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Much!P6mp
Circumstances
Author of "Jum Seara; a Naughty
(Cbotrbmt ar. ft. tfeClare Cs-I
ACK of Pennington, a barn wbicn
wss loa rent casus w. "
Court of BoyvUle, ran a hollow.
r in we noiiow grew s idhiji
. tox-elder tree. Thla troo waa the oourt-
lera hunting lodge. Ia the erotchee of
aha rugged breached Piggy Pennington,
, lAbe Carpenter, Jimmy Seara, Bud Per
' kins and Mealy Jones were wont ta raat
','-, of a auminar afternooa, planning for tha
. morrow's chase, i recounting tha morn
ing's adrentsreo la tha royal tourney of
' the marbla ring, biMIUUbi upon tha
ovil arrroee of tba fail school tarn.
... and following such, eedsntary puraulta
. to aar member of tha court avsmea
' right aad pro par. : On a aftarnoon lata
In August tha traa waa allra with Ita
. arboreal anstoereey. ado vatrpenter mx
on tha lowaat branch, plaiting a four
etrand, equaio-bralded "quirt"; Jimmy
' Bears waa holding tha endn. Piggy-waa
' casually aklnnlng cats, banging kjr Wi
lga or shinning a an almost horlaohul
limb, aa ha took hla part In 1h lagging
talk. Hlddaa by tha follaga In tha thick
mf tba traa. la a thraa-pronged aaat, Bud
- Carklna rscllnad, hla faaturat drawn Into
a, painful grlmaca, aa hla right hanl
taaad to and fro bafora hla mouth,
' rhythnleally 'twanging tha tongua of a
9Wa-harp, upon which ha waa playing
'To My Bweat Sunny Booth Taka Ma
- llama. " Ha braathad haavlly and Irrag.
Ajlarly. Hla ayaa wara on tha big whlta
, clouda In tha fciaa aky, and hla haart
, fwaa flllad with tna pa try of lonaaoma
rtaea that aomatlmaa oomaa to boya tn
panalva moa4 Tor tha daya whan ha
' liad llrad wuh Ma fathar. a nomad ot
' tha eraeka thaf flowad by half a aoora
of watarwaya lata tha Mlaalaalppt, wara
. . upon tha far horlaoa of hla eonaoloua
reaa and tha r-amory of thoaa daya
tnada him M aad aa any mamory arar
. can maka a haalthy, eara-fraa boy. Ha
grayed TMkla." partly baoauaa, balnf
prlghtlyr It hapt down hla malanehaly.
' xtar ha took out hla now mouth organ.
- "which hla foatar-mothar had jrlran to
Mm, and to aatlaYy hla boylah Idaa of
Sustlea ha playad "Wa, Shall Maat. But
W Shall t Mlaa Him." baoanaa It waa
41a Morgan a favorlta. Whlla ha playad
tha Jawiharp hla traa frianda flung
ribald ramarka at him. But whan Bud
- oegan to Warar hla hand for a tramola
' uwn .iiw nhuu vrw mm nm w
.-Maraa'a In da Col', cor aroanY
' rca fell upon tha emnpaay, aad they
at quietly and heard hla repertory
: XV 8hady.t "May, Daaraab May."
Utly Dala." "Day , Stole My Cn
Away." "Ol Hteodemua." "Slaaplng. I
- Traant. tore." andHar Bright Smllt"
t i ia waa a aoutnera' ooy a bira ai-paa
' aaga caught In tba north aad hla muala
liad that aweet, aoothlng note that
X cheered lk mearha faoght under he
tare and vara. .
Into thUi eoana ruahao Maalv Jonea.
iat In hand, braathlaaa, bringing wara
alarm a. "Fellera, ..fallara," aoraamed
Mealy, half a block away, "lt'e a-oomln'
. tieret It'a goln' to ba here In two weoka.
. Tha man'a puttln' up tha boarda now,
' kind you can gat a Job paaaln' bllla." ,
An inetant later tha traa waa aa
artad, and five boya wara running aa
raat aa their laga would carry them to
ward tha thick af the town, They
, fitopped at tha new pine billboard and
Mid . not laara tha man With tha paata
: fcucket until they had aaan "Zaaell fly
'. Ing out of tha cannon'a mouth, tha Iron
' Bawad woman performing har marrala,
' tha radVmouthad rhlnoceroa, with tha
tleedtng natira impaled upon lta horn
. and tha fleeing hunter near byi "tha
Jargaat alephaat ln captlrlty" earrylng
, tha llfl.eo beauty, tha acrobat! whirl
ing through apace, Jamed Robtnaon
' turning handapiinga on hla dapple-gray
: tead; and, Uat and moat rarlabtng of
all. little Willie Sella, In pink tlfhta, on
' Ma three charging Shetland ponies.
fwhaaa braakaack eouroa In tha Bletnro
rollowad one whlche-rer way ha turned.
' IWnea tbaaa glortaa had been paated
' tipon tha wall and had been, dleeuaaed
to tha point of eyntclam, tha Court of
IloyrUIe reluetanUy adjourned ta
In tha night wood and dream Of
' . milderneaa of monkaya
, ' During tba two weeka that rollowad
tha appearance) of tha glad tldlnga on
tha bill board a, tha boya of Willow
Creek aaant many bourn tn at range ha
otllmenta, making irrateique imltathma
. of tba apaotaclea upon tha boarda Piggy
Pennington ' rotted kte - tranaera far
above hla knaeo for tlghta, and gal
: loped hla father fat delivery aoree np
. and down tha allay, riding aldewaya,
' atandlng and backward, with much
' walnglory. Ta almulate tha motley of
tha tlh-rope-walklng : clown, Jimmy
. Peara woaa tha .aalloa ' lining of hla
clothing ontelde, whan ha waa in " tha
royal caatle beyond hla mother'a ken.
