Show I By ROBERT W CHAMBERSs CHAMBERS T h e B o 0 Y s i A s I S t e r Author The Red of Republic The King A In KIng YelloW and anda a Few Dukes etc Copyright 1896 by G P Sons Entered at Stationers Hall London I Je ne me sans san plus seul que je mon coeur a ami I v L Garlands took him to Ten Tea TenPin TenPin Pin Corners His profession was to collect butterflies butter les for the Natural His History History tory tort Museum of New N v York Uncle Billy Who ho kept the Constitution ho hotel hotel hotel tel at Ten Pin Corners thought tho bug huntin was a even fur a dood and perhaps It was but that is none of ot your our business or mine Garland lived at the Constitution ho hotel hotel hotel tel The hotel did small honor to its in fact tact it would have ruined any other constitution It was ivas ruining Gar Garlands Garlands Garlands lands by degrees but a man of notice such things So Garland swallowed his hb his cults ul B and bolted pork and beans and was very glad that he was alive alivs aliver r He had met the male population of ofTen ofTen ofTen Ten Pin Corners over the bar at the Constitution hotel it being a temper temperance temperance temperance ance state and there he had listened to their views on all that makes life worth living He tried to t love his fellow tellow country countrymen men When Orrin Hayes spat upon the stove and denounced womans suffrage when Cy whose wife was obliged to sign his name for him agreed profanely when the Hon Han Hanford Hanford Hanford ford Perkins A P A demonstrated the wickedness of Catholicism and proffered vague menaces against Rome Home Garland conscientiously repressed a shudder They are my countrymen God bless blessem blessem rem em he thought smiling upon the freeborn Uncle Billys felonious traffic in the juice did not prevent his at attendance attendance attendance at town meeting nor his en enthusiastic enthusiastic enthusiastic voice against local option I aint no dum duet fool he observed to Garland let the hev their way ay But dont you think suggested Garland that a liberal law would be better 1 Naw replied Uncle Billy But dont you ou think even a poor law should be observed until wise leg can find a remedy Naw paid gaid d Uncle Billy and closed the subject Sometimes Uncle Billy Bill would come out on the verandah where Garland was sitting In the sun fussing over some lame captured caterpillar His invariable Invariable Invariable salute salutA was More bugs Gosh Once he brought Garland a cockroach and suggested the barroom as a new and Interesting collecting ground but Garland explained that his business did not Include such augean projects and the thrifty old man was baffled them bugs good fur he demanded at length Garland explained but Uncle Billy never got over the im ImpressIon Impression that Garlands real business was the advertising of Persian Powder Most of the prominent citizens of Ten TenPin TenPin TenPin Pin Corner came to Garland to engage his services as exterminator ator destroyer and general annihilator annihilate of ot mosquitos and to each in turn he carefully explained what his profession was They The were skeptical sometimes sar ear sarcastic castic asUe One thing however puzzled them he had never neer been known to try to sell seU anybody any bod Persian Powder for possessed with the idea that he heas hec was c as some new species of drummer they found this difficult to reconcile with n ith their suspicions Bin ye was the usual salute from the freeborn whom he met in the fields and when Garland smiled and nodded the freeborn would expectorate and chuckle Oh yew air all slick Mick Mister Garland moren morena a Yankee than I be beTen beTen beTen Ten Pin Corners was built along both sides foldes of the road the Constitution ho hotel hotl hotel tel tl stood at one extremity of ot the main street the at he other Gar land once one asked why wh the place was called Ten Pin Corners and Uncle Bil Billy Bily Billy ly y told him a lie He about its having been named from his Uncle Billys palatial ten pin alley aile Then why not Ten Pin Alley asked Garland Cuz it aint no alley sniffed Uncle Billy B 1111 But persisted Garland why Corners Cor Corners Corners ners there no corners said Uncle Billy evasively and retired to his bar thirsty and Irritated Asks enough t set a aman aman aman man crazy he confided to the Hon Hanford Perkins Ive hed drummers an drummers at the but I seen tew beat him The Hon Hanford Perkins looked at ati i Incle Billy and spat gravely gravel upon the stove tove and Uncle Billy spat also to put himself on an equality with the Hon Hanford Perkins Concerning the mendacity of Uncle Billy there could be no question Ten TenPin TenPin TenPin Pin Corners Corn rs had been originally Ten Pines Corners Half a mile from the terminus of the main street stood a alow alow alow low stone house surrounded by ten gi gigantic gigantic gigantic gantic pines and from the four cross crossroads roads fads behind b It H now long disused and overgrown with grass and fireweed that the village name degenerated from Ten Pines to Ten Pin Thither Garland was wont to go In Inthe Inthe inthe the evenings for the pines were the trysting places of moths gray moths with pink and black under wings brown moths with gaudy orange under wings rusty red moths flecked with silver sil all silver