Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-01-09

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At Christmas I got picture-book
and forty raisins and three sticks OF
candy with red stripes on them ana
jsw's-harp. That was the Christmas
We went down to Aunt Liza's 10
spend the day and l helped myself to
two pieces of cake when the plate
was passed and cried because they all
laughed at my greedineSs. 1t was the
day when Aunt Liza's boy, Truman.
got silver watch and chain and her
daughter Mary gold ring, and when
all ths relatives were invited to come
and be convinced once and for all.
Of Uncle Roswel's prosperity, and
be filed with envy and reeonciled
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
itl
In the spring my uncle hired 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. / feared him
bat regarded him with great hope
because he had funny way of wink
ing at mo with one eye across the
table and, further, because he could
sing and did sing while he worked
songs that ratified from his lips in a
way that amused me. greatly. Then,
too, he could rip out words that had
new and wonderful sound in them.
i made up my mind that he was like
ly to become a valuable asset when
heard Aunt Desl saw to my Uncle Pea
body:
"Youn have to send that loafer
away, right now, ayes, guess you
will"
= "WhyT
Because this boy has learnt to
swear like pirate-ayes-he has!'
Uncle Peabody didn't know it but
/ myself had begun to suspect it, and
that hour the man was sent away,
and l remember that he left in anger
with a number of those new words
flying from his lips. A forced march
to the upper room followed that event.
Uncle Peabody explained that it was
wicked to swear-that boys who did
it had very bad luck, and mine came
in a moment. I never had more of
IL come along in the same length Of
time.
After I ceased to play with the
Wills boy Uncle Peabody used to
say, often, 1t was a pity that l hadn't
somebody Of my own age for COM
pany. Every day felt sorry that the
Wills boy had turned out so badly,
and I doubt not the cat and the shep-
herd dog and the chickens and Uncle
Peabody also regretted his failures,
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 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 eondeseensi0n.
He let me feel 1t and look It all
over and / slyly touched the chain
with my tongue inst to see If it had
any taste to it, and Amos told me
hat his father had given it to him and
that it always kept him 'kind O.
,cairt."
"WhyY"
"For fear FL break er lose 1t an
git licked," he answered.
He took little yellow paper-cov-
cred book from his pocket and began
to read to himself.
whats that?" 1 ventured to ask
by and by.
"A story" he answered. II met a
'agged oil woman in the road t'other
Jay an she give me a lot Of 'em and
showed me the pictures an 1 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 l was readin' em."
begged him to read out loud and
he read from tale of two robbers
named Thunderbolt and Lightfoot who
lived in cave in the mountains. They
we're bold, free, swearing men who
rode beautiful horses at a wild gal
Top and carried guns and used them
freely and with rnerring skill and
helped themselves to what they want
ed.
BE stopped, by and by, and confided
TO me the fact that he thought he
would run away and join a band of
'"How do you run away?" 1 asked.
Just take the turnpike and keep
goin' toward the mountains. When
ge meet band O. robbers give 'em
he sign an tell 'em you want to
loin.'
He went on with the book and read
low the robbers had hung a captive
Who had prosecuted them and inter-
'ered with their sport. The story ex-
'lained how they put the rope around
he neck of the captive and threw
he other end of it over the limb
# a tree and pulled the man into