, ' Mealy donned, carpet altppera In Pan
-filngton'a bam, aad worn long plnknd-
whlte-etrlped atooklnga of a auaptolona
i' lr famtnina appearaaoa, fhatenad to hla
abbreviated ahlrt walat with atocklng
auapendera, bated of all boya Aba Car
i prater did hla ehudder-breedlng trapaaa
- trlcka In a bathing trunk, and Bud Par
klna, who nightly rubbed himself llm-
tiar lavotl made by hanging a bottle of
' . anglawnrma In the aua to fry, wore hla
. ' red calico . baseball aletbaa, and want
through keg hoopa In a doaeo different
twaya, . Ia tha atreetg of tha town the
; youngatera appeared dlagulaad aa ordl
; tiary boya. They raveled In pictured
. vUlona of tba ctreuav but wara akep
' tlcal about . tha literal fulfillment of
oma ot tha promlaea made oh tha bllla
- Ortain thlnga advcrtlaed were allml-
, rated from reasonable expectatloa; for
, Inatanoa, tha boya all knew that - tha
' prlraffe would not ba dtacovored eating
,, rff tha . top ot a eoooanut traa; they
knew that tha monkaya would not play
' braaa band, and they knew that tha
: ' "Human Fly" ' would walk on tha call
Ing ati the YoneertVand na boy haa
ever tared an ouch money to bur a
ticket for tha "concert," Hevertheleea.
tnev gloated aver tha plcturea of tha
herd of airaffaa and tha monkey hand
end tha arraoeful "Human Fly" walking
upalde down- "dafylnar the . lawa - of
ttravltation"; and they .ooneldered no
ruturw, however pleaaant, after tha day
and data on tha bllla Thua tha golden
lev anDrnached. looming larger . and
.rrr unon tha boriaoa aa It eama. la
tha Interim, how many a drugglat
' hiui.ht tile awn bottlce tha third and
- fourth timet how many a Junk dealer
vi. i f hla nam Iron: how many bag
tf aarpat rage went to tho ragman, tha
world will never anow.
Now. among children of a i Urgar
.n.ih. tmmtlvm t'jnao hoatlla demon
t jrt-oMi aaat a-Jok:i t-t tuned ;
and Several
hwn" and! dUisf BoyTllli
but In Sioyrllla a north -ender la a north
eoder, and a aouth-ender la a aouth
ander, and a meeting of tha -two M a
fight, BoyvUle knowa no tlmaa Ol truce.
It aaka nor offera ouarter. ' Whan
warring clana oume together, ' be It
workday, ' holiday or even clrcua day,
there ia a clalUir of clods, a patter of
feet and' retreating hoots of defiance.
Aad because tha clrcua blllboarda wara
frequented by boya of all kltha' and
olana, claahea oocurred freaueatly, and
Bud Ferfclue, who waa tha fighter of
the aouth end, bad many a call to arms.
laleed, tha approaching clrcua unloosed
tho doga af war, rather than nestled tha
dov of peeoe. Tor Bud Perkins, In a
moment Of pride. Issued an ukaaa which
forbade all north and boya to look at a
eartala billboard naar hla homo. ', Thla
ukaaa and hla atriot -enforcement of It
made hfra tha target of north end wrath.
litue jtise Morgan, nia loatar-motliar.
who-had. adopted him at the death of
hla father tha summer before tha clr
cua bllla were posted, oould not under
stand how tho lad managed to loaa so
many buttons,' nor how ba kept tear
ing hla clothes. . 8ba ascribe these
thinga to hla antacedenU and to hla
deficient training. She did not know
that Bud, Whom aha called Hanry. and
wnoaa music i on - tba, .mouth organ
aeemad to come from a ahy and gentle
eoui, waa tna terror f the aouth end.
Her gulleleee mind held no place for tha
inipoi tant fact that north-end boya gen
erally traveled by her door la pairs for
aaieiy. Buoh la tna blindness of woman.
Cupid probably got hla defactiva vision
from hla' mother'a aide of tha house.
Tha last half of tha last week before
circus day seemed a century to Bud and
hla frianda. Friday aad Saturday crept
by and Mealy Jones was tha only boy at
Sunday- aohoot who - know - tba - golden
text, for aa Inflammatory .rumor that
tha circus waa unloading from tho side
track at tho depot awept over tha bora'
aide of tho Sunday aohoot room and
consumed all knowledge ot tha fifth
chapter of Aota, tha daya lesson. After
Buaday school tha boya broke for tha
clrcua grounds. There they gorged
their gluttonous ayes upoa the eanvae-
covered enanota and the sienhanu and
tha oamele and the, spotted, ponies, pass
ing from tha ears to tba tenia. The
unfamiliar aolaea, tha alght of tha rising
-waa or oanvaa,- vie touch Of mysterious
wagona ooatalnlng eo many wonders,
ad tha Intoxicating amell that oomaa
only with much oanvaa, many anlmala,
and tha unpacking of , Pandora's boa.
ataffad tba. boys- sense, until they
viewed With utter atptclam tha paaatng
dinner hour and tha p roe pact of finding
only cold mashed potatoes and tha necks
ana packs of chicxene in the oupboarda.