allyer ver yer nankeen yellow ellow moths the prod product product product of the big fluffy moths little busy moths and moths that you and I know nothing about The sap from the pines attracted some of these creatures the lily Illy garden In front of the stone house attracted others oth others others ers and the whole combination at attracted attracted attracted Garland Also there lived In Inthe Inthe Inthe the stone house a boys bos sister One when Uncle Billys continued expectoration and Cy Pet profanity Had tad driven Garland from the hotel he wandered down into a fragrant meadow butterfly net in one hand trout rod in the other and pock pockets pockets pockets ets stuffed with cyanide jar sandwiches hes and Wilson on Hybrids The stream was narrow and deep for forthe forthe forthe the most part flowing silently between level banks fragrant with mint and scented grass but here and there a small dam choked the cur current current current rent Into a deeper pool below Into which poured pour d musical waterfalls There were trout there yellow spec speckled speckled kled and greedy but devious in their ways waye and uncertain as April mornings There were also frogs there solemn green ones that snapped at the arti artificial artificial artificial flys and came out of the water with slim sUm limbs outstretched and bel belly belly belly ly glistening Its like like pulling up some nude dwarf when they grab the fly wrote Gar Garland Garland Garland land to his chief In New York really they look so 80 naked and Indecent Oth Otherwise Otherwise Garland was wa fond ot of frogs he heU heI U I often otten sat for tor hours watching them half afloat along alone the bank or squatting ma majestically majestically upon some mossy throne That he had put on a scar scarlet scarlet scarlet let ibis fly and the frogs plunged and lunged after it flopping Into the pools and frightening the lurking trout until Garland was obliged to substitute a yellow fly In self defense But the trout were coy CO One great fellow leaped for the fly missed It leaped again to see what was wrong and finding out fled into the depths waving his square squaretail tall tail derisively Garland walked slowly down the brook casting ahead into the stream sometimes catching his fly in inthe Inthe inthe the rank grass sometimes deftly de defeating defeatIng defeating the larcenous maneuvers of some fat frog and now and then land landIng landing Ing a plump trout among the perfumed mint where It flopped until a merciful tap on the nose sent Its vital spark Into Nirvana and its crimson flecked body Into Garlands creel Once or twice he dropped his rod In Inthe Inthe inthe the grass to net some conceited but butterfly butterfly that flaunted Its charms before the clover bees but he seldom found anything worth keeping and the butterfly was left to pursue Its giddy flight As he passed walking lightly on the flowering turf the big black crickets sang to him the katy katydids kat katydids scraped for him and the grass grasshoppers grasshoppers grasshoppers hoppers big and little brown green and yellow hopped out of the verdure before him a tiny escort of outriders It was nearly 4 In the after afternoon afternoon afternoon noon when he came cama to the last pool before the meadow brook flows silent silently ly Into the woods where slim black trout lurk under submerged rocks and mosquitoes swoop thankfully upon the I wanderer On the bank of the pool DOol sat a beautiful beau beautiful boy watching a cork floating with the current Hello H llo said Garland you ought to tobe tobe tobe be In school Tip The boy looked at Garland through gilded tangled curls Cant you see Im fishing he said in a whisper I see sae said Garland but you know your sister wouldn allow It Why did dish didou you ou stay sta away from school Tip The angelic eyes were lowered a moment mo moment moment ment then the boy carefully raised his pole and seeing the bait intact dropped It into the water again a aln Bill billed biffed me said the child If Willy struck you ou you OU school should not stay tay away from school he said did you er hit him back Did I IDid IDid IDid Did you repeated Garland re repressing repressing repressing pressing a smile Heu Why Mister Garland I slammed that d n mug of his Tip said Garland The boy hung his head and looked at the cork Garland sat down beside him and lighted his pipe After ACter a moment he said Tip I thought you ou promised me not to swear The boy bo was silent Did you ou said Garland Yes replied the boy sullenly Well Nell persisted Garland I r lied said the boy You forgot said Garland quietly you do lie He Tip The boy b y looked at him shyly then turned turn d to his cork again Tip said Garland what do you think of or these he opened his creel and Tin Tip looked in Hell said the child softly What interrupted Garland There said Tip calmly I lied again lam me one In the snoot moot Mister Garland Garland touched the boy lightly on the You will try he ha said trying to conceal the despair in his voice Yes cried ried the child fervently I will Mr Garland so help me meI I mean cross cros mv my m heart After a moment he added 11 I II I brought you a green worm here it Is Hello A eh Much rueh obliged Tip where did you ou get it Sister found it on the piazza she said want it replied the child lifting