Manchester Democrat., 1918-12-18

ed the sheets and put them in her
trunk and we thought no more Of
them until-but we shall know soon
what reminded us of the prophet
woman.
The autumn passed swiftly. I went
! to the village one Saturday with Un-
Gle Peabody in high hope of seeing
the Dunkelbergs, but at their door
we learned that they had gone up
the river on picnic. What blow
it was to me! Tears flowed down
my cheeks and I clung to my uncle's
hand and walked back to the main
street of the village. A squad of small
boys jeered and stuck out their
tongues at me. 1t was pity for my
| sorrows, no doubt, that led Uncle Pea
body to take me to the tavern for
dinner, where they were assuaged by
cakes and jellies and chicken pie.
At Christmas I got a picture-book
and forty raisins and three sticks Of
candy with red stripes on them and a
jew's-harp. That was the Christmas
we went down to Aunt Liza's to
spend the day and helped myself to
two pieces Of cake when the plate
was passed and cried because they all
laughed at my greediness. It was the
day when Aunt Liza's boy, Truman,
get silver watch and chain and her
daughter Mary gold ring, and when
all the relatives were invited to come
and be convinced, once and for all,
Of Uncle Roswell's prosperity, and
be filled with envy and reconciled
with jelly and preserves and roast
turkey with sage dressing and mince
and chicken pie. What an amount of
preparation we had made for the jour.
ney, and how long we had talked about
it!
In the spring my uncle hired a man
to work for us-a noisy, brawny,
sharp-featured fellow with keen gray
eyes, of the name of Dug Draper.
Aunt Deel hated him. I feared him
but regarded him with great hope
because he had a funny way of wink.
ing at me with one eye across the
table and, further, because he could
sing and did sing while he worked
way that amused me greatly. Then,
too, he could rip out words that had
a new and wonderful sound in them.
made up my mind that he was like
ly to become a valuable asset when /
heard Aunt Deel saw to my Uncle Pea
body:
you'll have to send that loafer
away, right now, ayes, I guess you
will"
"Why?"
Because this boy has learnt to
swear like pirate-ayes-he hasw
Uncle Peabody didn't know it but
I myself had begun to suspect it, and
that hour the man was sent away,
and remember that he left in anger
with number of those new words
flying from his lips. A forced march
to the upper room followed that event.
Uncle Peabody explained that 1t was
wicked to swear-that boys who did
it had very bad luck, and mine came
in a moment. I never had more of
it come along in the same length of
time.
After ceased to play with the
Wills boy Uncle Peabody used to
say, often, it was a pity that hadn't
somebody Of my own age for COM
pany. Every day I felt sorry that the
Wills boy had turned out so badly,
and doubt not the cat and the shep-
herd dog and the chickens and Uncle
Peabody also regretted his failures,
especially the dog and Uncle Peabody,
who bore all sorts Of indignities for
my sake.
One day when Uncle Peabody went
for the mail he brought Amos Grim.
shaw to visit me. He was four years
older, than Ia freckled, red-haired
boy with q large mouth and thin lips.
He wore silver watch and chain,
which strongly recommended him In
my view and enabled me to endure
his air Of condescension.
He let me feel it and look It all
over and I slyly touched the chain
with my tongue just to see If it had
any taste to it, and Amos told me
that his father had given it to him and
that it always kept him "kind o
scairt."
"Why?"
"For fear I'll break er lose it an
git licked" he answered.
He took a little yellow paper-cov-
cred book from his pocket and began
to read to himself.
"What's that? I ventured to ask
by and by.
"A story" he answered. II met
ragged OIL woman in the road t'other
day an she give me lot Of 'em and
showed me the pictures an I got to
readin' 'em. Don't you tell anybody
cause my Of dad hates stories an
he'd lick me It'll couldn't stan if he
knew I was readin' 'em."
I begged him to read out loud and
he read from a tale of two robbers
named ThunderbOlt and LightfOot who
lived in a cave in the mountains. They
were bold, free, swearing men who
rode beautiful horses at wild gal
lop and carried guns and used them
freely and with unerring skill and
helped themselves to what they want
ed.
He stopped, by and by, and confded
to me the fact that he thought he