They even affected tndlfferenoe to
parental eooldlngav and lingered about
tha enchanting apot until their shadows
fell aaatward and tha day was old..
: When n boy geta on hla good behavior
a tempts Providence. And the Provi
dence of boya la frail and prone to yield.
So, when Bud Perkins, who waa burn
ing with a dealra to please Miss .Morgan
tha day before tha circus, -srent ta ohurch
that Sunday night any one can see that
ho waa provoking Providence In an un
usual aad ameh manner, Bud -did not
sit wHh Miss' Morgan, but lounged Into
tho church and took a back aeat. Three
north and boy eama In and aat on. the
same bench. Then Jimmy Soars ahufried
paat tha north -end ere and aat beside Bud.
After which tha Inevitable happened. It
kept happening. ' Tbay "passed It on'
and passed It back again i first a pinch.
than a ehojr, then a cuft'thea a kick
under tha bench. Heads craned toward
tho boya occasionally, and there came
an awful moment - when Bud Perkins
found himself looking braaenly Into the
eyes of tba preacher, .who had Paused
ta glare at the boya In tha midst ot
hla sermon. ' Tho faoea of tho - entire
congregation aeemad to turn upon Bud
automatically.' A. cherub-llka expression
ot conscious Innocence and Impenetrable
unconcern beamed through Bud Ferklner
feature. . Tha name expression rested
upon tha countenances of tha four other
analefactorn,- At the and -of-tho third
second Jimmy Sears put hit hand to hla
mouth and anorted between hla flngera.
And tour young men looked down their
noses. - In tha .hush Brother Baker a
tiptoeing Nemesis stalked tha full length
of the church toward tha culprits. When
ha took hie aeat beside tba boys the
preacher continued hla dtaoouraa. Brother
Ha ere nnetioa angartxt bus reraina
Ha fait tha Implication that hla conduct
waa bad, and hla aaaaa of guilt spurred
hla tamper Satan put a pin In Bud's
hand. - Slowly, almost Imperceptibly,
Satan moved tha boy's arm on tha back
of tha paw, around Jimmy Seara. The
n- Imp puahad Bud'a hand aa ha Jabbed
tha pin lta tho bark of tha north-ender.
Tha bay from tho north and let out a
yowl of pain. Bud waa not quick enough.
Brother Baker aaw tba pin; xno devout
Method lata aaw htm clamp hla Angara
on Bud Parkin's aar and march him down
tha length of tha Church and act blm
beside Mlsa Morgan. It was a akikenlng
moment, Tha north end grinned under
its akin aa ona boy, and was exceedingly
glad. So agonising waa It for Bud that
ha fofirot to Imagine what a triumph It
waa for tha north and ana . further
nrulsh m Impossible tor a boy. t
Miss Morgan and , Bud Parking . left
tha church with -the congregation, - Bud
dreaded tha moment when they Would
leave tha crowd and turn Into their
side street . When they did turn Bud
waa lagging a step or two behind. A
hoy's troublea are alwaya tha fault of
tha other.' boy.-" Tha north end boy's
responsibility tn the matter waa so clear
to Bud that when ha went to Justify
himself to Mlsa Morgan ha was surprised
and hurt at wnat na considered her
feminine blindness to the fact. After
aha had passed her sentenoa aha asked;
"Do you really think you deserve to
go, Hsnryt"
The blow atwnned tha boy. Ha aaw
tha visions af two weeks burst like bub
bles, and ho whimpered: dunno."
But tn hla haart he did know that to
deny a boy tha Joy of aeeing Willie Sells
in hla three Shetland ponies, for -nothing
n 'tha world but ahowing a north-ender
hla piaoa, was a piece of Injustice of the
kind for which men arid nations go ta
war. At breakfast BuS kept his ayes
on hla plata. Ha wore on hla face tha
resigned look nt a martyr. , Mlsa Morgan
waa studiously gradoua ' Hs dropped
leaden monoajHablea - Into " tha cheery
flow of her conversation, aad after break
fast put In his time at tha woodshed.
At o'clock that morning tha town of
Willow- Croak waa In tho thrall of .tha
circus. Couftrx wagona war fiaaains oa
, V' : V?lSon, YouV
every alda street tellvery wagona -were
rattling about with unuaual alacrity. By
:I0 draaaed-up ohlldren were flitting
along .Aba alda streets, hurrying their
seniors. On --the main thoroughfare
flags warn flying, and tho atraame of
strangers that had been flowing Into
town were eddying at tha- street -oor
nera Tho balloon vender wormed hla
way .through tho bussing crowd, leav
ing Hla waraa In a red and blue train
behind him. Tha bark of tho faker
rasped ' tha . tightening nervea of the
town. - Everywhere waa hubbub; every
where waa tha dusty heated air of tha
festival; i everywhere were -men and
woman ready for tha 'marvel that had
soma out of tha great world, bringing
pomp and circumstance ta Its glided
train; everywhere In Willow Creek the
aolrlt which but tha blue aaah about tha
country girl's waist and tha flag In har
beau's hat ran riot, aava at tha homo ot
Mlaa Morgan. There tha baea hummed
lastly over tha old-fashioned flower gar
dan; there tha cantankerous. Jays Jab
bared In the ewttonwoods; there tha
muffled noises af tha town feotlval
eama as from afar; there Mian Morgan
puttered about har mornlnga work, try
Ing vainly to erooa a gospel hymn, and
there -Bud Perklna. prooo upon tho ale.
