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Show POY WAS NO COWARD. Convinced HI" lather by Filling: Him lull of Shot. "Speaking of the boy who used his sister's toothbrush to paint his double-ripper double-ripper sled and forgot to wash out the paint before he returned it to her room," observed the major, "reminds me that you never can tell what a boy will do. There was old Squire Leather's boy Hezekiah the Knuire thought he couldn't depend upon him, but he found he could. Snuire Leathers Leath-ers had a fine watermelon patch, of which he was very proud. But he annually lost a good many melons through the raids of tramps and other predatory persons. At lost he got mail i and vowed he would protect his own ' interests. So he loaded up the shotgun shot-gun pretty nearly to the muzzle with bird-shot, and gave it. to Hezekiah, and sent him out to stand guard one night. The boy made some objection to going, and the squire got it into his head he was afraid. He rebuked him roundly told him that he was unworthy to bear the proud name of Loathe: s. and pushed him into the ni'lit. Then the squire went grumbling n bed. In ha'f. an hour he got up. saying that he was going out to test th boy. " Tain't necessary to make a tarnal fool of yourself. Jonas.' said his wif?: 'I admit ad-mit it.' 'Admit he's a coward?' says the squire. Xo: admit you're a foo'..' said his wife. 'Meb'ny I am." says the squire. 'Bu' that boy's a coward. He takes after your family. I'll show you he's afraid to pul! th" trigger.' and the squire went outdoors and into the melon patch. Heveklah was in one corner behind a burdock waiting for game. The strange figure attracted his attention through the darkness, and he gave it the left barrel. The doubting parson jumped ten f-et into the air. howled murder and ran for the fence. Hezekia&'s inttruction? had been to make a clean job. so he let his worth-father worth-father have the other barrel. Tt:c-!u tied the squire and he crawled to the house and sent for the doctor, listening listen-ing meanwhile to remarks appropriate to the occasion from his loving and dutiful wife. The old man was always a little lame after this, and it used to be a pathetic thing to hear him tell the story cf the occtirreiue. and at the end shake his head sadly as he observed: observ-ed: 'I seen when it was too late what I ought to 'a' done was to 'a' sent the hired man or,; to test that hoy. Hezekiah was a true L-r.he;'?, after all." " |