The Wingham Times, 1915-12-23, Page 7December 23rd, 1915
THE WINGHAM TIMES
Freckles.
BY
Gene
Stratton -
Porter
V
Copyright 1904, by
Doubleday, Page & Co,
SYNOPSIS. •
Freckles, a homeless boy, ie hired by
Boss McLean to guard the expensive tim-
ber in the Limberlost from timber thieves.
Freckles does his work faithfully, makes
+friends with the birds and yearns to know
more about nature. He lives with Mr.
and Mrs. Duncan. ,
HO -resolves To get books and educate
hiniselt. He become; interested in a huge
pair of vultures and calls his bird friends
his "chickens."
Some of the trees he is guarding are
'worth $1,000 each. Freckles' books arrive.
.Ile receives a call from Wessner. --.
Wessner attempts to bribe Freckles to
betray his trust, and Freckles whips him
McLean overhears them and witnesses the
fight.
Freckles' honesty saves a precious tree.
Be finds the nest of the vultures and is
visited by a beautiful young girl.
She calls FrecklesMcLean•s-sa'n:".i:'recklee
calls her "the angel" and helps the Bird
Wo an in taking photographs, McLean
ises to adopt Freckles.
Fre les aTid the ' angel hemline very
'riendly. Assisted by the Bird Woman,
•they drive Wessner and Black Jack, tim-
ber thieves, from the Limberlost.
McLean fears more trouble, but Freckles
insists upon being the sole guard of the
.timber. Freckles calls upon the angel's
father.
'Me 'Byrd Woman ah`d 'fife' ang - again
visit Freckles and Freckles falls in love
-with the angel. The angel kisses him.
Freckles is bound and gagged by Black
.Jack's gang, and the timber thieves stars
'felling a very valuable tree.
Wessner is to kill Freckles after the
is stolen. The angel makes a daring
•e ort to save Freckles and the tree.
ort
men notified by the angel,
rush to save Freckles •vAiI the timber
'thieves except Black ,tack are capturrd.
i4feLean sat brooding as he stroked
Ne11ie's neck. •
'At last he said: "I suspect I widen
-stand. At any rate. 1 think i can tied
out. Thank you for telling me,"
"Yell no need telling once ye clap
your eye. -on him," prophesied Mrs
Duncan. "Itis Nee is all a gliut'nl
yellow 'and he's peaked as a starting
caged bird."
Ci1A['TEtl XVuL
NINISI C A IIEAITACIIE.
'LEAN rode down to the Lim-
'.., I+erlost and; stopping in 1(le
shade, sat waiting for
Freckles.
Atone, the north Zine came Freckles.
fairly staggering. When he turned east
.:Ind rea(•hc•d Sleepy Snake creek. slid
ing through the Swale like the long
Black Snake ler widen It was uamed,
he sat down on the bridge and closed
bis burning eyrie, bat they wain,1 nut
• stay shut. As if piffled by (vires. 1h:•
heavy lids dew open and the outraged
nerves and t:tuseles of inc body'
danced. twitched nod til.c,ed.
He bent forward end icily watched
the liincid tittle stream 110wtng be-
neath his fret, Stretching hack into
the sw'1tie, it came (creeping between
ar. intifenctrn!o wall ut magnidc'ent
1 flowers. vines and ferns. Milk
wtigoldenrod,ironwell..fringed
-gentians, cardinal flowers :led untie
wycloomm
'Was Not Much of a Believer
in Patent Medicines
Iut
Milburn's Heart fieri Nerve
Pills Are All Right.
Mrs. Wits. McElwain, Temperance
;Vale, N.B., writes: "I ant not much of a
believer in medicines, but I must say
!Milburn's Heart and Nerve rills are all
right. Some years ago I'was troubled
with smothering spells. In the night I
'Would waken tip with my breath all gone
and think I never would get it back. I
was telling a friend of my trouble, and he'
advised me to try Milburn's Heart and
Nerve Pills. He gave me a box, and X
had only taken a few of them when 1 could
Sleep all night without any trouble, 1
did not finish the box until some years
after when r felt my trouble coining
back, so I took the rest of them and they
• Cured tee,"
Milburn's heart and Nerve rills
have been on the market for the past
elventy-five years, The testimony of
the iiiserd should be enough to con-
vince you that what we claim for then
is true. IT, and N. rills ate 50e per box, 3
boxes for $1.25; at all druggists or
'dealers, mailed direct on receipt of
price by The T. Milburn Co., Limited,
'Orpronto, Ont.
neatf stood" on- tbir WU' etWge - VI 'We
creek, and every flower of them grew
a double in the water. Wild clematis
crowned with snow the heads of trees
scattered here and there along the
bank.