ting-room sofa, made parallslogramd
and squares aad diamonds with the dots
and lines on tho soiling paper. When
tha throb ot tho drum and tho blare of
tho braaa had oat tho haart of the town
to dancing, soma wave ot tho eostaay
aaaped through tho lllao bushes and tnto
tho quiet house, for tha boy On the'aofa
started wo Saddanl y. a hacked hlmseil
oatentatloualy, walked to tho bird aaga
and be ran' to pier with tho canary. But
tha ware carried, tho lltue spinster te
tha window. Tha circus had a home
stead In human hearts bafora John Wee-
ley staked hla claim, aad even ao good
a Methodist as Mlaa -Morgaa could not
bo deaf to tha scream ot tho calliope or
tha tinkle of cymbal a
- 40 emphasise his desolation. Bud loft
tho room aad oat down by a traa In tha
yard, wta his back to tha kitchen door
and window. There Mlaa Morgan saw
htm playing mumble-peg ta a desultory.
listless fashion. When tho oourttera of
BoyvUle eama noma from tha parade,
they found Mm) and because ha aat
playing a silent. Uullen, solitary game.
and responded to their banter only With
melancholy grunts, they gnaw that the
worst had befallen him. Mucn conrso
followed. In which tho pronouna "aha"
and "har" were spoken. Otherwise Mlaa
Morgan was unidentified. For tho con
versation ran thua, over .and; over: y
. -TOU ask har." .;:.. -,;
t "New, Pro aonoaat ar." '
" 'Twon't do no good for me to Mt
'or. She don't like ma" "..-.-.'
, "I ain't 'frald to aat or ' ,
"Well, then, why don't your ;
"Why don't your 4 .i-.s ...; -V, v, '
. 'Iers all aat ar." -. , ; : . . .v ,
: "S-poaa aha will. 3udr .;,..
'"I dunno." -. . -.
' Then Piggy and Abo an Jimmy and
Mealy came' traipsing up to Mlsa Mor
gan'a kitchen door. , ud aat by the tree
twirling hia knife at nia gama nggy.
being tha spokesman, stood In tha door
way. "Mlaa Morgan." ha said, as ha
alapped hla lag with hla hat. - o
"WalL Wlnfleldr replied tha little
woman, divining hla mission and hard
ening her heart agalnat hla purpoaa
"Mlsa Morgan." ha repeated, and then
coaxed sheepishly; "Can't Bud. go to tha
ahow with us; Mlsa Morgan r' -.,. ,
"I'm afraid not today,1- am lied back
Mlsa Morgan ao gha want about hef
work. A wb taper from tha dooratap
prompted Piggy to "ask har why";
whereat Ptggr echoed: "Why can't he.
Mlaa Mofsaaf.'v
"Henrr misbehaved la enure last
night, ood we've agreed that bo a hall
guy home from tho elreua."
Piggy advanced a atap or two Inside
the door, laughing diplomatically.' "Oh
S Mlsa Morgan, aon't you tninjt ne s
agreed. He"a Juat dying to go." :
Mlaa Morgan aeaUed. bat did hot join
tn Piggy's hilarity a bad sign.. Piggy
tried ae-atni "They rot alz elenhante
and one's a trick elephant Tou'd die
a-laughln' If you aaw him." ' And Piggy
went into a spasm of laughter. , .
r 9t tt ltri ItUs Morgaa hlfk aa
-.1. llyL'-
... M mW - shsr , s, - -v
Dalaw. The OeneriJly Drop
dry upon tha Island of bar determina
tion, "-v '"-'''. '. 5-s .,;
' Piggy prepared for an heroie measure,
and stepped over to the kitchen table,
leaning upon It aa ha plaadsd:
"This , la the last circus this' year,
' Mlsa Morgan, and It's aa awful good
ona Can't ha go Juat this oncer.
The debate lasted minutes, and at
the and four boya walked alowly. with
much manifestation Of feeling, back to
tha tree where the fifth aat There
waa woe and lamentation after the man
ner of boyklnd. When tha boya left tba
yard It Beamed to Miss Morgan that aha
could not look from her work without
seeing- tha 'loneeome figure of Bud.
In the afternoon tha patter of feat by
ner tieuss errew alowar and then ceased.
Occasionally a belated wayfarer sped by.
Tha muala of tha clrcua band ontaldo of
tho tant came to Mlaa Morgan's ears oa
gusts of wind and died away aa the
wind ebbed., she dropped the dishcloth
three tlmaa In five minutes and washed
her cup end aauoar twlee. .' She etrua
gled brarelyv In the alough of despond
tor a while, and than turned hack with
Pliable. "Henry" aha said, aa the boy
walked paat her carrying pepper grass
to the bird. "Hanry, what made you
act ao last rtigniT f j
" The boy dropped his head and an
swered. "I duana" - -,- ......
' "But. Henry, didn't yea. know tt Wtl
wrong r- . -.- , . - ,
- "I dunno." the boy reiterated.
"Why did you stick that Utile boy
wun ine piut" t , , - f
"Wall- well" . ha gasped, preparing
for a defense, "Wall, he pinched me
first" . .' -, -
- "Tea, Henry, bnk don't you knew that
It's wrong to do those things In churohf
Don't you see how bad It waa?"
. "I waa just a-playln', Mlaa Morgaa;
l ainn I mean to. .
