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Show nJ Bred Sn The City By Walt Gregg m WTT) boy- All liis Beven JjYniPi years had been s CIJ During the morn- Q is small moms which A$i(MJtn his father and Ccr mother called their suite. These rooms were on the twelfth floor. From the windows Arthur Ar-thur had a view of thousands of houses and buildings, and of a cloud of smoke that hung over tho lower part of tho city. Sometimes a wind would sweep this smoke away and he could see in the distance something that glistened like silver and curved first one way, then another. Nurse told him that It was a river. When tired of play ln the rooms Arthur Ar-thur was permitted to ride up and down in the elevators, or to walk around ln the hotel lobby and talk to the clerks. Every afternoon when tho weather waa pleasant he was carefully dressed for the street If It rained or Bnowed he was just as carefully dreeBed to stay Indoors. In the summer he wore white waists, with broad starched collars, col-lars, a clean one each day. In winter his overcoat and hat were carefully brushed and his shoes were freshly polished. And he wore kid gloves. Either mother or nurso carefully examined ex-amined him when he was ready, for they knew that somo of tho hotel la-M la-M dies would bo sitting ln the hotel lob- M.m by and would Inspect him aB ho went V " put Then nurse would lake Arthur for a walk on the boulevard, or into the park. They would meet other children, chil-dren, also dressed in their best; and when Arthur met a child whom he knew he would bow politely; and If it was a girl he would lift his hat. In tho park he could see a fountain, and although nurso told him not to step on the. grass, yet he could look at It and also ai the trees For that reason rea-son he liked the park better. Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturda8, he went with his mother for an automobile ride. To Arthur this was about the same as riding from one floor to another ln an elevator. The big machine darted from the hotel ho-tel where he lived to another hotel, ln another town, where somo other persons per-sons lived, and it went so fast everything every-thing on both sideB as blurred. Then one day Arthur went into tho country. His mother left for a two weeks' visit vis-it at the old home and took her boy with her. It was the first time Arthur had been on a train and he waa greatly interested, in-terested, and he learned that the man who guided the engine was called an engineer and not a chauffeur. When they left tho carB at a little station ho was astonished to see his mother kiss an old man who was dressed like the street sweepers in the city, only his clothing was dark blue, Instead of white. When mother told him that this was his grandfather ho hold out a cloved hand and said: "Good morning, sir." But when grandfather started to lift him into the spring wagon he drew back in alarm. "What's the matter, bub?" asked grandfather. "Nurse told me that horses run away." "Nonsense," said grandfather; and ho swung tho boy into a seat beside his mother. Arthur was silent during the drive. Ho was worried about the horso; and ho wondered why hiB grandfather didn't have a machine. Grandma was at the gate to welcome them that is, ohe thought she was grandma until she was introduced to Arthur as grandmother. Anyway she gave the boy a tight hug. He drew back and re-arranged his clothing. "Is my collar mussed?" he asked "Mussed fllddlesticks!" cried the old lady. "You are here to have a good time and not to think about your clothes. Jane," and she turned to Arthur's mother, "is that tho way you have brought this boy up?" "I am afraid ho has had too much hotel life," sho answered. Arthur was surprised to hear his mother called by that name. Father always said Jeanette, and so did tho ladies with whom she was well acquainted. ac-quainted. As breakfast had been oaten In tho dining-car grandfather suggested that Arthur might Ilk to seo something of the place, and ho called: "Dick come here." A boy of twolvo answered. Ho was barefooted and wore overalls. He had a handsome, smiling face and the red glow of health shone through tho tan. "It was pretty lonesome after you and Si got married," said grandfather. "Dick goes a long way toward filling the gap." "I am very glad to meet you. Dick," said mother. "This is my little boy and ho Is very anxious to learn all about a farm, aren't you, Arthur?" "Yes'm," said Arthur. "That'B fine," said grandfather. "Toke him out and Bhow him tho sights, Dick." So tho two boys started across tho lot. toward tho barn. They had taken only a few stops when Arthur stopped. "You forget your shoes and you'll get your feet soiled," he said. Dick