Freckles sat so still 'that presently
the brim of his hat was covered with
snake feeders. rasping their crisp
wings and singing as they rested,
Some !of them settled on the club and
one on his shoulder. Hewas so quiet
and feathers, fur and gauze were so
accustomed to him that all about the
swale they went on with their drily
life and forgot he was there.
The heron family waded about the
mouth of the creek. Freckles idly
wondered whether the nerve racking
rasps they occasionally emitted indi-
cated domestic felicity or a raging
quarrel. A sheitpoke, with flaring
crest. went stalking across a bare
space near the creek's mouth. A.
stately brown bittern waded out into
the clear flowing water, lifting Ills feet
high at every step and setting them
down gingerly, as if he dreaded wet-
ting them, and, with slightly parted
beak, stood eagerly watching about
him for worms. Behind him were
some mighty trees of the swamp
above, and below the bank glowed a
solid wall of goldenrod.
No. wonder the ancients bad chosen
yellow as the color to represent vic-
tory, for the fierce, conquering hue of
the sun was in it. They had done well,
too, in choosing purple as the color of
royalty. It was a dignified.compelling
color, and in its warm tone there was
a hint of blood.
It was the Limberlost's hour to pro-
claim her sovereignty and triumph.
Everywhere she flaunted her yellow
banner and trailed the purple of her
mantle, that was paler in the thistle
heads. took on strength in the first
opening asters, and glowed and burned
in the ironwort
Compellingly beautiful was the Lim-
berlost, but cruel withal; far back in
there bleached the uncoffined bones of
her victims, and she had missed cra-
dling him, oh, so narrowly!
Below the turtle log. a dripping silver
gray head,.with shining eyes, was cau-
tiously lifted, and Freckles' hand slid
around to his revolver. Higher and
higher came the head; a, long, heavy,
fur coated body rose, now half, now
three-fourths out of the water.
Freckles looked at his shaking hand
and doubted, but he gathered his
forces, the shot rang out, and the otter
lay still. He hurried down and tried
to lift it. He could scarcely muster
strength to carry it to the bridge. The
consciousness that 'lie really could not
go farther with it made Freckles re-
alize the fact that be was well up to
the limit of human endurance. He
could bear it tittle. if any, longer.
Every hour the face of the angel wave
cred before him, and behind it the
awful distorted image of Black Jack.
as he swore to the punishment he
would mete out to her.
Freckles stopped when he Came to
the first guard, and telling him of his
luck, asked him to go for the otter and
carry it up to the cabin, as he was
anxious to meet McLean. Freckles
passed the second guard without seeing
him, and hurried' up to the boss. Ile
stood silent under the eyes of McLean.
The boss was dumfounded. Mrs.
Duncan had led him to expect that he
would end Freckles in a bad way, but
this was almost deathly. The fact
was apparent that' the boyscarcely
PP c y
knew what he was doing. His eyes
had a glazed, farsighted look in them,
that wrung the heart of the man that
loved him. Without a thought of pre-
liminaries McLean leaned in the sad.'
die and drew Freckles up to him.
"My poor lad!" he said. "My poor,
dear lad; tell me, and we will try to
tight it!"
Freckles had twisted his fingers in
Neliie's mane. At the kind wordy lits
face dropped on McLean's thigb and
be shook with a nervous chill. \1eLean
gathered him closer and welted.
"Preckles," said MeLean At last.
"'twill you tell me, or must I set to
work in the dark and try to find the
trouble?"
"Oh, I want to tell you! 1 must ten
yeti, sir," shuddered 'Freckles. "1 On -
not be hearing it the day out alone.
I was eoming to you when I remim•
bend you world be here,"
IIe lifted his face and gazed oft
eej:n4S the ..,gels, .With his jn.ees get
limit' a minute: as tr gathering his
forces. Tben he spoke.
