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Bellefonte, Pa., September 6, 1912.
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FRECKLES
By
Gene Stratton
Porter
COPYRIGHT, 1904, BY DOUBLEDAY, PACE
& CO.
Quer——mmes——d)
: SYNOPSIS.
Freckles, a homeless boy, is 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. !
He resolves to get books and educate
himself. He becomes 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.
He receives a call from Wessner.
Wessner attempts to bribe Freckles to
betray his trust, and Freckles whips him.
McLean overhears them and witnesses the
, A
Freckles' honesty saves a precious tree,
He finds the nest of the vultures and is
visited by a beautiful young girl.
Sho calls Freckles McLean's son. Freckles
calls her “the angel” and helps the Bird
Woman in taking photographs. McLean
promises to adopt Freckles.
Freckles and the angel become very
friendly. 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
Sismber. Freckles calls upon the angel's
ther.
The angel receives him as her equal, and
her father is kind. Mrs. Duncan has ex-
citing adventures in the Limberlost,
The Bird Woman and the angel again
visit Freckles, and Freckles falls {a love
with the angel. The angel kisses him.
(Continued from last week.)
CHAPTER XIII.
FRECKLES' BUTTERFLIES.
"=
UT on the trail the Bird Woman
wheeled on McLean with a
dumfounded look.
“Do you thing the angel
knew she did that?’ she asked softly.
“No,” said McLean. “I do not. But
the poor boy knew it. Heaven help
him!"
The Bird Woman stared across the
gently waving swale. “I don't see
how 1 am going to blame her.” she
said at last. “It's so exactly what I
would have done myself."
“Say the rest,” demanded McLean
hoarsely. “Do him justice.”
“He is a born gentleman,” conceded
the Bird Woman. “He took no ad-
vantage. He never even offered to
touch her. Whatever that kiss meant
to him. he recognized it was the lov-
ing impuise of a child under stress of
strong emotion. He was fine and man-
ly ax any man ever could have been.”
McLean lifted his hat. “Thank you,”
he said simply and parted the bushes
for her to enter Freckles’ room.
It was her first visit, and before she
left she sent for her cameras and
made studies of each side of it and of
the cathedral. She was entranced with
the delicate beauty of the place, and
her eyes kept following Freckles as if
she coul® not believe that it could be
his conception and work.
That was a happy day. The Bird
Woman had brought a lunch, and they
spread it, with Freckles’ dinner, on the
study floor and sat about. resting and
| Mrs. Duncan.
“What now, Freckles? asked Mrs.
Duncan.
“Why, the oddest thing you ever
heard of.” said Freckles. "The whole
insect tribe gone on a spree. I'm sup-
posing it's my fault. but it all hap-
pened by accident-like. You see, on
the swale side of the line, right
against me trail. there's one of these
scrub wild crab trees. Where the
grass grows thick about it is the
finest place you ever conceived of for
snakes. Having women about has set
me trying to clean out those fellows n |
bit, and yesterday | noticed that tree |
in passing. It struck me that it
would be a good idea to be taking it |
out. First 1 thought I'd take we
hatchet and cut it down, for it ain't
thicker than me upper arm. Then |,
remembered how it was blooming in
the spring and tilling all the air with
sweetness. The coloring of the blos- |
soms is beautiful, and | bated to be.
killing it. 1 just cut the grass short
all about it. ‘Then 1 started at the’
ground. trimmed up the trunk near |
the height of me shoulder and left |
the top spreading. That made it lock |
so truly ornamental that, idle lke,
chips off the rough places near, an:
this morning, on me soul, it's a sight. ;
You see. cutting off the limbs and
trimming up the trunks sets the sap |
running. In this hot sun it ferments |
in a few hours. There isn't much
room for more things to crowd on
that tree than there are, and to get
drunker isn't noways possible.”
