1
THE GOUIRBR
louse.
That evening after Speckle bad taken
lii milk be hung the empty pails on
the fence and went arounci to interview
tach of the boys privately. He bub-
acted that by seeing them separately
le could best appeal to their individual
reakness. He bribed Dick Hutchin-
)n with a dozen of his rarest tin to-
Ibacco tags, all with euphuistic names
such as "Rose Loaf" and Lilly of the
falloy " which his uncle had Bent him
from Florida. He won Reinhold Birk-
nor with promises of many a solemn
funeral cortogo for Mary Eliza's do-
ceased petB, and charmed ''Shorty"
Thompson's ears with stories of tbo
' puffs from old Jenkin'a bakery. Ovor
Jimmy Templeton he had no hold,
;jimmy being of that peculiarly odious
i species of humanity that is thoroughly
upwright and without secret weakness.
So he merely told him of the consent of
the other boys and used his personal
iutluenco for all it was worth.
"All right, if you fellows say so,"
Temp replied gravely. He was soaking
cat tails in the kerosene can preparatory
to a torch-light procession of the
Speckleville Republican Club. "I
won't be the man to kick, but you
mark my word, Speckle, she'll epoil the
town. GirlB always irpoil everything a
boy's got if you give 'ep a chance."
That night after Speckle's mother
had annotated his sunburned back with
cold cream and he had climbed into
bed and was reposing peacefully on his
stomach, enjoyiog the only real com
fort he bad had that day, he heard a
violent "tic-tac" at the window at the
head of bis bed.
"Hello, Temp, is that you?" he
called.
"No, Speckle, it's me Did you
make them?" whispered Mary Eliza.
"Yes. I made them," replied Speckle,
' rather wearily.
('0,6peckle, you area dand! I just
love you, Speckle!" and Mary Eliza
pounded and scratched joyfully at the
screen as she departed.
The next day Speckle vacated his
piano box, the largest and most com
modious structure in his town, and fit
ted it up for Mary Eliza with a lavish
ness which astonished his comrades.
In the afternoon Mary Eliza made her
triumphant entry into Speckleville with
an old-fashioned carpet sack in one
band and a Japanese umbrella in the
other.
She was ail smiles and sweetmeats
and showed neither resentment nor em
barrasment at her chilling reception.
She Bet forth her cream puffs and
chocolates and in halt an hour the Del
monico restaurant was the centre of
interest and commercial activity.
I shall not attempt to rehearse all the
arte and wiles by which Mary Eliza de-
, posed Speckle and made bersett sole
timperatrix of Spenkleville. She made
it her business tu appeal to every mascu
line instinct in the boys, beginning
with their stomachs. When first a
woman tempted a man she said "unto
him, "Eat." The cream puffs alone
would have assured her victory, but
ehe did not stop there. She possessed
cunning of hand and could make won
dertul neckties of colored tissue paper,
and stiff hats of pasteboard covered
, with black paper and polished with the
white of an egg. which she disposed of
for a number of pins. She became the
star of the cii cub ring, and it was con
sidered a great sight to behold Mary
Eliza attired in blue cambric tights
with an abundance of blonde locks
made by unraveling a few feet of new,
heavy rope, (lowing about her shoulders
executing feats of marvelous dexterity
upon the Hying trapeze,
Indeed, Mary Eliza possessed certain
talents which peculiarly fitted her to
dwell and rule in a boy's town. Other
wise Bhe could never have brought dis
aster and ruin upon the town of
Speckleville. For as boye will admit,
there are some girls who would
make the best boys in the world it
they were not girls.
It Boon befell that Mary Eliza's word,
her lightest wish, was law in Speckle
ville. Half tho letters that went
through Speckle's post office were for
her, and even tho phlegmatic Reinholl
Pirkner made her a beautiful littlo
tombstone with a rose carved on it as
an ornament for her enntro table.
Meanwhilo Speckle poor dopoBed
Speckle, sat by without demur and
without more than an occasional pang
of jealousy and watched tbo success of
hie protege, learning, as many another
monarch had dono before him, bow
pleasant it sometimes iB to servo.
Now, alas! it is lime to introduce the
tragic motif in this simple chronicle of
Speckleville, to bring about the advent
of the heavy villian into tho comedy.
He came in the form of a boy from
Chicago, to spend the summer with his
aunt just acroBs the street from Speck
le's homo. From the first he found
Bmall favor in the eyes of Speckleville
boye. To begin with, he invariably
wore shoes and stockings, a habit dis
gustingly effeminate to any true and
loyal Specklevillian. To this he added
the grievance of a stiff hat, and on Sun
days even sunk to the infamy of kid
gloves. He also smoked many cubeb
cigaretteB corn-silks were considered
the only manly smoke in Speckleville
and ate some odorous confection to
conceal his guilt to his mamma. The
good citizens of Speckleville all looked
with horror upon theBe gilded vices
all, Bave one, perhaps.
The first time the New Boy visited
the town he bought a cream puff of
Mary Eliza, and on being told that the
price of the same was ten pins, he
laughed Bcornfully, saying that he did
"not carry a pin-cushion and had hot
brought his work-box with him. He
then threw down a nickle upon the
couuter. Now to offer money to a
citizen of Speckleville was an insult,
like offering a bribe, and the boys were
painfully surprised when Mary Eliza
accepted that shameful coin, bestowing
upon the purchaser a smile more de
sirable than- many cream puffs.
After that the New Boy came often
udually confining his trade to the Del-
monico restaurant, wUere he hung
about telling of hii trip on Lake Michi
gan and his outings in Lincoln Park,
while the proprietor listened with
greedy ears, tie persisted in paying
for his purchases in coppers and
nickles, and Mary Eliza persisted in
accepting the despised currency, while
the Speckleville boys went about with
a secret shame in their hearts, feeling
that somehow she had disgraced her
self and them. They began to wonder
as to just what a girl's notion of the
square thing was, a question that has
sometimes vexed older heads.
As for Mary Eliza, although she
sometimes joined with the boys in a
laugh at his expense, she by no means
shared the general dislike of the New
Boy. She thought his city clothes and
superior manners very Impressive, and
she felt moregrown up and important
when in his company. Even his letters,
which were always written on real note
paper with a monogram at the top and
signed "Semper Idem" seemed vastly
more dignified than the rude scrawls of
the other boys.
She had tact enough to know that
this fine young gentleman would never
wear tissue paper neckties, so she made
him a red paper rose, which he wore,
daily perfuming it with Florida water.
Speckle had noted the growing discon
tent in his town, and Bought to conceal
Mary Eliza's disgraceful conduct and
shield her from open contempt by ask
ing her to make him a paper roeu. But
she laughed heartlessly with a wink at
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