"It's the angel, sir," be said•
Instinctively McLean's grip. on him
tightened.
"I tried hard the other day," said
Freckles, "and 1 couldn't seetn to
make you see, it's only that there
hasn't been an hour. waking or sleep -
ins, since the day she putted the
bushes and looked into .me room, that
the face of her hasn't keen before the
in all the tiucterness, beauty and nits -
chief' of IL She tallied to me friendly
like. She trusted me entirely .to take
right care of her. She helped me with
things about me books. She tratted
me like 1 was born a gintiemna. and
shared with me like 1 was of her
own blood. She walked the streets of
the town with me before her friends
with all the pride of a queen. She
forgot herself and didn't mind the
Bird Woman, and run big risks to help
me out that first day, sir. This lest
time she walked into that gang of
murderers, took their leader and
twisted him to the will of her. She
outdone him and raced the life almost
out of her trying to save me.
"Since I can remimber, whatever the
thing was that happened to me in the
beginning has been me curse. I've
been bitter, hard and smarting under
It hopelessly. She came by and found
me voice and put hope of life and suc-
cess like other men into me in spite of
it."
Freckles held up his maimed arm.
"Look at it, sir:" he said. "A thou-
sand times I've cursed it, hanging
there helpless. She took it on the
street, before all the people, just as if
she didn't see that it was a thing to
hide and shrink from. Again and
again I've had the feeling with her,
if I didn't entirely forget it, that she
didn't see it was gone and I must pull
her sleeve and be pointing it out to
her. Her touch on it was so sacred
like, at times since I've caught meself
looking at the awful thing near like
I was proud of it, sir. If I ,was born
your son she couldn't be treating me
more as her equal, and she can't help
knowing you ain't truly me father.
Nobody can know the ugliness or the
ignorance of me better^ than I do and
all me lack of birth, home, relatives
and money and what's it all to her?"
Freckles stepped back from McLean,
squared his shoulders and' with a
royal lift of his head looked straight
into the boss' eyes.
"You saw her in the beautiful little
room of her and you can't be forget-
ting how she begged and pleaded with
you for me. She tbucbed me body,
and 'twas sanctified. She laid her lips
on me brow, and 'twos sacrament. No-
body knows the height of her better
than me. Nobody's studied my depths
closer. There's no bridge for the great
distance between us, sir, and, clearest
of all, I'm for realizing it. But she
risked terrible things when she came to
me among that gang of thieves. She
wore herself past bearing to save me
from such an easy thing as death!
Now, here's me, a man, a big, strong
man, and letting her live under that
fearful oath, so worse than any death
'twould be for her, and lifting not a
finger to save her. I 'cannot bear it,
sir. It's killing me by inches! If any.
evil comes to her through Black Jack'
it comes from her angel like, goodness
to me. Somewhere he's hiding!
Somewhere he is' waiting his chance!
Somewhere he is reaching out for her!
I tell you I cannot, I dare not be bear-
ing it longer!"
"Freckles, be quiet!" said McLean,
his eyes humid. "Believe me, I did not
understand. I know the angel's father
Well. I will go to him at once. I have
transacted business with him for the
last three years. I will make him see!
I am only just beginning to realize
your agony and the real danger there
is for the angel. I will see that she
is fully protected every hour of the
day and night until Jack is located and
disposed of. And I promise you further
that if I fail to move her father or
make him understand th,e danger I
will maintain a guard over her until
Jack is caught."
McLean slid from Neliie's' back, and
went to examine the otter.
"What do you want to do with It,
Freckles?" asked McLean. "Do yon
known that it is very valuable?"
"I was for almost praying so, sir,"
said Freckles, "As I saw it'comingup
the bank 1 thought this: Once some-
where in a book there was a picture of
a young girl, and she was just a breath
like the beautifulness of the augel. Her
hands were in a muff as big as her
body, and I thought it was so pretty.
I think she was some queen, or the
like. Do you suppose 1i could have this
skin tanned and made into such a muff
as that -an enormous big one, sir?"
"0f course you can," said McLean.
it's s a and enc idea n eas
y
enough. It would be a mighty fine
thing for you to give to the angel as
a little reminder of the Limherlost be-
fore it is despoiled, and as a souvenir
of her trip for you."