Bud did not dare to trust hla Instinct
ive reading of the algna Ha wont on
Impulsively: -I wanted him to quit
hut he Juat kept right on and Brother
Baker didn't touch him." r '
The wind brought tho staccato raueic
of tho circus band to tho foster mother'a
ears. The mualo completed her mora)
decay, for oha waa thinking that if
Brother Baker would only look after his
own children aa carefully aa ho looked
after thoaa of other people, the world
wouig pe Dotter. men aha aaidt "Now.
Henry, If I let you go, Just this once
now, just this once, mind you will you
promise never to do anything like that
again r ,-- , ' - .,
niacknaag dropped from the boya
Spirit.' and "by main . atrength - he
atrangiea a oesire to yell. The desire
revived whan he reached, the alley, and
he ran whooping to tha circus grounda
' There Is a law of arratalliaatlon
among boys which enables molecules of
tho same gang to meet In whatever
agglomeration they may ba thrown. Bo
It minutes after Bud Perkins left heme
he found Piggy and , Jimmy and Abe
and Mealy in ' the menagerie tant
Whereupon tha south snd waa able to
present a- bristling front to tha north
and a front which even tha pleadings
of tha lute tn the-clrcue band could not
break. But the boya knew that the band
playing In tho elreua tant meant that
tha performance In- the ling was About
to begin. ' So they out short aa Interest
ing dialog, with a keeper, concerning
tha elephant that remembered the man
who gave har a chew of tobacco it
years ago aad tried to kill him the week
before tho ahow came to.WlUow Croak.
But whea Vie pageant tn the ring un
folded Ita tinseled ' splendor In the
grand entry, Sud Perklna left -earth and
walked upon clouda of glory. Hie -high
strung nerves quivered with, delight as
tha ring disclosed ita treasures Willie
Sells on hla spotted pontes, Jamee Rob
inson oa hla dapple-array, tha "eight
funny downe count- them eight." the
Japanese Jugglers and tamblare. tha be
spangled woman On the rings, tha danc
ing pontes and the performing - doga.
The climax of hla Joy came when Zaaell,
the queen of the air." waa shot from
her cannon to the traps is. Bud had
decided, days before the clrcua that thla
feature would pleaaa him most, . Za sell's
performance waa somewhat tame, bat I
lmme1 la tel y t berea f ter a -reel!-- eturf I
ling thing barpaned. A clown who wa j
?S-,
t
'
mi
tv'r
the Pbtt Vtidt,"'.-'' fA'' -v.- '' Kr .
holding the trick mule called to the
boya near Bud,. who nudged blm Into
the clown's attention, : The clown pan
tomimed to Bud, drawing from the wide
pantaloons a dollar. Ha held It up for
tha boy and all the spectators to ' aoa.
Alternately he pointed tt to the trick
mule and to tho coin, coaxing and quee
tlonlng by algna, aa he did so. It .took
perhaps a minute for Bud's embarrass
ment to wear off. Then two motives
Impelled him to' aot He didn't propose
to let the portb-enders see his embar
rassment and - he aaw that he might
earn the dollar -for Miss Morgan's mis
slonary-boz, thus .' mitigating tha die
grace he had 'brought upon hef, In
ehuroh. The inspiration literally flashed
over Bud and before ho knew It he waa
standing In tha ring. with . hla head
oooked upon one alda' to indicate hla
utter Indifference to everything In the
world, 1 pt course-. It waa a etudenduoue
pretense. - Per ander hla pretty atarched
ahlrt, whloh Mlaa Morgaa had foroed on
him In tha hurry of departure, his haart
waa bee ting. like a little windmill In a
gale. As Bud bestrode the donkey the
cheers of the throng roae, but above the
tumult, ho oould hear, the north end
Jeering at him. . He vould ' hear tha
words of the aorth-enders spoke, even
their "ho-o-oho-os," and their "nyayh-nyayh-nyayahs."
. and their ."look-at-Old-Pretty-boys,''
and their "watch-hlm-hlt-the-roefsV
snd thsir "get-e-baskets,"
and similar ramarka leas desirable
for publication, Aa the donkey cantered
oft Bud felt aura ha could keep his seat
Oflco tho animal backed. But ho did not
fall. The donkey ran - and atopped
quickly. Bud held on. Then tha donkey's
feat, twinkled tt seemed to Bud tn the
very top of the tent and Bud slid oft
tho animal's neck to tha . ring. The
clown brought the boy hia hat and atood
over him aa he rose. Bud laughed
stupidly Into the chalked - face of - the
clown, who handed Bud a dollar, remark
ing in a low voice, "Well, eon, you're a
daisy. They generally . drop the .first
klek'nr. ' . - v:V -
What paased In tho ring aa Bud left
it, bedraggled and duaty, did not Interest
him., He brushed himaalf aa ha want
Tha band waa playing madly, and tba
young woman, la the stiff skirts waa
etaading by her horse ready to mount
The crowd did not stop laughing. Bud
Inclined bis head to dust .hla knicker
bockers, and then In a tragic Instant he
saw what was convulsing the multitude
with laughter. The outer aaam of the
right leg of his velveteen breeches waa
gone, and a brown leg waa winking in
and out of tho flapping-garment aa he
walked. Wildly he gathered the parted ,
garment, and It Beamed to htm that he
never would cover .the ground between
the ring and tha benches, i la tha course
of several eeone -whloh the other -boys
measured by fleeting mlnutaa tha wave
of shame that covered Bud aubsldao,
Plna bound un the wounda In hla clothes.
