The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-10-10
CHAPTER VII
New Wine and Old Bottles.

New Wine and Old Bottles.
In the little strip of forest which d.
yided the sown from the sown wan
dered two boys in earnest converse.
They seemed to be Boy Trappers, and
from their backloads of steel-traps
one of them might have been Frank
Merriwell, and the other Dead-Shot
Dick. The boy VIC resembled Frank
Merrlwell was Raymond Simms. The
other, whose overalls were fringed.
who wore a cartridge belt about his
person, and carried Ratchet, revolver,
and a long knife with a deerfoot
handle, and who so studiously looked
like Dead-Shot Dick, was our old
friend of the road gang, Newton Bron-
son. Newton put down his load, and
sat upon a stump to rest.
Raymond Simms was dimly con
sclous OF a change in Newton since
the day when they met and helped Sc
lect Colonel Woodruff's next years
seed corn. Newton's mother had a
mothers confidence, that Newton was
now a good boy, who had been led
astray by other boys, but had re-
formed. Jim Irwin had a distinct
feeling Of optimism. Newton had
quit tobacco and beer. casually stat
ing to- Jim that he was "in training"
Since Jim had shown his ability to ad-
minister a knockout TO that angry
chauffeur, he seemed to this hobble-
dehoy peculiarly a proper person for
athletic condolences.
Newton's mind seemed gradually
filling up with new interests. Jim at
tributed much of this to the clear
mountain atmosphere which surround
ed Raymond Simms, the ignorant bar
barian driven out of his native hills
by a feud. Raymond was of the open
spaces, and refused TO hear fetid
things that seemed out Of place In
them. a
AS the reason for Newton's improve
ment in manner Of living, Raymond,
out of his own experience, would have
had no hesitation in naming the
school and the schoolmaster.
Il wouldn't go back on a friend
said Newton. seated on the stump
with his traps on the ground at his
feet, 1.-THE way you're going back on
me-"
"You got no call to talk hathaway
replied the mountain boy. "How'm l
goin' back on you?"
I'VE was goin' to trap all winter
asseverated Newton. land next win
ter we were goin' up in the north
woods together"
you know" said Raymond somber-
ly, that we CANT run any trap line
and do whut we got to do to hep Mr..
Jim
Newton sat mute rs n having no
rejoinder.
Mr.. jim went IN Raymond, needs
all the hep every kid in this settle
ment kin give him. He's the best
friend | ever had. I'm a pore ignorant
boy, an he teaches me how TO do
things that will make me something"
Darn it all !" said Newton.
You know" said Raymond, that
you'd think mahgty small of me, If I'd
desert Mr.. Jim Irwin"
well, then" replied Newton, seiz-
ing his traps and throwing them
across his shoulder, come on with the
traps. and shut up What'll we do
when the school board gets Jennie
Woodruff to revoke his certificate and
make him quit teachin', hey?"
"Nobody'll even do that" said Ray
mond. I'D set in the schoolhouse do
with my rife and shoot anybody that'd
come to th'ow Mr.. Jim outen the
school,"
Not in this country" said Newton.
This amt a gun country"
But it orto be either a justice ken
try, or a gun kentry," replied the
mountain boy. ut stands TO reason 1t
must be one r the otheh, Newton"
mo, it don't neither" said Newton
dOgmatically.
why should they th'ow Mr.. Jim
outen the school?' inquired Raymond.
Amt he teachln' us right?''