Freckles lifted a face with a glow of
happy color creeping into it and eyes
lighting with a former brigbtness.
Throwing his arms about McLean, he
cried "Oh, how I love you! Ob, I
wish I Could make yon know how I
love yowl"
McLean strained him to his breast.
"God bless you, Freckles, he snid.
"1 do knowl We're going to have
some good old times out of this world
together, and we Can't begin too soon.
Would you rather sleep first, or get a
bite of lunch and have the drive with
me, and then rest? I don't know but
sleep will come sooner and deeper to
take the ride and have your mind set
at ease before you lie down. Suppose
you go."
"Suppose I do," said freckles, with a
glimmer of •tiro old 1I ht 3".1119 scoff
Nis Face Was Covered
With Pimples.
Pimples pre not a serious trouble, but
they are very unsightly.
Pimples are caused wholly by bad
blood, and to get rid of them it is neces-
sary to purify the blood of all its im,
purities,,
Burdock Blood Bitters has made many
remarkable cures; the pimples have all
disappeared, and a bright, clean, com
plexion left behind.
Mr. Lennox D. Cooke, Indian Path,
N.S., writes: "I am writing you a few
lines to tell you what Burdock Blood
Bitters has done for me. Last winter my
face was covered with pimples. T tried
different kinds of medicine, and all
seemed to fail. I was one day to a
friend's house, and there they advised me
to use 1333,B., MI purchased two bottles,
and before I had then taken I found I
was getting better. I got two more,
and when they were finished I was
completely cured. I fend it is a great
blood purifier, and I recommend it to all."
Burdock Blood Bitters has been on the
market for the past forty Years, and i:i,
manufactured only by The T. Milburn
Co„ Limited, Toronto, Ont.
and newly found strerikth Ito shoulder
the otter. Together they turned into
the swale.
McLean noticed and spoke of the big
black chickens. •
"They've been banging round out
there for several days past," said
Freckles. "I'll tell you what I think
it means. 1 think the old rattler has
killed something too big for him to
swallow, and he's keeping guard and
won't let me chickens have it. I'm
just sure, from the way the birds have
acted out there all summer, that it is
the rattler's den. You watch them
now. See the way they dip and then
rise, frightened like!"
Suddenly McLean turned on him
with blanching face.
"Freckles!" be cried.
"You think it's Jack!" shuddered,
Freckles.
Ile dropped the otter, caught up his
chub, and plunged into the swale.
Reaching for his revolver, McLean
followed. The chickens circled higher
at tbel'' coming, and the big snake
lifted his bead and rattled angrily. It
sank in sinuous coils at the report of
McLean's revolver, and together he
and Freckles stood beside Black Jack.
His fate was evident and most horrible.
"Come," said the•boss at last. "We
don't dare touch him. We will get a
sheet from Mrs. Duncan and tuck over
him, to keep these swarms of insects
away, and set Hall on guard, while
we go for the officers."
Freckles' lips closed resolutely. He
deliberately thrust his club under
Black Jack's body and, raising him,
rested it on his knee. He pulled a
long silver pin from the front of the
dead man's shirt and sent it spinning
out into the swale. Tben he gathered
up a few crumpled bright flowers and
dropped them into the pool far away.
"My soul is sick with the horror of
this thing," said McLean as he and
Freckles drove toward town. "I can't
understand how Jack dared risk creep-
ing tbreiig'li the :,wale even' in des-
peration. No one knew its dangers
better than he. And why did he
choose the rankest, muckiest place to
cross the swamp?"
"Don't you think, sir, it was because
it was on a line with the Lireberlost
south of the corduroy? The grass was
tallest there, and be counted on those
Willows to screen him. Once he got
among them he would have been safe
to walk by stooping. If he'd made it
past that place he'd been sure to get
out."
"Well, I'm as sorry for Jack as I
know how to be," said McLean, "but I
can't help feeling relieved that our
troubles are over with this dreadful
punishment for Jack, Wessner safe in
jail and warrants out for the others.
Jack knew the swamp better than
anyone about here. When he found
there were ttvo companies trying to
lease he wanted to stand in with the
one from which he could realize the
most. Even then he had trees marked
here that he was trying to dispose of.