He drew a normal breath,' and waa able
to Join the mob whloh howled down the
man who announoed the. concert
After that tha Inexorable mlnutaa flaw
by until tha performance ended. In the
menagerla tent Bud and hla menus
looked thirstily upon the .cool, pink
"schooners" of lemonade, ' and finally.
whea tbey had apant a few blissful mo
menta with the .monkeys and had en
joyed a last, long, lingering look at the
elephants, they dragged themselves un
willingly away Into tha commonplace ot
sunshine and trees and blue aky. Only
the romantlo touch af tha sideshow ban
ners and tha wonder Of the glided we-,
gone assured them that their memoriae
of tha passing hour were not empty
dreama. t .,,--
The boy were standing enraptured
before tho picture of the fat woman
upon the awaying oanvaa Bud had
drifted away from them to glut hla eyes
upon the picture ot tho snakes writhing
around tha charmer. -The north-ender
had been following Bud at a respectful
dlstanca, waiting for the opportunity
which his separation from hla clan gave
to tham. They were enforced by a coun
try boy of great reputed prowess In J
battle. Bud did not know hla danger
until the- pounced npon him. In an
instant' the fight was raglne. Over the
gay rrrprg ff went trader the TtrJ,et wa
ton, into the thick of the Jo0ad
atandsv And whea Piggy-and Abe and
Jimmy bad Joined if tbey trailed the
track of tha storm by torn beta, brutaed,
battle-scarred boya, and tho- wreckage
Incident to an enlivening occasion.
When bla Comrades found -Bud the argu
ment had narrowed down to- Bud and
the any from tha country, the Other
wranglera having dropped out f on heavy
repairs. Tha fight, which had baea
started to avenge ancient wrongs, par'
tlmilarly tha wronca of the billboard.
only added new wnor - to the 1et, The
oouniry ooy was b.hi - w 'iy, ana
trying to cllneh -1 'ae' i
the town marshal t el i - ol a-l
boyo atopped tha f. t . t cf course
no town marshal en'- cc !" tite
thick of a discussion H 1 -yv -e r
know much of the men. tt t t
tion. Bo whea the' marshal of W ulow
Creek, seeing Bud Parkins putting, the
finishing touchea of a good trouncing
on a atrange boy, and aleo peeing Bid
Pennington a boy, and Henry bears boy.
and Mrs. Carpenter's boy, and old man
Jones' boy dancing around in high glee
at the performance, the marshal quietly
gathered In the boys he anew and let
ine lusjixw go.
Now. no boy likes to be marched down
the main street of bla town with the
ealloua finger af the marshal under his
ahlrtband. . The spectacle operates . dis
tinctly asmlnae tho peace .and dlgnlts
of Boyvlne for months thereafter.' For
paaalng youths who -forget there ia
morrow Jibe at the culprits, aad thus
plant , the - aeedr of dissensions whleh
bloom la fights. It waa a eweaty, red
faced crew that tha marshal dumped
Into Pennington's grocery - with, "Here,
hiii, t round your bey and tbaaa young
oemoas rigntin" down "t the circus
ground,' and I took 'em Id charge. Tou
tend to 'em. will rour , ,, i ..
Mr. Pennington's glance at hla .son
showed that Piggy -was -unharmed. A
awltt syrvey of . the 'others gave each-J
aava Bud. a Mil of health, , But when
Mr. ' Pennlgton'a ayaa . fell on Bod ha
leaned on a showcase and laughed till
he shook all ever; for Bud, with a brim
leas hat npon 'a tousled head, .with i
face scratched till It looked like a rail
road man, with a torn ahlrt that exposed
a-dirty shoulder end a freckled back.
with trousers ao badly chattered that
two haada oould hardly hold them to
getherBud, aa Mr. Pennlgton expressed
IV looked like a second-hand boy. The
simile pleased Pennington so that he
renewed -hia laughter and paid no head
ta the chatter ot the pack that was
clamoring to tall, all la ona breath, how
the incident began, progressed and closed
which had led to Bud'a dilapidation.
Also, they were drawing gloomy Pictures
of the appearance of his assailants, after
the ouatom of boys tn Such cases. Be
cause his ion was not . Involved In the
calamity. Piggy a fathar waa not moved
deeply by the story of tha raid of the
north-endera and tbelr. downfall., Bo ha
put tha young ksntlaman of the court
pf BoyvUle into the back room of 'his
grocery store, where coaloll and molasses-barrels
and hams and bacon and
black ahadowa of many mysterious things
were gathered. Ha gave the royal party
a cheeasknlfe and " a-' watermelon and
bade them be merry, a bidding which set
tba hearts of Piggy and Abe and Jimmy
and Mealy to dancing, whlla 'Bud's heart
whtch had been sinking lower -and lower
into a quagmire of dread, beat on nimbly
and did not Join the -Joy. Aa tha time
for going home approached Bud shivered
in hia aoul at the .thought of meeting
Mlsa Morgan. Not even tha watermelon
revived him, and when a watermelon will
not help a boy his extremity Is dire.
Still be laughed and chatted wKh ap
parent' merriment but ha knew how
hollow' waa r hla laughter ' and what
mockery was la hla cheer- , Whea the
melon waa eaten, business topk Its regu
lar order. " - :j
"Say, Bud, how you goln' to get home T"
asked Abe. ... i- v ..
