Show A OF SYSTEM discipline was his rule but one cant prevent young folks being natural by ALVAH JORDAN GARTH you are a pretty hard old taskmaster adam brill and you cant nake babies of your children forever im a man of system asa dunn I 1 bring my children up on oil a strict right basis and it if anybody wants to dispute it im hero here to protect my methods not forgetting that man and boy for forty years I 1 have been the champion wrestler boxer onil and sprinter of the county and the speaker put up a sample arm that a blacksmith might have envied no no friend adam I 1 laughed ills hla nearest neighbor retreating promptly none nona of that for inel me I 1 know your prowess too well only I 1 think you draw the line too tight with those two children of yours not but that both axe are the fluent in the town morton Is a model young man and as to lu ills I 1 envy tho the man who gets her for a wife that will bo be some time ahead it if I 1 have anything to say about it do declared tho the stalwart parent they have ve been motherless since they were very young and ive felt a double responsibility in bringing thern them up right discipline and system have been my rule its going to continue until morton to Is twenty one why say tomorrows tomor rowl exclaimed drill brill and I 1 came near forgetting what inquired dunn but adam drill brill was on his bis way and chuckling in his bis grim way to himself ile he knew well enough what and so BO did bright lively morton his son the old man however did not hear the brief soliloquy of the man he be had just left to the effect that you cant help young folks from being natural no matter how bow hard you try it was tho the twenty first birthday of morton drill tomorrow sure cure enough and hla his father recalled it halt half with sadness badness partly with a comical look k nar Q adam brill was on his way on his face as it if it revived some whimsy that pleased him ever since morton was fifteen years of age adam drill brill had put in force an ironclad regulation of his own fierce tempered sire exactly one minute before the midnight hour he had made mad 0 his son remove his cont coat regularly he had administered the strap the strokes corresponding to the years attained then wilen when the performance was over he would place in the hands of the laj lad exactly as many bright silver dollars as aa he was old the last jmel ruminated rumina ted the ob binate t old 1211 jaciow ow as s he be reached home and removed from a drawer in a kitchen cabinet the time honored strap of many ft a time had bad morton morion thought of stealing it of running away bom home to evade the annual castigation A thought of the money reword following the whipping however had in line last aimel soliloquized brill well la in a way im glad of it this 11 tittle little ret rUnder though has probably kept him the clean honest lad that he Is now hes a man and a good one only lvella luella left and in another year she bhe will be of age I 1 declare how time lime rolls ont on at nine that night luella came into the house bouse from the garden where her unsuspecting father supposed she had been with some girl friends lenda fr her fair air face was deliciously conscious and flushed but adam drill brill attributed that to the exercise of play or walking luella retired to her room the old man glanced at the clock placed tho the strap over the back of a chair took ott off his coat and went out into the garden 1 I told morton to be ba here at nine sharp grumbled the old man and its after ten now I 1 wanted to give him a final lecture before I 1 gave him his last whipping I 1 suppose the rascal to Is keeping out of the way purposely when I 1 intended to make anake him a double present this time brill strolled out into the sarden garden As aa he be neared the little summer house he ba chanced to glan glance up at tho the win dovi of cuellas Lu ellas room lie ile was in time to see aee hla his daughters head in disappear then an aa be entered the summer house he ran luto into some gome one tou ton morton Mor tont he cried grabbing thi th figure sneaking out ot of the way eh no you dont I 1 thought you wu was too arise to tancy your dad you yon old as ho is t la one on e instant thu athletic blood al 01 the old man was waa on fire hla his bad resisted hla his iron grasp thes thel with a superb clutch bo had his ad on e equal terms back and forth the contestants moved in i wrestling bout such as adam bril had not enjoyed for many a year and then breathless astonished tor for the first time in his proud career worsted by an opponent fully worthy of hir skill adam brill was tripped and sent hurtling five feet away upon the tha soft grass prostrate youve done it morton he chuckled and im proud of youl you 1 I am riot not morton interrupted a calm oven even voice eh ejaculated adam brill arising to his big feet in wonder and staring strangely at an utter stranger who are you then A respectable college graduate was waa abe evasive reply should think so eo and youve got a now new wrestling trick ill give you ten dollars to teach me tomorrow laughed the stranger 9 gaily ally gave a run a leap and was ov over er the rear fence and out of sight in a twinkling well I 1 ri never everl gasped the old man theroa theres some mystery about this but the fellow Is in a good one to think of it never beaten at my own game before I 1 adam drill brill returned to the kitchen ills defeat had set him thinking and had eh exhausted austed his vitality a trifle it made him realize that he be was not as aa young as ae he used to be lie ile fell asleep to awaken and find his son eon seated in a chair opposite to him hell heill been sleep have I 1 exclaimed the old man on hand and waiting tor for the annual en ch son not this time father youve youre over slept and morton pointed to tho the kitchen clock its ten minutes after twelve im of age and well just shake hands and call it square cheated out of my regular pleasure eh cha stormed the old man in a pro pre tended rage well I 1 wont be mean heros heres your pre present seat and lie extended a clinking bag forty two dollars and when you get ready to settle down come CO me to me for more why father admitted young brill a little confusedly im ready right now myra walcott has been waiting for me for over a year and you wont object seeing as you are your own master I 1 dont see how I 1 can interfere answered the father and father well A young man was waa here tonight imet I 1 met him and he told me about it you had a bout in the garden ehl eh who to la he challenged the father sharply clyde worthington as tine a young fellow as you need to know hes coming here again tomorrow yes to teach me that double elbow clutch of lital cried old brilli brill eagerly yes and to ask you for sisters etera el hand in marr marriage lige adam drill brill stormed and fumed but clyde worthington made so fine an impression when he called the next day that there was waa a double wedding in the old brill homestead copyright 1313 1913 by W 0 chapman chapmam |