I think his sole intention in forcing
nee to disehlrgo 1_titlr ..frau lav: gam
The Army of
Constipation
la Growing
ow aY Every Dar.
CARTER'S LITTLE
LIVER PILLS are
tee ponsiS a ---they not
only give r: lief --•
tl,e. p:rr;n:teady
,ills Coast pa.
Fon. Mi:- N,r,
is :.rax 1
!!..m101�F.
f
licca. as epee�
r.¢ 1'.:7i ^;tar. Sit! 3eadattc, Sea, tv S14,4.
Srr :1i 1'ily, Wm~11 Dose, Small tiles
ienta'ne meat brat Signature
CAR Th;
'IT"I!E
i?(aW
wits To como tfti her and try. To steal
timber. We bad no idea when we took
the lease 'valet let a gold mine it was."
"That's exactly what Wessner said
that first day," said Freckles eagerly,
"That 'twos a 'gold Imine' He snid
be didn't know where the marked
trees were, but be knew a man that
did, and it I would bold off and let
them get the marked ones there were
a dozen they could take out in a e',ew
days."
"Freckles," cried McLean, "you don't
mean a dozed"
"That's what he said, sir -a dozen.
He said they couldn't tell bow the
grain of all o3' them would work up, of
course, but they were all worth taking
out, and five or six were real gold
mines. Thls makes three they've tried,,
so there must be nine more marked,
and several of them for' being just
fine,"
"Well, I wish I knew which they
were," said McLean, "so that I could
get them oat first"
CHAVTER XVIII.
TAKING A PICTLDUt.
• HAVE been thinking," said
Freckles. "I believe If you
will leave one of the guards
on the line -say Hall -that 1
will begin on the swamp at the north
end And lay it off in sections and try
to hunt out the marked trees. I sup-
pose they are all marked something
like that Orst maple on,the line was..
Wessner mentioned another good one
not so far from that. He saki it was
hest of all. I'd be having the swelled
head if i could find that. Of course I
don't know a thing about the trees, but
I could hunt for the marks. ,lack was
so good at it he could tell some of
them by the mark, but all he wanted to
lake that we've got on to so far have
just had a deep chip cut out rattier low
down and where the bushes wore thiek
over it. I believe 1 could be finding
some of them."
"Good head!" said McLean. "We will
do 'that. You. may begin as soon as
you are rested. And about things you
came across' in the swamp, Freckles,
the most trifling little thing that you
think the Bird Woman would want,
take your wheel and go after her at'
any time. I'll leave two men on the
line, so that you will have oue on
either side, and yon can conte and go
as you please. Have you stopped to
think -of all we owe her, my boy?"
"Yi; and the angel -we owe ber a
lot. too." said Freckles. "1 owe her me
MS FATE WAS EVIDENT ANT, 1105.1' nen-
IIIBLE,
(L'e and honor, It's Iyi:lg atv,rke ni;;iit
t',1 have to he trying to think Pow
I'm ever to pay her 1111"
"Well. begin %vitt) the non '," sag•
Bested 1leLea1). "Thal should he line."
Freckles told Mclean of Airs. L)un-
:•an's desire for a hat lib!' the an -
He hesitated a tittle 111 the tell-
ing and kept sharp watch on 11c-
Lean's fare. When he saw the bus:;'
tyres were full o; sympathy he loved
hint an(1(V, for, as ever, 'c1(1.eln was
Quick to understand. Instead of
Iaughin r h e s: gi
t said: "I 11..,5 you 11 1 't'
). r S n,
t
to let me 111 on that loo. You musts
be selfish, you know. 111 tell „tot',
what d'e'li do Get It for Clu'is(nluC.
I'll be home then, and we can sand a
box. Yon gut the hart, 1.11 acid tt chess
•tad "'rap 1'uu get I)Illivati 11 lur1
and gloves. I'll semi (11111 a big eves
void, laird we'll put in a lot of tittle
,tuff for the hal:ies"
"That mend be :t wiry trio Seri!"$
for fun," said I'r•eekles '"That wnl:Id
ho heavenly."