Bad grinned as bs looked at his rags.
"Oee," said Mealy, "I'm alad U ain't
me." .- -.' . . - . . . . . 'j
"aw. shucks," returned ' Bud, and tie
thought of the stricken Ananias tn the
Sunday school lesson leaf as ha ' spoke,
"run right through like I always do.
What I rot to be frald of T' - -
''"Tea. Mr. Bud. you eaa laugh, but you
know you 11 catch It when you get home.
Thla shaft from Jimmy Sears- put in
words the terror In .. Bud's heart . But
he replied; I bat you I don't. -
Bud's Instinct piloted him by a cir
cuitous route up the alley to tha kitchen
door. Mlaa Morgan aat on the front
porch, waiting for the boy to return be
fore serving supper., Hs stood helplessly
In the kitchen for a minute, with 'a
weight of - indecision upon him. " Ha
feared to go to tha front porch, where
Mlsa Mnrna waa He feared to star in
the kitchen. But whea he saw tha empty
wood box a- light seemed to dawn, s In
stinct guided him to tha woodpile and
the . law ot self-preservation filled his
arms ' with wood, and Instinct carried
him to -the kitchen woedbea time aad
again and raid the wood tn the 'bog aa
gsntly aa if it baa been glass and aa
softly as If It had been velvet Not until
the pile had grown tar above the wain
scoting on the kitchen wall did a stick
crashing to the foor tall Mlaa Morgaa
that Bud was in tha house.
' But there ta a destiny that aha peg our
ends, and Just as the falling wood at
tracted Mlaa Morgan's attentlotu.it was
diverted by a belligerent party at her
front gate. The aiiugerent party was
composed of two persona to-wit: One
mother from the north end' of Willow
Creek, Irate to tho apluttartng point, and
one boy lagging aa far behind the
mother aa his short arm would allow
him to lag. The mother held the abort
arm, and waa literally dragging her soa
to Mlsa Morgan's gate, to offer him In
evidence aa "Exhibit A" ta a possible
cause, of the atste of Kansas vs. Henry
Perklna Exhibit A waa buck and blue
aa to the oyea, torn aa .to -the shirt
bloody as to the nose, tumbled and dusty
aa to the nair, ana aa to tna eounte
naacvclearly and. unquestionably sheep
faced. Tha mother opened the bombard
ment with:, "Mlaa Morgan,-! Juat want
you to look at my boy."" '
Mlaa Morgan looked la horror, and ex
claimed: "Well., for - mercy' eakea!
Where on earth's he beenr ,- -,' '
And the-leader of tho war party re
turned: ""Where's he bean? .Well, I'll
tell you.' where he's. bees. And X Just
want you to know who done thla."" Here
Exhibit A got behind a poet 'The
recital of the detail e of hla Catastrophe
waa humiliating." But tha mother con
tinued: "Kenry Perkins done thla I
don't believe In stirring up neighborhood
quarrele and all that but Pva juat atood
this long enough. Mr boy oaa't stick
his nose out of the door - without that
Perklna boy Jumpln' on Mm. If you
can't da anything with that-Trwrttina
boy. HI show Mm there's' a law In this
.land." . - ' ,
Mlsa Morgan wilted aa tha speech
(rooeeded. ' She had voice to aay only,
"I'm euro there'B somemlntske," and
than, remembering the crash of the
rneil on the kitchen floor, aha salted:
Henry.. come hers.''
Aa Bud ehembled through tha house
the spokesman at the belligerents re
r Aiuk ui r tain Bv luistaiive
My boy ia a good little boy, and
either,
Just as paaceaba A boy as there Is in
this town. - And because I don't allow
him to fight that Perklna boy plcka oa
him all the time, , I've told him to keep
out of hia way and not to play with
Henry Perklna, bat he can't be runnln'
all over this town to kee-v. ., ,
And then Exhibit B, wUh acratched 1
face, tattered raiment -and. grimy fea
tures, stood tn tho doorway. Tha wit
nass for the , elate looked - 4n dumb
amaseraent at the wreck. Mlsa Morgan '
saw Bud, aad her temper rose not at
hlnir bur tr httdersary:: Exhibit A -sulkily
turned his face from Exhibit B.
and Exhibit B seemed to be oblivious .
of the presence of Exhibit A; for the
boye it was a aceae too shameful for
mutual recognition. ) Mlaa Morgan broke
the heavy alienee with: - "Henry, where :
on earth have you' been - -
"Been f the circus,", replied thg boy."
"Henry; did you blacken that little
boys eyes, and tear hla clothea that
wayr Inquired Mlaa Morgan whan her
wita returned. 1 ;
"w hy no'm I didn't fent he wasr
one of four fellers that picked on mr
eomln' homo from the olreue, and tried
to lick me." . - - . . i -v .
"Willie,' demanded the bead of the
attacking fosse, -old yon pick a .light
with that 1 raina hoyT" . ;
Oh no'm. no'ml I was juat playln'
round the teat, ma and" another boy, and
Bud he; come p and Jumped on ua" -.
And then, to add verisimilitude to his
narrative, he appended: "Him and four
Other boya." - .... .j , ,. -..
. "Henry," asked Mlaa Morgan; aa aha
surveyed -hs debris of Henry's Sunday
clothes and her womanly wrath for tha
destroyer ef them began to boll; "Henry,
now tell, me honestly, la this little boy '
telling the truth?.. Now, don't you story
to ma, Henry.".-.: - .
