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Show THE who lived there,and there was also a sent whirling through the air so uncere- faint suspicion in their minds that they moniously, fell like furies upon theshav- should ask his leave to gather some of en heads and bare arms of the Turkish the nuts. “Don’t let’s ask him,” said Willie,“he’ll soldiers, and gave them such a prickling that the Saxon arrows which had been never know we took ’em,and I don’t xi= |falling so thick amohg them seemed a care.if he does.” But Bobbie was a little older and AS |mere nothing in comparison. Every man in the front ranks was literally wiser and thought it would be better to black with the infuriated insects, which ask the farmer first, so he prevailed on { | kept stinging the more fiercely the more Willie to run and gain his permission. Willie did not much like to do this the bewildered Turks tried to beat them off. There WINGED WARRIORS, The quiet little village of Holzmengen, in T'ransylvania, was all.in an uproar one bright summer afternoon long ago, for its Saxon inhabitants were fighting for their lives against terrible odds, as they had fought many a time before. The whole slope of the hill on the brow of which it stood was one great crowd of wild-looking men, with dark, fierce faces and white turbans and strangely fashioned armor—those dread- ed Turkish soldiers, the memory whose fierceness is still preserved of in our saying that any man of savage temper is “a regular Turk.” And all this time, while the air was rent with the din of battle, and Death was gaping to devour the village and all within it, a little girl barely ten years old, with long fair hair and eyes as blue and bright as the sky overhead, was at ‘her work in her little garden just behind the village church, as quietly as if no enemy were within a hundred miles of her. But this was not so strange as it looked. Little Lizzie was the daughter of the sexton who had charge of the church, which, as the largest and safest building in the place, was always used as a hospital in time of war; and the work upon which the little woman was so busy was the preparing of bandages for the wounded, who were now being brought in thick and fast. But in the midst of all this uproar and agony and death, the sun shone as brightly as ever, and the trees of the tiny garden rustled in the evening breeze; and around the twelve neat hives that stood ranged in a row humming blithely, among the flowers; the bees were as they hovered and any one who had shut his ears to the frightful below might have thought this spot most peaceful in the whole world. din the was no more thought of battle and away flew the bees after them, while of the churchyard wall, while behind them the dark Turkish faces and snowwhite turbans were eddying like a flood among the houses. The Turks had taken the village, and were coming on to attack the church itself! Luckily it could only be attacked on one ‘side, for on ‘the other the rock was so steep and slippery that no man alive could have scaled it. So the brave village bailiff, though bleeding from several wounds, ranged ,his men along the side of the wall that faced the enemy, and encouraged them to stand firm and fight it out to the last. On came the Turks with hoarse yells of triumph, and in a moment the whole space outside the church-yard wall was a sea of grim faces and flashing steel. And now the storming assailants made a third charge,, which brought them right up to the foot of the wall that: sheltered all who were left of the defenders; and while some thundered upon the gate with axes, others planted ladders against the wall or tried to clamber up it on each other’s shoulders. Another moment and all would have been over; but just then Lizzie struck with a bright idea (which came to her from an old story that she had heard one winter evening) darted back to her little garden, seized two of the beehives, one in each hand, and springing upon the low wall, hurled them among the swarming assailants. Two more instantly followed, and then other two, until the whole dozen hives had been flung down upon the heads of the clambering Turks. $30 Prize Srory. On DecemBer 15TH, Toe WESTERN Pay and was quite boastful of what he could do and what he was going todo. Sometimes his smartness ran into real impu- dence, and on such occasions he could make himself avery imp of mischief. Willie had a good, kind father and mother who thought a great deal of him, and perhaps humored him too much, for he was the only boy among a number of other children. He was sometimes disobedient, and more times than one he had sorely tried the patience of his good mother, who was reluctant to pursue extreme means with him, and did not wish to inform his father concerning his actions, lest that parent should treat him with undue harshness and severity. One day in the autumn Willie had made arrangements with another boy two or of his meeting with misfortune. But this time Willie resolved not to consult them at all. He said to himself: “I am ten years old. I guess I’ve some say about whatI may do. I won’t ask pa or ma at all, but just go nutting anyhow.” It chanced on the day that Willie wanted to go that his mother was in the midst of her fall house-cleaning; all the carpets had been taken up and hung on clothes lines and Willie was told to beat the dust out of them. This work if he did it properly would take him a good part of theday. After breakfast he began to beat the carpets; but when his father went to the office he set the stock he was using aside. Going tohis mother he asked her if he could not go and play a little while. “No,” said his mother, ‘you know we have lots to do today, Wil- lie, and you must have the carpets done by the middle of the afternoon, so your father can help us lay them when he returns from the office.” Willie said not aword, but went back to his work. } Bye and bye he threw down his stick in anger. “Ma won’t let medo anything,” he muttered; “I’ll show ’er I aint a little bit of a boy no longer,” and away he ran to the home of Bobbie Blake who was his promised companion forthe day’s out. They went away into the country, baskets in hand, three or four miles out from the village, roaming over the hills and the gullies, foreing their way through the tangled brush in search of chestnuts. Their clothes were all torn and Bobbie had lost one