“Weel, I be drawed on!” exclaimed |
“What kind of things
do ye mean, Freckles®”
“Why. just an army of black ants
Some of them are sucking away like
| old topers. Some of them are settinu
up on their tails and hind legs, fid- |
dling away with their fore feet and |
wiping their eyes. Some are rolling
around on the ground,
There are auantities of big bluebottie
flies over the bark and banging on the
grasses about, too drunk to steer »n
rourse flying, =o they just buzz away
like flying and 21 the time sitting
still,
elves. There's a lot of hard backe!
bugs— beetles, | guess—colored like the |
brown, blue and black of a peacork’s |
tail. They hang on until the tegs of |
them are so wake they can't stick n
minute longer, and then they bresk |
away and fall to the ground. They just |
lay there on their backs, fably claw.
log air. When it wears off a bit, up |
they get and go crawling back for
more, and they so full they bump into
each other and roll over. Sometimes
they can't climb the tree until they
wait to sober up a little. There's a lot
of big black and gold bumblebees, done
for entire, stumbling over the bark
nnd rolling on the ground. They just
lay there on their backs, rocking from
side to side, singing to themselves like |
fat, happy babies. The wild bees keep
up a steady buzzing with the beating
of thelr wings.
“The butterflies are the worst old
topers of them all. They're just a cir-
cus! You never saw the beat of the
beauties! They come every coior you
could be naming and every shape you
could be thinking up. They drink and
drink until if I'm driving them away
they stagger as they fly and turn som-
ersaults in the air. If 1 lave them
alone they cling to the grasses, shiver-
ing bappy-like, and I'm blest, Mother
Duncan, if the best of them could be
unlocking the front door with a lead
pencil, even.”
“I never heard of anything sae sur-
prising.” said Mrs. Duncan.
“It's a rare sight to watch them,
and no one ever made a picture of a
thing like that before, I'm for think-
ing,” said Freckles earnestly.
“Na,” said Mrs, Duncan. “Ye can
be pretty sure there didna. The Bird
Woman must have word in some way |
it ye walk the line and I walk to
town and.tell her.”
Freckles took his lunch and went
down to the swamp. He could find
contented. |
The sanke feeders are too full fo!
feed ar ything, even more sap to them. |
down to the Limberlost.
Freckles made himself clean and
neat and raced for town, but it was
night and the stars were shining be-
fore he reached the home of the Bird
Woman. As he neared the steps he
saw that the place was swarming with
young people. and the angel, with an
excuse to a group that surronnded
her, came scurrying up to him.
“Oh, Freckles!” she cried. “So yon
could get off We were so afraid yon
could not. I'm as glad as 1 can be.”
“I don't understand.” said Freckles.
“Were you expecting me?’
“Why. of course,” exclaimed the
angel. “Haven't you come to my
party? Didn't you get my invitation?
I sent vou oue.™
“By mail?" asked Freckles.
“Yes,” suid the angel. “I had to
help with the preparations, and |
couldn't tind time to drive out. But |
wrote you a letter and told yon that
the Bil Woman was giving a party
for me and we wanted you to come
sure. 1 told them at the office to put
it with Mr. Duncan's mail,
*Then that's likely where it is at
HE FOUND A DEEP, FRESH FOOTPRINT.
present,” sald Freckles. “Duncan
only comes to town once a week and
! at times not that. He's home tonight
i for the first in a week. He's watch-
{ing an hour for me until 1 was com-
| ing to the Bird Woman with a bit of
| work 1 thought she'd be caring to
| bear about. Is she where I can see
her?”
The angel's face clouded.
“What a disappointment!” she cried.
“1 did so want all my friends to know
you. Can't you stay anyway?"
Freckles glanced from his wading
boots to the patent leathers of some
of the angel's friends near by and
smiled whimsically, but there was no
danger of his ever misjudging her
again.
“You know I cannot, angel,” he said.
“I am afraid I do,” she sald ruefully.
ly, were the angel's friends probably
they were ‘better accustomed to her
| ways. than he.
“Must I go for the ‘Bird Woman?’
, she pleaded.
“Indade, you must,” answered Frec-
enjoying themselves. But the angel no trace of anything, yet he felt a kles firmly.
put her banjo into its case, silently |
gathered up her music, and no one
mentioned the concert.
tense nervousness, as if trouble might
be brooding. He came around to his
room and cautiously scanned the en-
i
| The angel returned to say that the
Bird Woman was telling a story to
those inside and she could not come
The Bird Woman left McLean and | trance before he stepped.in. Then he for a short time.
the angel to clear away the lunch and
with Freckles examined the walls of
his room and told him all she knew
about his shrubs and flowers. She an-
alyzed a cardinal flower and showed
him what he had all summer wanted
tered, “I needn't be afraid to be wash- |
ing, then, for that one struck in.”