his line again say Mis Mister Mister I Itel ter tel Garland Squire Perkins says youve youle loony What laughed Garland Solemn continued the child he says you was a book agent or a drummer but youre oure looney now and cant work The Hon Hanford Perkins Tip asked Garland laughing frankly Yep ole Perkins To whom did he eulogize me Tip What hat sir To whom did he say this To sister an Celia Cella turned her back hack backon hackon on him I 1 seen it Are you loony Garland was laughing but managed to say cay no what I 1 said said Tip scowling at the water and I 1 said oud kick the hel het kick the stuffing ins him If it he said it much more Will you Mr Ir Garland I II 11 I dont know kno said Garland try tryIng tryIng trying Ing to control his mirth you ou say that sort of thing you know Tip TipI I it said Tip resignedly I 1 hove r apple through his hat though thought last night Then Than Garland explained to Tip all about the deference due to age but so pleasantly that the child listened to every word All right he said Ill Til let le the ole oleman oleman oleman man be beI I was to bust a win window window In dow he continued with a trace of regret but I wont he cried In a climax of pious resignation Garland watched a distant butterfly I critically for a moment then picked up his Ins rod and creel and shook the ashes from his pipe oin to see Cis inquired Tip Hem Hum I er may pass by that way vay replied Garland You wont tell her that I smashed Bill Timerson Of course ourse not said Bald Garland for lOU you to tell her herI I wont said ald the child doggedly Very well said Garland walking away a 3 Tip watched him but he did not turn and the childs face became trou troubled tr u uble bled ble bleI I will tell Mr Ir Garland he called across acro s the meadow All right Tip answered Garland cheerily II Before Garland came In insight sight of the thelow thelow thelow low stone house he caught the fra fragrance fragrance fragrance grance of the lilies The sun glittered low on the horizon long luminous shadows shallow stretched over meadow and pasture and a thin blue haze floated high among the feathery tops of the pines about ab ut the house A white nanny goat of tender age tethered on the vel velvet velvet velvet vet turf cried me h me h watch watching watchIng ing him with soft sott silly eyes Except for the kid and a Maltese cat asleep on the porch p there was no sign of life about the house Garland turned and looked look out over the pasture A spot of moving down there was vas J Jp p c He watched It for a moment quietly i refilling his pipe then dropped his rod i and net upon the turf and threw him himself himself himself self on the ground beside them From time to time he raised his eyes ees from i the pages of ot Wilson on Hybrids to note the progress of the tho pink spot In the distant pasture Wilson was most interesting on hybrids hy hybrids brids What Wilson had to say was this There can be no doubt that hy hybrid hybrid hybrid brid forms of ot these two splendid but butterflies Arthemis and exist in the to lo 10 localities frequented by these species In Inthe Inthe Inthe the little village of ot Ten Pin Corners Professor or discovered an un unknown unknown unknown known hybrid which unfortunately he was unable to capture or describe This was what Wilson had to say on hybrids This was what Garland thought Id Td give 50 51 to capture one of these hy hybrids brids I wonder what Celia Cella is doing In Inthe Inthe Inthe the pasture It may not have been a hybrid It may only have been a va clety Celia Cella Is milking the Alderney what doing Still ought to know what hes about Celia Cella has finished milking now Its the Jer Jerseys Jerseys Jerseys turn I should like to sea seq seq a hy hybrid hybrid brid of Arthemis and hello Celia has finished I fancy Then he laid down his hook book and carefully retied relied his neck necktie necktie necktie tie When Celia Cella arrived and placed her milk pall pail on the th porch Garland jumped to his feet with hypocritical surprise You are milking early he said did you just come from the pasture The girl looked at her vail pall and nod nodded nodded nodded ded The sunlight gilded her arms bare to ta the shoulder and glittered in ina Ina Ina a fierce halo around her burnished hair She had her brothers soft blue blueeyes blueeyes blueeyes eyes fringed ed with dark lashes but the beauty of her mouth was indescribable ble Garland as usual offered to take the milk pail pall and she as usual firmly declined You never let et me he said I wanted want d to bring It up from the pasture but I knew what say Then you saw me in the pasture she asked Er er yes s he admitted I saw you too she said and sat down In the red sunlight under the pines Garland sat down also and made an Idle pass at a white butterfly with obis net Have you caught any new butter butterflies butterflies flies files today she asked bending to tie her shoestring No nothing new he answered She straightened up brushed a drop or two of milk from the hem of her pink skirt passed a slim hand over her crumpled apron and leaned back against the tree trunk touching her hair ball lightly with her fingers Last night she said a great green came around the lamp I caught him for you youA youA youA A Luna he said thank you Cella Ce Celia lia lla Luna she repeated |