The Washington herald., 1921-10-09

ing paraders with mild and wondering eyes.
The green apples and the earth ciods be
could have forgiven and as easily ignored.
But when q stone caught him q sharp rap on
the knee bone he beat prompt and undigni-
From there he peered about a shielding
post, and beheld to his amszefhent. his tor
mentors turned into an invading army.
swar7ning ruthlessly In across his white
washed palings.
What would have been the outcome OF
that invasion is useless to conjecture. But
one unthinking youth. having kicked over a
beehive, and another having caught sight
Of the enraged Mere Frechette In the door
way with a kettle Of hot water. the ad-
vancing tide hesitated and then fell back.
They fell back with the exception Of
Butcher Brannigan, the Goliath Of the band
who had once been . wheelsulan on the
Great Lakes and could swing barrel Of salt
to his shoulder or bulldog" the biggest
steer in all the county. So proud Of his
prowess was Butcher Brannisan that he an
nuaIly and airily paraded his strength by car
rying both the canopied ensign Of William
OF Orange and the bass drum. big as a
well curbing, whereon he performed As
the weaklings about him hesitated. therefore,
he detached himself from their ranks and
amid shouts of laughter tore up by the roots
two Comtesse de Murinais rose bushes. al
ready vivid with their white and flesh tinted
buds. These he promptly and triumphantly
fastened to the tasseled banner Of William OF
Orange, and the paraders went on their way
down the village street. singing. and laugh
ing. and shouting. as careless youth will
But a strange thing took place that day
Within the village Of sancerre. During that
brief outbreak the ringing anvil Of Black
SaurioI had fallen suddenly silent. And the
man Of the forgeron, who had no love for the
church and respect for its little cure.
stepped to his door with thunder in his
glance. He stood six feet and three inches OF
indignant manhood, witnessing the assault
on the parochial garden and the rape Of the
parochial rose bushes.
Then. with tightening of the jaw mus
cles, he caught up his long handled Hanging
hammer in his massive right hand and con-
fronted the enemy that bore down on him
TO the shriIl Of flies and the lordly pulse OF
the bass drum, so imperially belabored by
Butcher Brannigan.
The little cure beheld that impending col
hsion, and his blood ran cold. He knew
only too well the devils OF blind rage that
could take possession OF Black Sauriol. He
knew what would happen II Sauriol and that
irresponsible army Of merry makers once
came together. And a change took place in
the little cure. The timorous figure which
had retreated to the grape arbor suddenly
emerged from its shelter. He came forth
at the precise moment that the challenged
Butcher Brannigan. smiling the aroma OF
battle. sought to divest himself Of his bass
drum and his sweat stained carrying harness.
He strode between the two giants and with
his own hand caught at the appraised fang
ing hammer. Just what words he said to
that maddened and menacing child OF Vul-
can, the wearers Of the orange never knew,
as they never quite knew the imminence OF
the danger from which he was delivering
them. But ss his words rang clear and
warning above>the cheers of the crowd and
the innammatory bellowings Of Butcher
Brannigan. Black Sauriol came to a pause,
surrendered his weapon. and even fell back q
step or two.
But there he stopped, arrested by q not
Unfamiliar cadence or two OF provocative
blasphemy from his opponent And that
was the spark which set fire to the tinder
That was the touch which Ioosed the flood
gates Of his pent-up anger, That was the
spur which goaded him into parade OF the
power which he knew to be peculiarly his
own.
They might stop him from fighting but
they could not stop him from talking. They
might hold back his hand, but they could not
hold back his tongue. And he stood there
in his smoke stained apron. calling down
strange and unheard OF masedictions on the
head Of the slightly bewildered Butcher Bran
nigan, faying him with intricate and i'm.
credibly involved imprecations, cursins him
and his progenitors and his unborn progeny
with a passion and an snbroken fiow Of sui
phurous invective which left the invaders at
first startled and then speiTbopnd.
Especially it seemed to d1ze the colossal
drummer. who as a sailor Of old prided him
self on some slight knowledge of the art Of
invective. He first stared. and then wiped
his dusty forehead, and then retreated round.
eyed into the ranks of his followers md
Black sauriol, seeing that they were on the
move again, sent after them one final and In
comparable volley Of execration, watched
them as they passed wonderingly beyond thu