of his shoes in a stream they were forced to wade through; but as yet they had found no nuts. At last they I don’t like the savage gleam in clump of chestnut wit. 8 For os BEST “QHRISTMAS STORY” © Five THovusanp FOR To Six PUBLICATION THousanpD Worpbs, FURNISHED IN ITS CHRISTMAS NUMBER. his eyes.” But the anger of the two boys was thoroughly aroused, and there was just enough of the dare-devil in their compositions to make them brave the farmer’s injunction. They waited till the farm wagon drove away, and then Willie climbed up into a tree and began to shake it vigorously. They had almost filled their baskets when they heard a loud barking, and looking in the direction of the farm house they saw the farmer and his big dog running towards them. “Hurry down,” Bobbie cried quickly, 7. Prize jv oes" POEM. $20 j a On: DicemBer 20TH THE 2 WESTER A PRIZE OF “we've got to run for it.” Willie started to do so, but in his excitement he slipped and fell, striking his arm against a limb as he descended, and tumbling headlong into the slime and mud of the shallow frog pond. Bobbie had already started to run for some neighboring bushes, and did not discover ~¢ B2LO.00 + For mm BEST “NEW YEAR’S POEM” © Firry Willie’s mishap until too late to give any to A HunDRED assistance. In a minute or two the big dog rushed up and seizing Willie by the breeches’ leg, began vigorously him about in the water. “Down, Watch, down!” farmer, as he came up, to cried LINES, FURNISHED IN Irs New YEar’s FOR PUBLICATION NuMBER. drag the “Oh, you young scoundrel, I’ve caught you stealing, have I? Jl make But Willie you smart for this.” had fainted by this time through fear and pain, and he did not hear the last words of the farmer. The latter, moreover, had become alarmed, for he saw Willie lying motionless before him. He stooped down to pick him up and then laid him down on the dry ground. He discovered that drove them back to the village, thinking they had been sufficiently punished their escapade. for Willie’s parents had grown anxious abouthim. It was almost night and he had not finished the carpets. $10 THANKSGIVING SFor¥. S10 On NovemBer 15TH, Toe Pay WESTERN A PRIZE WEEKLY with OF Willie’s arm was broken. Bobbie had watched operations from his refuge in the bushes, and seeing that Willie was hurt he came quickly back. Willie soon regained consciousness, and the two boys told their story The farmer took compassion on them and 3 B41 O_.OO For tHe BEST FirrEEN “Thanksgiving HuNDRED IN “Our 8- WorDs, FURNISHED LittLE Onsgs’” THANKSGIVING Story” FOR DEPARTMENT OF ABOUT PUBLICATION OF THE NUMBER. His father was very angry and determined ish him for his disobedience. to pun- The farmer at last drove up to the house, and. Willie in his pitiable plight, wet and covered with mud and slime, and his arm ina sling, came limping into the house. It was a picture for his parents and his father’s anger melted away into compassion. His kind mother tenderly given. One of the committee w.‘i be from the editorial department of Tak WESTERN WEEELY. | cared for him until his arm got well, and he would often sit by her side and tell her that he would never again be disobedient. And he never was; the result of named for the awarding of prizes. his first nutting expedition taught him trees that his parents were much wiser than on the hillside near a marshy frog pond. he,and that they merited his respect The two boys saw a farm house not very and love. far away and they had a faint suspicion that these trees belonged to the farmer | came to a fine WEEKLY a PrRiIzz oF -# BSO.00 # The Cost of Disobedience. timation of himself and his own abilities, $380 | am had just come. The farmer was a gruff, rough fellow, who could scarcely appreciate the wants of a boy like him,and he roughly answered: “No, you young rascal, and if might well laugh to see a whole Turkish army put to flight by the device of one you dare to touch them I will set that big dog after you,” pointing to a big, little girl— Harper’s Young People. shaggy dog standing near. Willie had not another word to say; but the uncouth words of the farmer, [Written for the Western Weekly.] young as he was, roused his indignation | and he determined to have the nuts any way. He went off in a direction opposite to where he had left Bobbie, until out of sight of the farm house, to the BY SYLVIA. trees again. Here he found Bobbie and told him what the farmer had said. Willie Burns was a little boy of about “The old stingy brute,” said Willie, ten years of age who lived near the beauwe'll get even with ’im! we’ll take just tiful lakes in the central portion of New as many nuts as we please and ask no York. He was quite a precocious little odds of ’im. Yet that mean-looking dog, fellow, and, indeed, had a very high es- three years older than he was to go on a nutting expedition. The chestnuts were And now Lizzie, catching up a whole just ready for gathering and the boy had armful of bandages, hurried away into made up his mind to have a great time. the church, where she was soon so busy Although in former years he had asked among the wounded men that she hardly his parents’ leave to go to gather chestnoticed that the noise of the battle was nuts they had always told him he was growing louder, seeming to roll nearer too young, and there was much danger and nearer every moment. But suddenly a fearful cry from without made her look up, and through the nearest window she saw the Germans crowding wildly into the one small gate but he at length consented. Approaching the farm house, he saw the farmer or assault; for who could wield a sword hitehing up his team to drive over to the : or climb a wall with his head covered village. “Good morning, sir,” said Willie, with a perfect nose-bag of enraged bees, and every exposed inch of his body “please can I have some of the chestnuts @mnarting as if pierced by a thousand growing on those trees over yonder,” and red-hot needles? Away flew the enemy, he pointed in the direction whence he the yells of pain of the discomfited Turks were answered by the uproarious laughter of the triumphant Saxons, who | $60 IN PRIZES. ee ee at being WEEKLY. zt The bees, enraged to madness ONES. WESTERN These Prizzs will be awarded by a committee of three persons whose names will be published when the announcement of rewards is Contributions must be received one week previous to the ) date |