“1 wish,” sald Freckles at breakfast |
one morning, “that I had some way to
be sending a message to the Bird Wo-
man. I've something down at the |
swamp that I'm never hap-
eid before, and surely she'll be want-
i”
— ——
pushed the bushes apart with his right
arm and entered, his left nand on the
butt of his favorite revolver. Instantly
he knew that some one had been there.
He could find no trace of a clew to
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“I must not.” said Freckles. “I am
not dressed to be among your friends.”
“Then.” said the angel, “we mustn't
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“And you ask me where the laugh
comes in, looking me in the face after
that,” marveled Frecklés.
laugh
the angel. “Any one that knows
even half as well as 1 do knows
you are never guilty of a discourtesy
and you move with twice the grace of
gat
any man here. Why shouldn't you fee]
as if you belonged where peopie are!
graceful and courteous?’
“On me soul” said Freckles, “you'
are kind to be thinking it. You are
doubly kind to be saying it.”
The curtains parted. and a woman
came toward them. Her silks and
laces trailed along the polished floors.
The lights gleamed on her neck and
arms and flashed from rare jewels.
She was smiling brightly and until
she spoke Freckles had not tully re-
alized that it was his loved Bird Wom-
an.
Noticing his bewilderment, she cried,
“Why. Freckles. don't you know me
in my war clothes?’
“I do in the uniforiac in which you!
| fight the Limberlost.” said Freckles,
The Bird Woman broke into a laugh. |
Then he told her why he had come.
[Continued next week.]
Lower Freight Rates Coming.
Pittsburgh, Pa., Sept. 12.—Of great |
benefit to many communities through- ,
out Pennsylvania will be the plans |
! which it is proposed shall be adopted |
for the improvement of Pittsburgh's
wharves. The wharves in this city are |
today practically as nature made them, |
| but the plans of the United States gov- |
, ernment to completely canalize the
| Ohio river has stirred the people of
| Pittsburgh to activity and now mod- |
| ern docks with up-to-date loading and |
' unloading devices are to replace the
| antiquated sloping wharves. Not only
| are the wharves to be improved, but
| @ belt line railroad is to be construct-
(ed for the purpose of transshipment |
| trom water to rail. And this is where |
| the interior communities of Pennsyl-
| vania will benefit. Transportation by |
| water is so much cheaper than by rail |
that when navigation is possible upon ;
the Ohio all kinds of goods will he
shipped upon that river. With proper .
terminal facilities at Pittsburgh ship- |
ments from many states to Pennsylva- |
nia towns will be made most of the
| distance by water, thus reducing the
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|
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i
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cost on commodities that would other-
wise have to be shipped entirely by
rail.
In order that the Pittsburgh im-
provement will be the best of its kind
possible an engineer of the Pittsburgh
Flood Commission, Kenneth C. Grant,
has been sent abroad to make studies
of modern docks and terminal facili-
ties in Europe. He is to make a re-
port this month upon which will be
based a bond issue of about $1,000,
000 for the purpose of making Pitts-
burgh's docks adequate to handle the
river freight traffic that is certain to
come with the canalization of the Ohio
river to Cairo.
In addition to providing modern
flocks, this improvement will provide
for the erection of a sea wa!l and for
certain beautification features that
will make the water front attractive.
The wall is to be bnilt in connection
with flood reservoirs that the Flood
Commission recommends for effectu-
ally controlling the floods in the up-
per Ohio and in the Monongahela and
Allegheny rivers. When Pittsburgh
completes this big improvement it will
be the first city along the Ohio river
to provide up-to-date shipping facili
ties and the first city to take advan-
tage of the great reduction in freight
rates that will come through the use
o! water transportation.
—Don’t read an out-of-date paper. Get
all the news in the WATCHMAN.
EE ————————
Medical.
Good | News
MANY BELLEFONTE READERS HAVE
HEARD IT AND PROFITED THEREBY.
ERT
ann SEE
Medical.
It's A Cure That's Sure
pe aOR.
BREAKUP
AND. IT WILL CURE YOU
AL. CURE
SIDNEY KRUMRINE, Druggist.
57-25-3m. Bellefonte, Pa.
LYON & COMPANY.
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You will find in La Vogue not only pleasing, stylish models
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The new fall styles in La Vogue Women’s and Misses’ Suits and
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_—=
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Fitzezy
The
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