The daily Alaskan., 1919-02-22
ennDolH ANErtraSTSpTrEI IE'A'AS sEesis

we Wtul NO"u tO Auht At~A " spend the day and I helped myself to two pieces of cake when the plate was passed and cried because they all laughed at my greatness. It was the day when Aunt Liza's boy, Truman. got silver watch and chain and her daughter Mary q gold ring, and when all the relatives were invited to come and be convinced, once and for ali' of Uncle ROswell's prosperity, ana be filled with envy and reconclled with jelly and preserves and roast turkey with sage dressing and mlnce and chicken pie. What an amount or 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, brGwny, sharp-featured fellow with keen gray eyes, of the name of Dug Draper. Aunt Deel hated him. feared him but regarded him with great hope because he had funny way of wink ing at me with one eye across the table and, further, because he could sing and dld sing while he worked songs that rattIed from his lips In 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 valuable asset when l heard Aunt Deel saw to my Uncle Pea body:
 "You'n have to send that lcafer away, right now, ayes, l guess you will"
 "Why?"
 Because this boy has learnt to swear like a pirate-ayes-he has"
 Uncle Peabody didn't know It but 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 swear-that boys who did it had very bad luck, and mine came in moment. I never had more of 1t 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 hadn't somebody of my own age for com pany. Every day 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 indiguities 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 a silver watch and chain, which strongly recommended him in my view and enabled me to endure l hlS alr or COnQeSCenSlOn.
 He let me feel 1t and look 1t all over and I slyly touched the chain with my tongue just to see If 1t had any taste to 1t, and Amos told me that his father had given It to him and that 1t always kept him "kind O scairt." sess,gs.ra...
 "Why2"
 "For fear I'll break CT lose 1t an git licked" he answered.
 He took a little yellow paper-coV- cred book from his pocket and began to read to himself.
 ''Whats that?" l ventured to ask by and by.
 "A story" he answered. "I met ragged or woman in the road tother day an she give me lot of 'em and showed me the pictures an got to readin' 'em. Don't you tell anybody cause my or dad hates stories an he'd lick me 'til couldn't stan if he knew was readin' 'em."
 I begged him to read out loud and he read from a tate of two robbers named Thunderbolt and Llghtfoot who lived in a cave in the mountains. They were bold, free, swearing men who rode beautiful horses at a 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 would run away and join band of robbers.
 "How do you run awayf" asked.
 "Just take the turnpike and keep goln' toward the mountains. When ye meet q band O robbers give lem the sign an tell 'em you want to join"
 He went on with the book and read how the robbers had hung captive who had persecuted them and inter- fered with their sport, The story ex- plained how they put the rope around the neck of the captive and threw