Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1917-02-22

For moment Mickey colored hotly,
Iooked embarrassed and made no re-
ply. Then mastering up his courage
and laughing, he began:
"Well, Mrs. Maxwell, 1t was Just
like this. Maybe you wont like 1t, but
I'll tell you all the same. Bein' as
was the president of the Juv'nul Band
Of Cleaners, thought I'd get the kids
together, and start somethin'. Satur-
day 1t rained cats and dogs, SO Billy
Burns, Sam Cooley, Dimple Perkins
and me, we went UP into the hay loft,
and I said to the kids, You fellows
have got to cough up some dough for
the church, and"
Contribute money, Mickey. Don't be
slangy," his mother interjected.
"Well l says, I'm runnin' the Juv'.
Ray. I've got a dandy scheme for
raisin' money and Well have some fun
doin' 1t, or miss my guess Then l
asked Sam Cooley how much money
he'd got, and Sam, he had forty four
cents, Billy Burns had fifty cents, and
Dimple had only two. Dimp never did
have much loose cash, anyway. But /
said to Dimp, Never mind Dimp; you
aint to blame. Your dads an old skin
rlint. I'll lend you six to start off with
Then l made Billy Burns sweep the
floor while Sam went down to the
chicken yard and caught my bantom
rooster, Tooley. Then I sent Dimp
after some chalk, and an empty peach
basket, and piece Of cord. Then we
was ready for business.
II marked big circle on the barn
floor with the chalk, and divided 1t
into four quarters with straight lines
runnin' through the middle. Then
turned the peach basket upside down
and tied one end of the string on the
bottom, and threw the other end up
over a beam overhead, so could pun
the basket off from the floor UP to
the beam by the string. You see,"
Mickey illustrated with graphic ges.
lures, "the basket hung just over the
middle of the circle like bell. Then
1 took the rooster and stuck him I'M
der the basket. Tooley hollered and
scratched like Sam Hill and"
For mercy sake, Mickey! What will
you say next?'
Say, ma, you just wait and see.
Well, Tooley kicked like everything,
but he had to go under just the same.
Then l said to the kids to sit around
the circle on the floor, and each
choose one of the four quarters for
hisself.-one for each of us. Now !
said, you must each cough up"
Nicholas"
ooh ma, do let me tell it without
calm me down every time. You kids
must hand out cent apiece and put
it on the floor in your own quarter
Then when l say ready, I'll pull the
string and raise the basket and let
Tooley out. Tooley'll get scared and
run. If he runs off the circle through
my quarter, then the four cents are
mine; but if he runs through Dimp's
quarter, then the four cents are
Dimp's."
1T was real excitin' when l pulled
the string, and the basket went up.
You'd ought to We been there, Mrs.
Maxwell. You'd have laughed fit to
split"
Nicholas Burke. you must stop talk
in like that, or FL send you home"
reproved Mrs. Burke, looking severely
at her son, and with deprecating side
glances at his audience.
Excuse me ma. 1t will be all over
in minute. But really. you'd have
laughed like sin-I mean you'd have
sust laughed yourself sick. Tooley was
awful nervous when the basket went
up. For minute he crouched and
stood still, scared stiff at the three
kids, all yellin' like mad; then he
ducked his head and bolted off the
circle through my quarter and flew up
on beam. thought the kids would
bust"
Mrs. Burke sighed heavily
"Well, burst, then. But while they
were laughin' | raked in the cash
You see just had to. | won it for fair
I'd kept quiet, and that's why Tooley
come across my quarter
Mrs. Maxwell was sorting over hel
music, while Maxwell's face was hid
den behind paper. Mrs. Burke was
| silent through despair. Mickey glance et
| furtively at his hearers for "A momen,
and then continued:
"Yes, the kids was tickled; but they
got awful quiet when | told them tt
| fork over another cent apiece for tho
| Jackpot"
what in the name of conscience
is jackpot" Hepsey asked.
Donald laughed and Mickey contin
ued:
"A jack-pot's a jackpot; there ism
no other name that l ever heard of
We caught Tooley and stuck him un
der the basket, and made him do 4