The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-02-28

leok In his face that treasured me.
He called back to her: II wouldn't
~ cared SO much If 1t hadn't "a been
NE vhat-not and them Minervy flow
sx When boy tips over a what-not
he's goin' 1t purity strong"
Well. don't be too severe. You'd
Aester come now and git me pail o.
xater-ayes. think We had"
Uncle Peabody did lot of sneezing
and coughing with his big, red hand
kerchief over his face and i was not
aid enough then to understand 1t. He
Kissed me and took my little hand in
his big hard one and led me down the
stairs.
dreamed that night that long-leg-
ged what-n0t, with wax wreath In its
hands, chased me around the house
and caught and bit me on the neck.
called for help and uncle came and
found me on the floor and put me back
nm bed again.
For q long time 1 thought that the
wny man punished a boy was by
akumping his bed. knew that women
had different and less satisfactory
method, for remembered that my
mother had spanked me and Aunt Deel
had way Of giving my hands and
head kind Of watermelon thump with
fhe middle finger of her right hand and
with curious look in her eyes. Uncle
Peabody used to call it a "snaptious
hook" Almost always he whacked the
bed with his slipper. There were ex-
repti0ns, however, and, by and by,
tame to know in each case the desti-
nation of the slipper, for if had done
anything which really afflicted my con-
science that strip of leather seemed to
know the truth, and found its way to
my person.
Aunt Deel tolled necessarily. She
washed and scrubbed and polished and
busted and sewed and knit from morn
ing until night She lived in mortal
fear that company would come and
Ind her unprepared-Alma Jones or
Tabez Lincoln and his wife, or Ben and
Mary HUMPHREYS, or mir. and Mrs.
AAAtaNC DuhhCiDClS. IuSoC WciC luS
people Of whom she talked when the
neighbors came in and when she was
NOT talking of the Bayneses. / observed
That she always said "Mr. and Mrs.
Horace Dunkelberg" They were the
conversational ornaments of our home.
.As Mrs. Horace Dunkelberg says" or,
-as / said to Mr.. Horace Dunkelberg,"
were phrases calculated to establish
Bur social standing. I supposed that
me world was peopled by Joneses. Lin
rcfns, HUMPHREYS and Dunkelbergs,
1ut mostly by Dunkelbergs. These lat
Ger we're very rich people who lived in
Canton village.
know, now, how dearly Aunt Deel
byed her brother and me. / must have
Deem great trial to that woman Of
sorty unused to the pranks Of chill
zren and the tender offices of moth
sr- Naturally 1 turned from her to
Dy Uncle Peabody as refuge and a
ae.p in time of trouble, with increasing
Tondness. He had no knitting or sew
ing to do and when Uncle Peabody SAT
Ia the house he gave all his time to
NC aud we weathered many q storm
sOgether as we sat silently in his IA
vorite corner, of an evening, when l
always went to sleep in his arms.
! was seven years old when Uncle
Peabody gave me the watermelon
seeds. Iput one Of them in my mouth
aud bit it.
1T appears to me there awful
draft BLOWN down your throat" said
Uncle Peabody. "You amt no busi-
ness eatin' melon seed"
AWhy" was my query.
"'Cause 1t was made to put in the
ground. Didn't you know it was alive?
'AIive" exclaimed.
Alive" said he. "Ill show ye."
He put number of the seeds in
tie ground and covered them, and
said that part of the garden should
De mine. 1 watched 1t every day and
oy and by two vines came up. One
sickened and died in dry weather. I'm
efe Peabody said that 1 must water
the other every day. / did 1t faith
faIly and the vine throve.
Ii was hard work, l thought. to go
&own into the garden, night and morn
Sag, with my little pail full of water,
but uncle said that / should get my
pay when the melon was ripe. 1 had
also to keep the wood-box full and
feed the chickens. They were odlous
tasks. When i asked Aunt Deel what
4 should get for doing them she an
xwered quickly:
sNospanks and bread and butter
ayesp
When asked what were 'nospanks"
she told me that they were part of
abe wages of good child. / was
better paid for my care of the water
melon vine, for its growth was mea-
sured with string every day and kept
me interested. One morning l found
Eve blossoms on 1t. / picked one and
carried it to Aunt Deel. Another l
destroyed in the tragedy of catching
bumblebee which had crawled into
Cts cup. In due time three small mel
Cos appeared. When they were as
kzg as baseball picked two OF them.
One l tasted and threw away as I
ran to the pump for relief. The other
4 hurled at dog on my way to