laughed. "I never wear shoes in summer, except on Sunday, and then I don't want to." "Don't things stick In your toes?" "Oh, I'm used to that." At the pump Dick stopped for a drink and Arthur, who had walked on, stooped over to pick something up. An instant later he screamed, for a speckled hen had flown lu his face. "HI! drop that quick, or she'll peck your eyes out!" cried Dick. Something that resembled a fluffy ball of yellow fell from Arthur's hands and ho ran crying to Dick's side. "I Just picked up that pretty little bird when that big thing Jumped at me," ho said. "Why! sakes alive!" exclaimed Dick; "don't you know chickens? That's a little chicken and the mother hen was only fighting you to save her child." "Well, who would over have thought that was a chicken?" said Arthur as they again started toward the barn. Arrived inside Dick left Arthur near Prince's stall and climbed into the loft "I'll throw him somo hay," he said, "and will bo back in a minute " He pitched a liberal supply through a hole in the loft floor and It filled the manger. "Oh, Dick!" called Arthur. "Yes; ln Just a Becond." "You had bettor hurry, or it will all be gone " "What will be gone?" asked Dick, who came running down the ladder. "Why, the horse is eating all that dried grass. I never saw anything so funny." "Well, what did you think he'd do with It?" "I don't know; sit down on it maybe." may-be." "Then what do you think he eats?" "Why, I suppose meat potatoes and things like that." Dick gave a whoop of amazement "Well, I never!" he added. They left the barn and Arthur pointed point-ed to a sty. "What are those ferocious fero-cious animals?" he asked. "They're hogs," said Dick. "Ugh! they're horrible; they're the dirtiest things I ever saw." "You like bam. don't you?" asked Dick. "Yes," said Arthur; "when It is served with potato salad." "Well, ham comes from hogs Just liko these." "You don't mean it! Then I'm never going to touch it again." "Do you know where roast beef comes from?" asked Dick. The city boy shook hlB head. "Ifs part of a cow, or an ox." Arthur made no reply; but he look ed sideways at his companion, to see if he was making fun of him. They returned to the house by way of the kitchen, and when they had entered the dining-room Arthur asked: ask-ed: "What was my grandmother doing in there?" "She is cooking. Do vou mean to say that you never saw anybody cook?" "No," 6aid Arthur. "Don't you know how things aro got ready for the table?" "Why you sit down, mother writes something on a piece of paper, and a waiter brings the things ln." Dick whistled. "It's a good thing you came to tho country," ho said. "Well, how do you like it?" asked mother, when she had taken him upstairs up-stairs to be washed for dinner. "It's all so funny," said Arthur; and then ho commenced to ask questions about the washbowl and pitcher. After the noon-day meal grandmother grandmoth-er told Dick to fetch somo potatoes. "Want to como along?" he asked Arthur "Certainly," the boy replied. Dick took a hoe and they went out to the garden, where the elder boy commenced to work. "What are those things you aro throwing into the basket?" asked Arthur. Ar-thur. "They're potatoes." "Those things potatoes! Do potatoes pota-toes come out of the dirt?" "They grow ln tho ground," said Dick. "Where did you think they grew?" "I never thought," said Arthur; "on tre"es, perhaps. There must he some other kind of potatoes. Ours never looked liko that." Dick picked one up, opened his Jack-knife Jack-knife and pooled off the skin. "Does that look any better?" he asked. "I should Bay so. Does any other vegetable grow in the ground?" "Well, rather." said Dick: "Onions, radishes, beets, carots and some other things I can't Just now think of." "Do peas?" "No. Step over here. There are some peas, on that vine." "We never had any peaB like those. They are so big." "Aro these what you mean?" asked Dick, as he cracked a pod and shelled the contents into his hand. "Oh, those are peas!" cried Arhtur ln delight "But what makes you keep them ln thoBe funny green cases?" "Goodness gracious, kid! we don't put 'em in there. That's the way they grow." Arthur was very tired that night and went to bed early; but his brain was in a whirl and it was long before he fell asleep. He was awakened before dawn by strange sounds and he called, "Mother!" "Moth-er!" "What Is it dearT' "Mother, what funny automobile horns they have out here." "I haven't heard any, dear." "Listen a moment, mother." She did so; and soon from the barnyard barn-yard came a "cock-a-doodle-do!" "There it is," said Arthur. "Why, that's rooster, crowing." said mother. "How funny!" said the city boy. "I thought it was a machine." |