The Dolores star., 1919-01-31

SiNS anu Ofu SHE Wnlle ne WCTkeu-
songs that ratified from his lips in .
way that amused me greatly. Then.
too. he could rip out words that had
IL new and wonderful sound in them.
l made up my mind that he was Ike
ly to become valuable asset when .
heard Aunt Dcel saw to my Uncle Pea
body:
away, right now, ayes, l guess yo'i
Will"
"Why?"
Because this boy has learnt to
swear like Il pirate-ayes-he has !"
Uncle Peabody didn't know it hut
| myself had begun to suspect 1t, 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 swcar-thut boys who did
it had very bad luck. and m!ne came
in Il moment. | never had more of
1t come along in the same length OF
time.
After l ceased to play with the
Wills boy Uncle Peabody used to
say, often. 1t was 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 l doubt not the cat and the shep-
herd dog and the chickens and Uncle
.,l. H., g.,
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 Il large mouth and thin lips.
He wore II silver watch and chain.
which strongly recommended him in
my view and enabled me to endure
his air of conde.scension.
He let me feel it and look 1t all
over and l slyly touched the chain
with my tongue just to see if it mad
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 brear er lose it 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 u
ragged OF womun in the road t'other
day an she give me lot of 'em and
showed me the pictures an l got to
readn' 'em. Don't you tell anybody
cause my oil dad hates stories an
he'd lick me til / couldn't stan If he
knew | was readin' EN-"
l begged him to read out loud and
he read from n tale of two robbers
named ThunderboIt and LightfoOt who
lived in Il cave III the mountains. They
were bold, free, swearing men who
rode beautiful horses ut 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 confided
to me the fact that he thought he
would run away and join a band of
robbers.
How do you run away?" I asked.
Just take the turnpike and keep
goin' toward the mountains. When
ye meet band O. robbers give 'em
the sign an tell 'em you want to
join"
He went on with the book and read
how the robbers had hung a captive
who had prosecuted them and inter.
fered with their sport. The story cx.
Slained how they put the rope around
the neck of the captive and threw
the other end of it over the limb
of tree and pulled the. man into
the air.
He stopped suddenly and demanded:
rs there long rope here?"
/ pointed to Uncle Peabody's hay
rope hanging on u peg.
LES hang II captive" he proposed.
AT first l did not comprehend his
meaning. He got the rope and threw
its end over the big beam. Our old
shepherd dog had been nOslng the
NOW near us for rats. Amos caught
the dog who. suspecting no harm, came
passively to the ropes end. He tied
the rope around the dogs neck.