet
the newborn sun and trill her glad lay
should come under his observation. He
might have added that he had been
studying what to do when his board bill
reached the sum of 81. but he refrained.
He knew that heroes were always taken
care Of some how.
An hour later SYPHILIS hero was seen
heading for the meadow and the bush
He looked about the bush In vain. Not
a meadow lark or a nest. He was turn
ing away in a puzzled state Of mind when
he got a lift that jumped him two feet
high and made him yell out His yell
was not heroic. Then the meadow larka
began to rise up from the grass like the
1ocusts Of Egypt Other farmers would
have called them humble bees, but
Farmer Taylor was bit careless IN his
choice of names. Those bees were hop
ping mad. They went to business with .
vim. They jumped De Quincy straight up
In the air. They Jumped him sidewayA
They jumped him over the bush and the
nearest fence. They ran him mp Q hill
and down a Hill and across o creek, and
all the time he was jumping and running
he was yelling. When he had Jumped Q
second fence he found himsslf IN . field
with bull. and the bull couldn't let such
an opportunity pass ne JOINED N eno
gave chase. and the, last seen Of the k-ro
he was disappearing into tie woodA He
came not back THE third week vas M
within q day, and his only baggage con.
sisted Of two old shirts and Q pair Of
socks why should he returnf
IT kinder think / ought to 30 IN 10
the woods and look for that Teller" OBJ
served the farmer at the supper table
that evening.
You'd better get the constable after
him and make him pay his boardi" In.
dignantly exclaimed Sybil
Then. Al she dropped her fork and bent
to pick IT up. the father winked at the
mother, the only wink she had ever
known him to indulge IN during the thirty
years OF their married fife. and Q holy
calm seemed to settle down over an.
tCopgnsht. luSl