Whilomville Stories

l willed, and no man, when about to use it, could tell exactly what was in store for the surrounding country. This treasure had been acquir

, looked out upon him with a shrewd eye. "Oh, J

fully under his jacket to make sure

raikon. You gwine be hung one day, Ji

ush. Then he returned to the vicinity of Peter, and began to cruise to and fro in the offing, showing a

rag. "Ca'tridgers! Ca'tridgers! Lan'sake! wut the kid want with ca'tridgers? Knew it! Knew it! C

t caused by his question, began to move warily

u! No bigger'n er minute! Look yah, Jim, you done been swappin' r

of Peter's terrible miraculous power, and as he backed awa

d Peter, in virtuous gran

at to do. The dread adult wisdom of Peter Washington

r Trescott's buggy towards Peter, who ran forward busily. As the docto

pocket, an' proud like he won a tuhkey-raffle, an' I sure know what

n?" said the doctor.

was so filled with rage at Peter that he forgot all precautions. "It's a

done tol' 'im his pop stan' no sech foolishness. First thing-blam-he shoot his haid off. No, seh, he too tinety t' come in yere er-struttin' like he jest bought Main Street. I tol' 'im. I done tol' 'im-shawp. I don' wanter be loafin' round

said the doctor. "Where

h the revolver. "Here 'tis," he said, with a glare over his shoulder

hink you are quite old enough for it yet. I'll k

ol' 'im th' docteh wouldn' stan' no trafficki

t down by the absence of hearers. In fact, he usually talked better when there was no one to listen save the horses. But now his observations bore small re

ll jes take an' make things whirl round yere. Raikon we'll

with his back bent was pushing

him no bigger

ck a curious attitude. His right knee was almost up to his chin, and his arms were wreathed protectingly about

UIT! QUIT, I

l yer, Jim! Watch out! You

he man?uvred in the distance. "Yah! Told on me, did you! Told on me, hey!

thing, Jim, I tell yer! Quit yer fool

anded among a row of carriage-lamps on a shelf, creating havoc which was apparently beyond all reason of phy

nd of the persecutor. "There! Knew it! Knew it! Now I raikon you'll quit. Hi! jes loo

led face. Jimmie's father and mother came suddenly out on th

ks at me, docteh, an' erlong come one rock an' go blam in

father, a glance which cowed and frightened him to the ends of his toes. He heard the s

nda still gazing towards the stable. He loitered in the faint hope that she might take some small pit

y Jimmie's hand, Mrs. Trescott looked at him anxiously, for she kn

e going to do with that boy. It isn't so much the lamps as it is the other thing. He was throwi

tried almost everything. Of course much of it is p

ars, he cared whether they were flung by a boy who was naturally vicious or a boy who was not? The question migh

with true motherly instinct to shift blame from her own boy's shoulders, she proceeded to sketch the character of the Dalzel boy in lines that would have made that talented young vagabond stare. It was not

has no business consorting with abandoned little predestined jai

the time," said Mrs. Trescott. "I can't watch him every mi

ody to bring up their child for them," said the doct

been throwing stones at Peter Washington because Peter Washington had told

he world a bitter place. He couldn't win appreciation for a single virtue; he could only achieve quick, rigorous punishment for his misdemeanors. Everything was an enemy. Now there were those silly old lamps-what were they doing up on that shelf, anyhow? It would have been just as easy for them at the time to have been in some other place. But no; there they had been, like the crowd that is passing under the wall when the

ed his mental glance in every direction, and found nothing but what w

o one of the windows of the sitting-room. It opened upon a part of the grounds remote from the stables and cut off from the veranda by a wing. He perceived Willie Dalzel loitering in the street. Jimmie whistled the signal after having pushed

mb the fence and begin to creep among the shrubbery, in elaborate imitation of an Indian scout. In time h

king and preposterous lying and valor, wherein each boy would strive to have himself called Kit Carson by the others. He was profo

r?" demanded the D

s-I s'po

, but he did not lose his warines

o'," replied Ji

he repeated, pompously, "I'll go and get my men." He began to crawl away, but when he was distant some ten paces he turned to say: "Keep up a stout

gerly for the coming of the friends who would be faithful unto death. The

yond-in that there fortress. We must to the rescue. Who

and then one of the s

ketches us tracki

ed a sort of a burlesque of the wood-cut on the cover of a dime novel which Willie

said Willie, through

e," piped the other

u have been my followers for long years. You saw me slay Six-handed Dick with my own hand. You know I never falter. Our comrade is a prisoner in the cruel hands of our enemies. Aw

SAY: 'KEEP UP

d been of the road-agents and gun-fighters of the great West, and he thought the whole thing should be conducted in the Deadwood Dick manner. This talk of a "comrade" was sil

imbed the fence at a point hidden from the house by tall shrubs. With

here all the rest of the day waiting for his faithful-unto-death friends. The window was only five feet from the ground. He softly raised the sash and threw one leg over the sill. But at the

n the room looking at him and the open window in angry surprise. Boys ne

d over his shoulder through the window. His father saw the creeping figur

thi

e that. Are they comin

-s,

at

o see

t ab

about n

t ab

at he could co

NED AGAIN TO

n' to-to-to rescue me.

r sat dow

escue you?"

es,

presently. "I will sit here and observe this rescue. And

tell by his son's increasing agitation that the great moment was near. Suddenly he heard Willie Dalzel's voice hiss out a word: "S-s-silence!" Then the same voice addressed Jimmie at the window: "Good cheer, my comrade. The time is now at hand. I have

ou-" stamme

s, evidently concluded that Willie Dalzel ha

ed now, fer ye know that Hold-up Harry, th

stand that, you know. He's a pirate. Now, Jimmie,

ye thought ye had no friends mebbe, but I te

t is w

ady a trus

ould endure his

e whole thing. We're all pirates, don

m Hold-up Harry, the

fix you for this, see if I don't! Oh, come on, Jimmie. A boat awaits us at the foot of the rocks. In one short h

AND SCAMPERED

d up like a man with the colic. He was breathing heavily. The boy turned again to his friends. "I-

you goin' to be rescued? Well, all right for you, Jimmie Trescott. Tha

him. Upon the instant they had whirled and scampered away like deer. The first lad to reach the fence was the Red

son in his usual quiet way. "Jimmie, I wish you would go

red out to the stables. "Pete, father

but with the tender sympathy of

Did wha

troun

e, contemptuously. "I d

hink er boy's made er glass. No trouncin'! Ump!" He was consumed with curiosity to learn why Jimmie had not felt a heavy parental hand, but he did not care to lower his dignity by asking

amps?" inqu

mp

amps-not that I remember. Maybe he did, thou