Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, September 9, 1914, Page 2

SAUCE FOR A GANDER' By WILLIAM H. HAMBY. [————————————— Copyright.) “I'll be ding busted' snorted Ebexn- eser, as he trotted through the corn with a gun in one hand and a sweat stained handkerchief in the other. “Some of 'em will get bad hurt if I do ketch 'em.’ It bad been hard emough to gusrd Elvina aloge, but now that he had to watch both the melon patch and the girl he was in a constant sweat of anxiety. The melon patch was Lid away in the corn fleld three hundred yards from the house, and so far Ebenezers ingenuity had devised no plan DbY which he could watch the girl and the melons &t the same time. No soozer was he hid i of tall weeds where his €h marded the patch than he began to worry about Elvina. He was sure she bad secmed anxious for him to get eway. He 1emembered she had looked out of the kitchen window two or three times, and that he saw dust rising down the road. The more he thought of it the surer he was that she was at that very minute down by the spring talking to that “dratted Har- Listen! That was their laugh. They bad been laughing over getting ahead of him. But just wait. Then Eberezer would go wotting back to the houss, gathering anger and heat, and when he found Elvina singing sweetly as she went about her sweeping and dustng, he said all the abueive thinzs he had intended to say had he caught her in the supreme act of disobedience—talking to Harvey. He always closed with the threat: “Apnd if you ever do speak to that dratted Harvey as long as you live I'll wallop you within an inch of your life. 1 don't keer if you are grown.” No sooner was he fairly comfort-! able on the porch where he could be sure the premises were free from that , “dratted Harvey,” than he began to worry about his melons. He could #0e, in his imagination, three, some- ' times five young “galloots” slipping in from the east side. | There was that “whelp of a Dal-' ton,” and the Riley boy, and maybe Tobe Stevens. They are in the patch ' pow, tramping on the vinea, thumping : here and there, plugging the big ones, ' and then, plucking a big one aplece, making off through the timber. ! Then he would go trotting back to the melon patch, with his shotgun in bis right hand, mopping the sweat | from his florid face and bald head ! with the left, vowing their “dadgasted hides as full of holes i ' SFOE0S0S Zul B0 SR Gl wid Goees FOPOPOPOFOFOPOGOED 208 OB HO H HEDSNEOSIIISOSOIIFOSOSIIO HOIPOH0F QPALRGOF SOPOCHE GPOPIPAPOPH0 VOSSP FSSFPAPUPOSFUS TS OFAPAFOPOSOI0 $AFAPOFOPOFOFIIAPAPAPOPOPOFOP QPO OGO EOEOH020E04 & GHAGHGIS] THE EVENING TELEGRAM LAKELAND, FLA., SEPT. 9, 1914 as the top of 8 pepper box.” About that time a bright idea struck him. Blucher, the bulldog, was use- less as a guard for Elvina, for he was ber slave, and therefore on friendly terms with Harvey. But why not the melon patch? Just the thing. Bluch- er should guard the melon patch, and he would guard the house. The old man drove s stake in the center of the patch and tied Blucher with a slip knot. To this knot he tied a long cord, which reached to the edge of the corn. By pulling the cord be could release the dog. The old man experienced a feeling akin to satisfaction as he sat on the porch that evening fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, and mopping bis bal4 head with a big blue handker- chief Blucher's grow! could be easily heard at the house, and the dog would most certainly growl if anything went wrong with the melon patch. That evening Elvina sat by the west window locking out across the mead- ows beyond the valley, and as the wind lightly blew the soft curls around her face her eyes grew large and wistful. She was thinking of him. The old man neither knew nor cared what she thought. She was in the house, where she belonged. That was suf- ficient. That George Harvey stopped his work and lingered in the shade while his face grew tender and thoughtful as he was thinking of her, the old man knew not. Neither did he care. Twice he had ordered Harvey off the premises, the last time positively swearing he would shoot him on sight it he ever set foot on the place again. Ebenezer had no objection to Har- vey except that Elvina seemed 00 fond of his company, and he had no notion of letting Elvina get married. Bhe was entirely too useful on the farm, and nothing except giving up money hurt Ebenezer so much as giv-, ing up something that saved him work. The plan worked as smooth as a sewing machine in the hands of an agent. Elvina went about, obedient and uncomplainingly. Harvey stayed away like the sensible young man he was, and avolded the buckshot. ¢ Solitary and alone the bulldog reigned supreme in the melon patch. Ebenezer slept with his head by an open window, anxiously walting the warning growl. He named over in his mind the various young men and boys that were likely to steal melons, | to see all of them chewed up. ! For several days he debated whet.h-, er, when the time came, he ought to call the dog off before it killed the thief, or whether he should leave him to his chances, finally deciding on the latter. About one o'clock Sunday morning | He jumped up and. without walting to dress, tock to the corn on a run, 0% 09 DEORDIOIOIOIVIVIO IO IO T4 By the light of a late moon he saw a man skulking along the edge of the < patch, thumping a melon here and * there. With a gulp of flerce anticipation Ebenezer pulled the string that untied the dog and hissed, “Sic 'em.” But the brute did not make for the thief; instead, he turned toward the old man. “Sic 'em, Blucher; sic 'em!"” fierce- Iy commanded Elvina's father, step- plng out into the moonlight and point- ing to the thief. The dog showed his teeth, gave a viclous growl and started for Eben- ezer. There was something wrong, rad- = ically wrong, but Ebeneser did not have time to reason it out. It was only 50 yards to the near- est tree, an old oak, but it seemed to the old man it was a Sabbath day's journey. The vibration of his short bow legs and the whirring motion of his arms cut a swath through the corn like a mowing machine. The nearest limb was 20 feet, and Ebenezer had not climbed a tree for 20 years, but memory worked fast and he got up, leaving