,e !week later evert tuiilc at the Lint•
fieriest was precisely as it had heed
before the tragedy, except the case
1•'1•e(•kles' room) now rested on the
stump of the newly felled tree.
Enough of the vines were lett to cowl'
it prettily. and ever}' vestige of the
havoc of n few days before was gime.
The new guards were patrolling the
traii. Freckles was roughly laying etT
the'Swamp in sections and selu•ehil;
for tnnrked-trees. In that time he had
foiled one deeply chipped and the chip
cunningly replaced and tacked in. it
promised 10 be quite rare, so 110 w'as
jubilant. Ile also fennel so many sub•
jests for the llitel Woman that her
coming was ot almost dally occur•
cense, and the hours he spent with
her and the angel were noticing less
than golden.
The Limberloet Itete was arrayed
like the queen of Sheba in ail her
glory, The theft frosts ot autumn had
bejeweled her erown to flashing topaz,
ruby aril! cteeralc1, Ai2o!it her filet I
nomnimmrsommnamimompommim
Children Cry ter Ftetcher's
,
The. Kind You 11r70 Always Bought, and which has been
in use for ovc:' 30 yeu.g, has bornothe signature of
and has been made under his per-
sonal supervision since its infancy.
e%GC�c!/1l., Allow nd one to deceive you in this.
All Counterfeits, Imitations awl "Just -as -good" aro but
Experiments that trifle with and endanger the health of
Infants and Children—Experience against Experiment.
What is CASTORIA
Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare.
goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is pleasant. It
contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotic
substance. Its ago is its guarantee. It destroys 'Worms:
and allays Feverishness. For more than thirty years it
has been in constant use for the relief of Constipation,
Flatulency, 'Wind Colic, all Teething Troubles and
Diarrhoea. It regulates the Stomach and Bowels,
assimilates the Food, giving healthy and natural sleep.
The Children's Panacea—The Mother's Friend.
GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS
Bears the Signature of
In Use For Over 30 Years
, The. Kind You Have Always Bought
THE CENTAUR COMPANY, NEW YORK CITY
*Ailed the puerile of her garments, and
in'' her band was her golden scepter.
Everything; was at full tide. It seem-
ed as if nothing could grow lovelier,
and it was all standing still a few
weeks, waiting coming destruction.
The swamp was paipitant witb life.
Every pair of birds that had docked to
it in the spring was now multiplied by
from two to ten. '1'he young were
tame from Freckles' triparenthood,
and so plump and sleek that they were
quite as beautiful as their elders, even
if in many cases they lacked their
brilliant .plumage. 'There were cbubby
little groundhogs scudding along the
trail. There were cunning baby coons
and opossums peeping from boltuw
logs and trees. Young muskrats'fol-
lowed their parents across the lagoons.
If you could come upon a family 01
foxes that had not yet disbanded and
see the young playing with a wild
duck's carcass that their mother had
brought and note the pride and sat-
isfaction in her eyes as she lay at one,
side guarding them it would he a
picture not to be forgotten. il'reekles
never tired of, studyiog tbe devotion
of a fox mother to her babies.
The angel was wild about the baby
rabbits and squirrels. Earlier in the
. season, when tbe young were still
very small, it had so happened that
at times Freckles could give into her
hands one of these ,ittle ones. Then
it was pure joy to stand back and
watch ber heaving breast, flushed
cheek and shining eyes. Hers were
such lovely eyes. They were forever
changing. Now sparkling and dark-
ling with wit. now humid with sym-
pathy, now burning' with the fire of
courage. now taking on strength of
color with ambition, now flashing in-
dignantly at the abuse of any creature.
She had carried several of the squtrrel
and bunny babies borne and had the
conservatory littered with them. Her
care of them was perfect
Brown butterfly time had come. The
outer edge of the swale was lilted with
milkweed and other plants heloved of
them, and the air was golden with the
flasbing satin wings of the monr.rch,
viceroy and argynuis. They outnum-
bered those or any other color three
to one..
Among the birds It really seemed as
PS the little yellow fellows w re intee
e
preponderance. At least they were
until the red winged blackbirds :Inti
bobolinks that had nested on the up-
land came swarming by hundreds ter
these last few weeks before migration.