"Honeat Injun, aft a Morgan, t cross
my heart and hope to drop dead thla -minute
if I ain't tellin' you the way it
waa . Him and them North-anders, why .
they come alone snd called me names, -and
lie tried to hit me, and I Juat ahoved
him away like thla" and , Henry exe
cuted a polite pantomime. "And I waa '
a win gin' my arm a out to' keep 'em all
from - hlttln' me, and he got in the way,
an I couldn't help It' And they, waa
all a-plokln' on ma, and I told 'em all
the time I didn't want to light" -
, But Exhibit A kept looking at hla
mother and ahaklng hia head in violent
contradiction of Bud aa the etory waa
told.' t -, - :
Mlaa Morgaa aakad: "Who acratched
your face so, Henryr "'
v "Him; he'a all tha Urns nghtln' ma"
-"No, ma; 1 didn't . Tou know I
didn't" -..-.-a4- '.U-.,. r-w-
Exhibit A and Exhibit B were still
back to back. - Their Exhibit B re
sponded: "Mlaa-Morgan, you ast him
If ho didn't eusa and damn, me, and aay
he was goln' to pound me to death If I -
over came north of Sixth street r" w
, To which the, loader of the raiders '
returned in great acorn I I "The very
Ideal Just listen at that! " Why. Miss
Morgaa. that .Parkins boy Is tha bully,
of thla town. Come on, Willie, your pa
will Bee If there Is no law to protect you
from Bush boya aa htm.' . Whereupon
the war party faced about and, .walked :
down the sidewalk and away. '.
Mlaa- Morgaa and Bud watched thr
north end woman and her eon depart '
Mlsa Morgan turned te Bud and spoke.
spiritedly: "Now, Henry, don't -ever-hav
unythtnf to-do with that kind of
trash again. Now, you won't v forget,
will you, HenryT" .-, ---- - ; -
Bud examined his toes careruny ana
replied: "No'm." ' ' ' '
In the threshold she put ner nana on .
the Kov's shnuMsr snd continued: ''Now.
don't yea mmd aboatoit,- Henry. ', They I
shan't touch yon. Tou come and wash
and - we'll have supper." ...
: When n boy haa a woman for a cham
pion. If ha Is wlaa, be truata her to any
lenath. v So Bud Went to the kitchen.
picked up the water bucket and went tov
the well, partly to keep rrom oispiaying
a gathering wave of affection for hie
foster-mother, and partly to let tna
magnificence of tho wood box buret upon
her tn hla absence. - When he returned "
ho found Mlaa Morgan pointing toward
the wood box and beaming upon him.'
Bud grinned and fished In hla pocket
for the ooiat. . ( . ...... ..,. .-,., ,.-'. vj.,-.
Hare's a dollar I got for riding the
trick mule," he faltered. "1 thought it
would be nice for the missionary socie
ty." That he might check any weak
feminine emotlona, ho turned hla atten
tion to the aupper- table and blurted,--Oee.
we're gorn to have Die.- ain't waT
I tell you, I'm mighty pie hungry."
Tho glew-of Mlaa Morgana melted
heart shone upon her face. Through a
seraph lo smile aha spoket ."It's apple
pie. too, Henry your kind." As she put
the supper upon (no taoie ana aaaea:
Did you have a good time at tna circus.
Henryt" . I ,"- .',',-'." ' .'
Tha bor nodded vehemently, and aald:
"Tow b- and thewweat on, after a
pause, "X truese I tore my pants a little
getting on that muie; out I tnougm
you'd like the dollar." 5
it waa tna rmeei speecn no couia
maka ."I guess t oaa mend them, Hen
ry" aho answered, and than aha asked,
with her face tn tha cupboard: "Sha'n't
wa try some of thecsw strawberry pre ,
serves, Hearyr " .-
Aa aho waa opening the jar aha con
cluded that Henry Perkins waa an an '
gal- a conclusion which. In view of tho
well-known facts, was. manifestly ab
surd. . . - . "; i. . -
"A Change of Profesaloa." by Har-
rer X O'Hicalna. la next In The Jour
nal' Banner Series of short atotiea)
- i A assalnlSDsns ' -
'-,- From the Kanaaa City Jonrnat '
' "It haa baea ao wet for the last three
or.:: four yeara,"1 remarked Truthful.
Jamea, "that a good many people have "
forgot how dry It used to be, I remem
ber one yeer whea the Missouri river
wa dusty all the way down from Kan
eaa City to the Mississippi. '. Of course '
the river waa running all tho while, bur
the water fn it got ao dry that It turned
to dnat and blew away, t took a boat
the river ht that time, but . It
waa so -lusty on the boat that" you ,
couldn't see the hind end of It when yon
waa atandlng at the front end. It wea '
a little tho worst I ever sea My mouth
get so mock grit and dust tn It that I '
could strike a match on the roof of it
any time. .One day tho boat got aturk ;
la 11 feet of Kiaaouri river water. It
was so dry and dusty-that the wheat
couldn't turn. What did we dot Well,
air. we went out and hired a farmer to
haul fresh water for 11 mllea to mix
with the river water nntll it -Waa thin ',
enough to nut the boat through."
1 -
. , Frotn tho Washington Star. '
"I think that tha people who have'
taken thla 'affair In hand have -msds
yon sincerely repent",
"Repent:- - axriaimeo: the man mini
bad been Involved In qaeattormble ft--nence.
It's worse than that. . They have
i4e m return gome ef Uii money. " .
plied: