Show THE JOKE ON JOGGINS AND THE REASONS WHY IT RUNG FIRE BY WILt S GIDLEY Author of the HappyGoLucky Papers Pa-pers etc S I To begin with the boys of Hemlock i Hills were decidedly prejudiced against Ephraim Joggins Why this was so was a mystery If they had been asked vhat reasons they had for this feeling probably not pne of them could have furnished u satisfactory reply All the boys knew Was that they didnt like Joggins None of them knew exactly why Joggins had never treated any of them badly He had always attended attend-ed to his own affairs and let them attend at-tend to theirs yet there remained that indefinable but unmistakable feeling of dislike toward him Perhaps it was because Joggins was anew a-new element in tile community and had not yet become assimilated with the rESt of the ingredients which went to make up the society of Hemlock His He had moved into the neighborhood only six months before our story opens buying a farm which was all run down and with fences and buildings out of lepilir and had kept steadily at work tilling the soil making neeeded improvements im-provements and slowly but surely bringing his purqhase up to the standard stand-ard of the surrounding prosperous hoMesteads For this he depended wholly upon the exertions of himself and a willing and ablebodied assistant whom he had brought with him when he came to Hemlock Hills which fact strange as it may seem did not serve to increase his popularity with the boys even if it did with their elders I was the custom in the neighborhood neighbor-hood whenever a farmers work got behindhand or hq j had some unusually hard job on his hands to make a < bee inviting all the neighbors in for hAlf a day or a day tp assist him out of the difficulty But Joggins managed i to keep the upper hand of his workJ j handicapped as he was by a place all i put of repair and instead of having two I i br three bees during the season a I was the custom of his shiftless predecessor prede-cessor he gave none consequently the larger boys of the neighborhood who regarded a bee as firs cousin to a picnic felt that they were being cheated cheat-ed out of Some of their rights And when fall came and Joggins got in his abundant crop of corn and husked it out and stored it away in the crib without giving the usual husking bee i well that was a little too much and the feeling of hostility toward the newcomer rapidly developed Here at last was something tangible to base their prejudices on and from thinking mean things about Joggins the boys soon got to talking them Tel you what boys said Will Perkins Per-kins one day when they were discussing discuss-ing the matter I knew right from the start that Mr Joggins would turn out tlat I to be that kind of a man When Mr I Doolittle lived On that place he always used to get up the liveliest husking I bee of the whole neighborhood Catch him husking any of his own corn no I siree he let the boys have a chance at it every time and he wasnt afraid to tme I trot out the pie and cake and sweet cider either A fellow could always depend de-pend on getting all the pumpkin pie he I could eat at Doolittles husking bees I Mrs Doolittle was great on pumpkin I pies and Mrs Joggins may be too for all I know but i she is you can wager that Mr Joggins will see to it that no I one except himself and Mrs Joggins I and the hired man ever get any of it to eat < Speaking of the hired man i didnt I look just right for Mr Joggins to bring Jim along with him when he came when he could just as well have hired some one living around here He is a good worker and sticks right to business busi-ness Ill admit that but it isnt exactly the thing fetching a stranger into the place to do work that lots of people here would be glad to get Thats so spoke up Hank Barlow but I dont care so much about the hired man part of it as I do about Mr I Joggins not giving a husking bee I havent liked him very well any of the I time he acts to me as if he had come here from another planet and felt j rather above the people on this one f and when a man carries his exclusiveness exclusive-ness so far as to husk his own corn instead in-stead of giving a husking I think it is about time something was done abot i S That is my idea exactly chimed in Carl Bunker But the question is what can we do in the matter Wonder how it would work to put a piece about it in the paper and mark it and send it to Mr Joggins Take too long to do that and the I editor might not print it anyhow interposed in-terposed Hank Barlow Might better write what we want to say in a disguised dis-guised hand on a sheet of paper and put a skull and crossbones on It ard I tack it onto his front door That would be too much like the White Cans that we used to hear so much about objected Will Perkins and if we begin anything of that kind we will have the whole neighborhood down on us No boys Ill tell you a better plan than that Ive just thought of something that will do first rate Well compel Mr Joggins to make a I beeBut But how can we do that asked Carl Bunker Easy enough replied Will Perkins I If you fellows win come along wth me tonight Ill show you how Lets s ether are two four six eight ten twelve exactly a dozen of us here and I that will be just encugh to do the job up in good shape And now all who want to be counted in on the venture will please raise their right hands Every hand went UD Ail right that settles it the job is as good as done Wear your working clothes and meet me under the big elm oclock this side tonight of Mr Joggins house at 3 I The boys soon separated and at 9 oclock p m that night punctual to agrement they met in the shadow of the big elm Well remarked Will Perkins as he I looked over the crowd Im glad tq see that none of you backed out and now we will proceed to business Weve got a big job ahead of us and when we get it conlpleted I rather think Mr Joggins will have to call in his neighbors neigh-bors and make a bee o it to get things back to wher they belong In the first place I propose taking apart the buckboard buck-board wagon that he keeps standing in the rihed back of the barn carry it upon up-on the roof of the barn put it together I and leave it up there with the heels I standing astraddle of the ridge pole Giess itll puzzle him and the hired man some to get it down when they I discover it not to mention a few other little chores of that kind that we will fix up for theni before we get through I But come on well elevate the buckboard buck-board first arid when were through I with that Ill tell you about the rest I And remember no talking above a Whisper while were at work I In silence the beys followed their leader and in a very few minutes they I had the buckboard apart and were conveying con-veying it by piecemeal to the roof of J the barn Young FcrKms had provided himsel with a monkey wrench no getting 11 get-ting the wagOn apart was simple enough but the rest was not so easy But by the aid of two ladders one of which reached from the ground to the I I eaves of the barn and the other which had a hook at the top tohold it fast 1 from the eaves to the ridge board so i that some of the crowd could go on ahead and pull while others pushed behind they soon accomplished their purpose They had just got the buckboard nicely nice-ly put together and anchored astride of the highest part of the roof when an unwelcome sound arrested their attention atten-tion and sent a sudden chill over their spirits Some one on horseback was turning into the lane that led to Jog ginsbarn It must be either Mr Jog gins or the hired man though the boys supposed they were both in bed and asleep long before this time i 5 Crouching down on the roof out of S sight as far as possible and scarcely daring to breathe the boys anxiously awaited developments I was decidedly decided-ly a thrilling moment and when they heard Joggins voice saying Hello Whats that ladder doing there Thought I left it under the shed they T would have cheerfully given all their I jack knives and other valuables to I have been safely out of the scrape I But if Joggins had discovered them or suspected the purpose for which I the ladder had been placed there he I made no sign Putting his horse into i the stable he fastened the door then I removing the ladder he carried it back under the shed where the boys had II found i and went on to the house whistling softly to himself Well now we are in a nice fix uttered ut-tered Will Perkins dolefully as the door closed behind Joggins This other ladder wont reach half way to the ground even if we could spare i from where it is Joggins has got us treed and when he comes out in the morning and discovers us he will probably send for the constable and have us all locked upWouldnt blame him a bit if he did said Carl Bunker But we musnt stay here to be discovered Where is the rope we had just now hauling up the I wagon Wont that reach to the ground or far enough so we can drop the rest of the way without breaking our legs or our necks I I might if we only had it here groaned Will Perkins but I threw it down to the ground after we got this confounded buckboard up here Say I boys no use talking I cant stand it up here until daylight Im going to yell for Mr Joggins t come out and let us I I downY S down-Y s and get us all arrested uttered ut-tered Carl reproachfully Wall if we are going to be arrested we might as well be arrested now as in the morning Id feel enough sight more comfortable and safer in the lockup than roosting up here on the peak of this barn all night Im chilled through now So here goes no matter what happens Hi there Mr Joggins Halloo Hal-loo help halloo S Mr Joggins promptness in responding respond-ing to this appeal ked somewhat sui picious almost as though he had been standing with an ear to the keyhole listening lis-tening for it Well whats wanted he demanded sticking his head out of the door as the final shout died away Were up on the roof of the barn a lot of us boys and want to get down explained Will Perkins in tones that were far from mirthful Sho you dont say so ejaculated Joggins and then without another word he tramped out to the barn took the ladder from under the shed placed it against the side of the barn where he had found it when he came home then climbing carefully to the top he poked his head over the roof and gazing gaz-ing in apparent surprise upon the scene before him remarked Well well boys it was real good of you to come up here to get that wagon down for me and Im much obliged to you Im sure Tramps must have carried car-ried it up there I reckonand then when you boys discovered it and went up to bring it down and put it back were it belong 1 came blundering ladder and I along and took the away I left you all penned up there like a lot I of sailors cast away 07 a desert island I Just like me Im always doing something some-thing of that kind But seeing you boys are bound to take that buckboard down to the ground for me I spose I ought to mention men-tion that the easiest way to handle i is to take it apart Ill go down and get the wrench andoh youve got one already have you Well now that was real thoughtful of you too to go clear home after a wrench when you saw the fix the wagon was in And now if you will just take off the wheels and the thills and pass them along wel have that buckboard down on the ground where it belongs in a jiffy The boys were somewhat undecided whether these remarks were intended for irony or in earnest but upon one point there wasnt the slightest room for doubt and that was that 11 Jog gins was treating them much better than they deserved to be treated and they set to work like beavers and in half an hour the wagon was standing in its accustomed place under the shed venture apparently none the worse for its ad III There boys youve done first class said Joggins approvingly when the task was completed I never could have got that buckbcard down in the I I world without your help and I want ito i-to make it right with you in some way II Mother has just baked up a nice batch and I believe there 1 1 of mince pies beleve are one or two squash pieS and some cake 1 in the pantry too so you must all 1 come to the housd with me and Ill rouse up mother and Jim and well have a little sort of an impromptu picnic and get better acquainted with each other Come right along boys every one of you well need all hands on the pie business same as we did in getting the wagon down The boys were glad it was so dark I that Mr Joggins could not read their thoughts at that moment and if it had been even a little dar er so they could have got away without being observed they would have liked it better yet They began making excuses but Jog gins broke in with gns time to listen to excuses now boys come ahead and get something to eat first and well hear the excuses afterward if you have any to offer There didnt appear to be anything I else to do so the lads with emotions that can be better imagined than described I I de-scribed followed Mr Joggins to the i house where he ushered them into the t I i big cheery sitting room and then I went to call up Mrs Joggins and Jim i the hired man as the boys generally not much called him though he was I older than some of themand Introduced j intro-duced them to the unexpected company i Jimwho 11 Joggins explained was a relative of theirs and had been employed by him ever since the death of his parents which occurred some years before proved to be a very clever entertaining companion upon closer acquaintance while Mrs Jog gins was one of those goodnatured motherly souls that no one especially a boy can help liking and she gave the lads such a cordial welcome that they were soon at their ease chatting with all hands as if they were old friends and lowering the contents of her wellstocked larder after a most alarming fashion Say boys this is as good as a husking husk-ing announced Hank Barlow after surrounding his third piece of mince pie Husking eh spoke up Joggins That reminds me Jim used to go to all the husking bees and he said we ought to have one same as the rest of the neighbors and if mother hadnt received some bad news just then we intended to do it She got word that her sister who was a missionary in China had been killed and it upset her so for a spell that she didnt want to do anything or see any one but her own folks so we had to give up the idea of having a husking and Jim and 5 S p 9 mn4crc Say Boys This I as Good as a Husking Announced Hank Bar low After Surrounding His Third Piece of Mince Pie I went to work and husked the corn out ourselves But mother is feeling more like herself her-self now so weve been talking of having hav-ing a housewarming some night next week and inviting all the neighbors boys girls and all to have a good time and sort of get acquainted all around Ought to have attended to the matter I long before this but we found so much to do when we moved here and the I work has been crowding us so all the summer and fall that we really havent had time to be more than half way civil I to people but now the worst of the rush is over and mot r and I are going I go-ing to try to be a little more sociable i We havent given i out yet but our housewarming is to be next Thursday night and we want you boyt > to all be sure to come Now you wont forget i will you without fail and We hall expect you you must bring all your friends too urged Mr Joggins as the boys arose to go No we wont forget replied Will I Perkins speaking for the crowd but but I want to tel you before we go that wewe put that wagon up there ourselves just to be mean and if you dont want to have us at your housewarming house-warming it will serve us just right Sho You dont say exclaimed Joggins Did it yourselves eh Well its down again all safe and if you keep the matter to yourselves nobodyll J II I Ili I fjI 1 i II j U I iiIk 1 iI i I 1 J1ET I p A1f1Jj f9Jii I Livm77 2i I T l 4f Ta I I Well Well Boys It Was Heal Good S Wel 1oys I Raa Down i I Wagon w e Gr < ever bo any the wiserthat is unless you stay away from our housewarming housewarm-ing and then I suppose Ill haye to tell IL is hardly necessary to add that the boys did riot stay away from the housewarming They were there the whole dozen of them and a merry sociable so-ciable time they had together And I at midnight when the party broke upI up-I it was the unanimous verdict of the t jolly participants that the housewarming I house-warming had been 3 grand success f and that for genuine oldfashioned I hospitality there was after all noL no-L place like Jogplns |