Never was there a finer feast sprout
for the birds. The grasses were tilled
with seeds; Ito, too, were weeds of
every variety. Fall berries were ripe.
Wild grapes and black haws were
ready.
r
P � the The SP an d n fell i •P'^ i
They e o. newt reign i f
peace and fullness most of alt. As for
hunting, they didn't el"en have to tonic
for themselves these 0aes, for tl,e
bounty now being spread before Litt'e
Chicken every day was more then he
could master, and he teas glad to Ii;1 o
his parents come down and feast with
him.
He was n fine, overgrown fellow, and
Itis wings, with quills ot jetty 1llark,
gleaming with !bonze, were so strong
they almost lifted his body. The funny
little flops, springs and sidewise
bounds he gave set Frec"iclee 11)1(1 the
Angel, hidden out in the swamp a-ntele
lug trim, into smothered chuckles of
delight.
Sometimes he fell to ceeinetting with
himself, and that Ives the funniest
thin; of all, for be tuned ills head up,
dorrn, fi otn side to side. And drew in
itis chin with prinky little jerks and
tats. Ile would stretch his neck,
throw tip his head, tern it to one side
and smirk -actually smirk, the most
.1 ,4, ...It t.n,t .Ar:
tat -any one ever saw on the face -On'.
bird. It was so comical that Freckles'
and the angel told the Bird Woman of
it one day.
When she finished her worst on Little!
Chicken she left them the camera all
ready for use, telling them they might
hide back in the bushes and watch.
If Little Chicken came out and truly
smirked and they could squeeze the
bulb at just the proper moment to
snap him she would be more than de-
lighted.
Freckles and the angel •quietly curl-
ed down beside a log and with eager.
eyes and softest breathing patiently
waited. They were becoming an5ious.
for the light would soon be gone and
they had so wanted to try for the
picture. At last Little Chicken lifted
bis head, opened his beak and ;;aped
widely. He dozed a minute or two
more. The angel said that was his
beauty sleep. 'Then Ile lazily gaped
again and stood up. stretching and
yawning. He ambled leisurely dowu
toward the gateway, and the auger
said, "Now. we may have a chance,
at last."
"1 do hope so," shivered Freu•klea.
With one accord they ruse to their
knees and trained their eyes on the
mouth of the log. The light was full
and strong. Little Chicken prospected
again with no results. fie dressed his
plumage, polished his beak, and wlieri
he felt tine and in fall toilet he began
to flirt with himself. freckles' eyes
snapped and his breath sucked be-
tween his clenched teeth.
''He's going to do it." whispered the
angel.
Little Chicken nodded daintily and
ruined his feathers. Ile gave his head
sundry little sidewise jerks and rap-
idly shifted his point of vision. Once
there was the fleeting little ghost of a
smirk.
"Now! No!" snapped the angel.
Freckles leaned toward the bird.
Tense as a steel trap he waited. Un-
consciously the hand of the angel
clasped his. He scarcely knew it'was
tbere. • Suddenly Little Chicken sprang
straight up in the air tied lauded with
a thud. The angel started slightly.
but Freckles was imtnovable. Then.
As if in approval of his last perform-
ance, the overgrown baby wheeled un-
til he was more than three-quarters,
r
almost full side, toward the camera,
straightened on his legs, squared his
shoulders, stretched his neck full
height, drew in his chin and smirked
Ms most pronounced smirk directly in
the face of the lens.
Freckles' fingers closed on: the bulb
convulsively. and the angel's closed
on his at the instant, 'Then the angel
heaved a great sigh of relief and lift -
td her hands to push back the damp,
clustering hair from her face.
ranInc tate
!laud to baud they
mirth end of the swamp, yelling, "We
got it!"
The 1111'(1 Woman plunged into the
sw,:ie at the mouth ((1 Sleepy Snake
•c•reek and carne wading out with a
couple of cameras and dripping tri-
pods.
Mored by an impulse she never aft-
erward regretted. she bent and laid
her lips on Freckles' forehead, kissing
hint gentiy and thanking him for his
teeny kindaeeses to leer in her loved
work. Fre:Ades started oil' walking
on air. and l' felt inclined to keep
watching behind to see if the trail
were not Burling up and rolling down
the line after hen.
C('il° B)i CO'NINSItISID.'l