behind only one mouthful of nightshirt. Ebenezer settled himself on the limb, which creaked threateningly, < and hugged the tree while he tried to recover his breath. The bulldog sat down at the foot of the tree and waited. The morning came. The dog stuck to his post and Ebenezer to his mb. Every time he stirred the limbd creaked and the dog looked up and growled. The sun came up and still the old man hugged the tree. The public road was jn plain view not fifty yards away. but luckily he was on the off side of the tree. By nine o'clock the sun—it was dog days—shone directly on his back. The ! dog seemed content to stay a week. The old man hated above all things to be laughed at, but he swallowed his pride and began to call for Elvina. The old lady, Elvina's step-mother, was away, and “drat the girl,” she { would not hear. “Get out, you ding busted, con- founded old cur!” he yelled at the dog. A low, significant growl was the only response. Another hour passed. He ached from his cramped position, he was dizzy, the sun scorched, and the drops . and hoped fervently that he would live , of sweat started from his forehead, trickled down the side of his nose, and finally dropped from his chin. He was holding on with both hands. But at last hope sprang up. buggy was coming down the road. “Dad gast it, there is a female in ft!” ‘While Ebenezer was not overly mod- A he would fill 2 ominous grow! awoke the old man. ©8t he did feel that his hablliments were not sufficient for the occasion. _ More buggies came, but they were DEOPOSOSO0S PRINTI YES, WE DO IT--DO IT RIGHT Biscasoscreaass e s . e L e FARM WA (. We can save you money on Wagons. and 2-horse Wagons is complete, and if you need a Wagon for hauling fruit NG Phone No. 340 this fall, see us. C. E. like the first, containing iadies only. It was one o'clock before a man came along alone. Ebenezer got him to understand, and he rescued the old man by driving off the dog with a chub. They found Blucher tied to a stump near the melon patch. | “Well, I'll be dadgasted!” was the old man’s only comment. Ebenezer stayed in the corn fileld while the good Samaritan went for his clothes. ! “Bet you can't guess what's down to the house,” said the neighbor when he returned. | “Drat it, it won't be there long,” | said the old man, as he began to tug on his clothes. “It's & weddin' party,” continued the | neighbor. “You've got the finest son- in-law in the country, and that little girl of yourn looks happler than an angel with wings. There's a whole ' house full of ‘em. Got the preacher | there, and they are goin’ to have a big supper. They're wonderin’ where you | are.” Ebenezer's jaw dropped and h’ stood grounded to the spot. For the first time he saw through the plot. He finished dressing in silence, then said to the neighbor. “You go back in about a half hour and tell 'em I'm sick. over to your | ranks of skillod mechanics. P ' house. with a slight sunstroke, but will be around for supper.” i Turning, after the neighbor had gone a lfttle ways, Ebenezer called: | “‘Say, git that dratted Harvey out: and tell him I won't say nothin’ if he ' won't.” The Seallor of Tcday. ! The new ship Las transformed the sailor with {tce!f. He works among a subtle a1d intricate network of ma- chinerv. His braln {s quickered by the effort to understand the new' forces and appliances that he controla. He is drawn no longer from the lower | strata of the perulation of our porte, but in increasing proportions from the The elec- triclans and machinists, who are the aristocracy of the crew, bring with them the notions which prevail among the aristocracy of labor out of uni- form. Mwenbnduplnltndb' union tradition. They possess more ' reading and more science than did nine out of ten of the officers in the old days. They have a respect for themselves and their class which has revolutionised the morals and manners . of the modern warship. The gradual reform of the service regulations has sought to keep pace with this trans formation, and officers have been edu- cated in a wholly new conception of EHH S SOCOSDEEEIIS FOPOFOSDIFVSOSOSTFOEGI0:0 GONS Our stock of 1| Q. We sell the “COLUMBUS” make and the name is a guarantee of quality. MODEL HARDWARE o, TODD, Mgr. We Want YOUR Business their relationehip to their men 1, bullying and hectoring which wags i rule of the sea in the old days 4. day the rare exoeption. Instinct yif “good form"” condemn that kind i thing as severely as the regulatioy 4! Nation. § The white hat is much favorei Coats promfise deep cape collarsz ! full skirts. The smartest trimmed with quills. The nose veil is here with all bewitching effect. rger hats are gradually mar their appearance. The girdle of Roman striped rit still wora. % The diamond cut in oval shap | beautiful and mew. i Black and white combinations ax .| great favor. Grass cloth and organdte collars: particularly new. ¥ The tunic lengthened to skirt ; ‘ portions is corded at the bottom : ' hoop-like fullness. The uncorseted effect is to cont:: whether the waist line be at the: mal, below or not at all, A distingue note 18 struck in a * 8 of black satin by a girdle of ct: red moire. street hats Telephone Number 37 GENTLEMAN called at our office and said that he did not know we did - Job Printing; that he had ordered some Printing done elsewhere, because = he had been told that we confined our attention to newspapers, and did no Job Printing. This gentleman was a new comer, otherwise he would € newspaper. G ARSI s el Send Your Next Order to The Lakela TELEGRAM BUILDING & F 3 GGG A GGG T AT THE HEATD have known that for years we did ALL the now we are doing more, probably than county combined ; that we have a larger in eight or ten other printing shops in Polk this business on correct and workmanlike service; ment and know-how, and that we give an order fo careful attention we bestow on a large catalogue We Do Do Job Printing; Indeed, We Do! printing used in this town; that right all the other printing offices in the vestment in printing facilities than the County combined; that we have built that we have both the equip- r 100 visiting cards the same or the publication of a State- B s I A R 5 Lakeland Evening Telegram nd News irst House ‘On Main Street OF THING S