Evening star., 1918-09-08
SWATTY STORIES AND OTHERS
The Red Avengers

ed ne couldn't do anything else but
talk. Swatty could lie on his stomach
and chew an apple and play mum
blety-peg and kick hole in the sod
with one toe and talk. all at one
time. but Toady couldn't. He had to
" Mhsa Sp 1eAsn he sa ans sisrsJ s sks So
could cut In and say: Was your
grandmother monkey" and he'd
say, YES" as II he hadn't heard, and
go right on talking. He wouldn't
fight. like me and Swatty, and some
times Bony. would. II you thought 1t 1t
and pitched into him he would bend
down and turn his back and let you
melIer him until you got through. But,
mostly. he would talk somehow so
you wouldn't want to fight him.
That's no way for a boy to talk It's
But there was one thing about
Toady that was pretty good-he had
lots Of books. Dime lib'ry books. He
got the new ones as fast as they were
printed, and he read them behind his
geography at school, and 1t was be-
cause ne had them that we got to read
THE Red Avengers"
The chief Of the Red Avengers was
boy named Dick, and when he was
young and tender nursling his FOND
parents took him out west and they
started a ranch that covered almost
whole state. They had millions Of cat:
burned the ranch and Dicks parents
were burned to death, and Dick only
escaped by creeping into the chapar-
raj and hiding until he grew up into
a sturdy youthhood. SO then the
s' ana had paiit una houses vas1 ana nd barns bar % and
things, and when Dick asked for the
ranch back they laughed at him. So
he got together q lot Of true and
faithful youths and started the Red
Avengers Of the Trail and whenever
t they came to one ,nsv Of the
Whenever anybody did anything
mean to anybody in the band of the
Red Avengers. Dick wrote . note
saying the mean persons house
would be burned at a certain minute.
ana .an,.a5 the note would appear pea ,n,;r. mys-
And the house burned down, just as
the Red Avengers said 1t would, and
right on the minute.
So mo and Swatty and Bony we
started . Red Avengers band. We
swore a solemn oath never to divulgs
what any OF US did, and to follow the
orders Of the chief, whate'er might
betide. We had an election for chief,
and me and Swatty and Bony each
got one vote, SO we made Swatty the
chief. Swatty made us make him. So
was elected secretary and Bony was
elected treasurer. The secretary had
to write the vengeance warnings and
keep track of them In a memoran-
dunn book, SO We wouldn't forget who
we were going to be revenged on.
The treasurer didn't have anything
to do. It was an easy job.
We did all that one day out in our
barn. and, just when we had the Red
Avengers all fixed up, In came Toady.
He wanted the dime lib'ry back.
Jaw! come on. Toadyw Swatty said.
Let us keep It! You don't want it!'
'Yes, ! want IT," said Toady.
"All right for you, then, Toady"
Swatty said. Il was going to tell you
something. but II you're going to be
that mean I won't"
what was III" he asked.
Its all right what It was!" said
Swatty. you'll never know! Think
we'd tell You when You want your
old dime lib'Fy back? We won't ever
tell hom. will we, George? Win We,
Bony?"
90 We said NO. We wouldn't.
30 then Toady looked at us and his
eyes popped out; but Swatty threw
'"rhe Red Avengersf' book at him.
Take IT" he said. I'VE don't want
1t. anyway. We know everything