The Merryweathers

xt on the programm

lse for it. It's my avowed belief that my nephew there could not stir if his life depe

, laughing. "Really, Uncle Tom, you ca

up, and after kicking his long legs several times in the air, finally twisted them round t

great tree to climb. You'd better come up, Uncle

ee, and were soon lost to sight, though not to sound. Colonel Ferrers tur

ows of to-day are the most impudent scoundrels I ever came across. Time was, th

ere put to it; but I confess it is more comfortable under a tree t

far overhead; the hemlocks were no less massive in girth, but they were twisted into all manner of grotesque shapes, and their feathery branches hung low, making a dense canopy over the heads of the picnickers. Here, under one of these hemlocks, the cloth had been laid, and decorated with ferns and hemlock tassels.

hour that is apt to be a little difficult at picn

boys are skylarking, or rather tree-larking, up there, I want to hear the story you were telling Miles on the drive over. I coul

ryweather. "Do tell it, Colon

and puffed meditat

d to make me tell that story before all these young people. What do you say, Ger

y that makes your eyes twinkle so must be one

the table-cloth and "tidying-up" generally,

and adorn a tale? Listen, then. This happened when I was a young jackanapes of about my nephew's age; I knew everything in the

e young men up here who are prepared to drop thin

but we had undertaken to store and keep them for a time. The vault was directly under the warehouse, which was some way from the office. So! I went down and found no one there; The men were at their dinner, you understand. They may have been a little in a hurry, may have started a few minutes before the bell rang; I don't know how it was. At any rate, I was in a towering passion; thought the whole business was going to the dogs for want of discipline, wanted to dismiss every man in the warehouse. Men who had been there before I was born, and knew more about tea than I was likely to know in my lifetime. Well, sir, it came into my ass's head that I would give these men a lesson, show them that there was some one in the place that meant to have things done when he wanted them done. I would stow those barrels myself. I was strong as a bull,

Ferrers!" cri

roared the boy

d! stone, metal, I don't know what.

lonel F

, great warehouse, twenty feet if it was one. There I

laughter. "Dear friend, it is most heartless to laugh, but how can we help

rce, you understand; I was really exemplifying the workings of natural forces; interesting demonstration, if there had been any one there to see. My crumb of comfort was that there was no one. I must get down before those men came back from dinner; that was the one thing necessary in the world at that moment. I measured the space

did

my shoulders to this day, and shall to my latest day. And the moral of this story," the Colonel concluded, glancing up into the dep

d our other guests. It happened when we were out sailing one day, on this very pond. The water was pretty low that year, and we got over into a cove on the north side, where we seldom went, and didn't know the ground thoroughly. Indeed, in

re?" asked

the end of a ledge. 'I'll get out and shove her off!' said I. I sounded with an oar, and found the water barely ankle-

el. "Ho! ho! that was spor

he went to work-I found I could not stir the boat alone-he went to work and got ready. Stripped to the skin-he had on a

, you are mak

l we were so weak that we had to go ashore and sit down before we had strength to push that boat off. There i

. The girls had found some oak-leaves ("It is my belief," said Mr. Merryweather, "that if Bell went to a picnic in a coal-mine or on

r enlarging them. He advises us to add two or three words to our list every week. The first time we use a new word, he says, it will be embarrassing to us and, it may be, amusing to our hearers; but if we have courage and patience, we shall be doing a good work not only for

hing in life that you do not think can be m

th had the toothache, and you thought it might be amusing t

had only had a little more fortitude. Now if you are

exclaimed the Merrywe

you, in turn, give a verb synonymous, more or less, with 'met.' This goes around the circle till some one cannot find a verb, and that some one must continue the story, stopping at any

!" said Mr.

d!" said t

ainst!" sa

ul of!" s

with!"

you co

everything; Mrs. Merryweather, I can't ever play

the least stupid. If you cannot th

e and Margaret knew only too well. The tears were not far behind those round blue eyes; and Mar

man!" said Peg

rso

ivid

ropoi

line m

hu

weather. "In case of a false definition, the

ay in the same county with him, and so disagreeable that it gave one spasms to

ap

oo

lme

nne

d-dr

o'-sh

it

ia

ez

rba

ret

l. "I cannot think of another

described, was about to proceed further; but I, seizing him by t

ashi

cki

ati

tisem

din

lopi

ipp

urgi

ubb

unci

acki

shi

ogg

nin

rupi

tiga

sti

ther

ump

opp

roast

er terrible, I think. There seem to be more terms

" said Phil. "If we are allowed to use mode

a saucy boy!"

simple fact is, it is beginning to rain, and I think it advisable for us to

was harnessed, and Mr. and Mrs. Merryweather, Colonel Ferrers, and the impedimenta bundled in and off as hastily as might be. Finally, as the rain began to pour down in

hing

score

gentlemen, sin