Year: 1875

FEiT SWIFT N RUNNING To MISCHIEF


There he comes there he comes !" cried
Simon Byttes at the top Of his voice. as he
rushed out OF the school-house, at the head of
a troop of boys. Now well bring the old
iai-bird to grief. You fellows head him off,
and the rest Of US will pepper him from
behind"


These words had hardly been spoken be-
fore the boys had each snatched up hand.
full of snow, made il into ball, and thrown
it, with such force and precision as their ex-
citement would allow, at an old and hag
gard-looking man who was passing down
the street.


BOBBY Ben" as he was generally called,
was in truth jail-bird. lie had been sent
b prison several times for small offences
not so much on account of the harm they
occasioned, as 10 put him out Of the way, for
he was veteran loafer who had forgotten,
or perhaps never learned. that if man
will not work, neither shall he eat. lie had
once or twice escaped from the county Jail,
which was rckety affair, and had reap
peared in the streets Of Fairville, much TO
the disgust of all the citizens The BOYS
shared the dislike Of their parents for this
venerable sluggard who had done nothing
but beg from time immemorial and they
were not slow in translating the hard
speeches made against him into the boyish
dialect of personal abuse, such as this which
| have just narrated. Like all boys, they
were apt to carry their Jokes too far, and
they sometimes became almost brutal in
their thoughtless pursuit of sport. II was
so in this case. Simon, who was, as usual,
the leader, after hitting the old man repeat
edly with what he called as he thought,
with great humor, patent magnetizers, "
ran up to him and by dexterous pass with
his foot trippcd him, so that he fell help
lessly into pool Of "slosh.' Shouts went
up from a dozen throats, and not few Of
them were shouts Of exultation and derison.
Only one Of the boys aud the others called
him " girl uttered anything like pro
test. Harry Ames, who had at first joined
in the rush upon unfortunate Ben, had
ceased throwing snowballs when he saw him
stagger under the fierce attack of Simon
Byttes, aud now when that unchiyalric youth
had resorted TO a trick, and added positive
injury to insult, he cried, " For shame to
treat an old beggar like that"


Most Of the boys had laughed, not because
they were unfecling or cruel in their dispo-
sitions, but because il rds funny TO sec a
man tumble so awkwardly, aud they did not
think how serious might be the result OF
such an accident Ia fact, not even Simon
Byttes himself, who seemed to owe Booby
Ben special grudge, would have exulted
over his fall if he had then ioreseen the pos.
sible consequences But forethought is not
a virtue belonging TO most boys, or likely to
he most used in moments Of excitement.
Simon only, among the shouting troop,
seemed to hear the discordant note Of Harry,
and that gave new zest TO his spite. With
a scornful look at the young protestant who
declared that enough was enough" he
made up an extra superfne slosh-ball
and was about TO deliver it at close quar-
tens upon the fallen cripple. by a sudden
movement Harry caught his raised arm and
the ball slipped" while Harry "dodged
quickly enough to escape blow from the
disappointed youth. Another laugh went
up, this time at smon's expense, for the
boys were too generous TO look passiyely on
an attack upon foe already disabled. They
had begun to feel the unfairness Of their con
duct, but were surprised to see Harry, who
was usually so timid, all at once so bold and
adroit rs 10 interfere with Simon, who had