Los Angeles Herald, Volume XXX, Number 334, 6 September 1903 — AN ADVENTURE [ARTICLE]

AN ADVENTURE

By Barbara Vinette, Class A, 14 Yrs.| It was the first evening of Bertie and Ned's visit, from the hot dusty i city, to their grandfather's home In the I country. All day they had hunted for birds' j eggs in the eaves of the large white barn, chased the chickens and geese in the farmyard, eaten green apples to j their hearts' content without any re- 1 gard for the aftermath, and had had a I good time generally. And now, as | evening shadows fell, two very tired ] little boys sat down to the dinner table. When dinner was over the "bin folks" sat on the veranda and, tired, | as they were, Ned and Bertie must be ! where anything was going on. Across the fields and in the orcharl 1 the orchestra of the crickets was strik- ! ing up and now and then the deep i buss croak of a bullfrog came from i the neighboring pond. Slowly the moon rose and peeped ; through the treetops. Silently, one by \ one, the tiny stars peeped out, and still the "big folks" talked on subjects entirely uninteresting to a pair of hxalthy American youngsters. Suddenly Ned, always the first into mischief, said ,"Oh, Bertie, I say; let's go Into the barn and see If old Jerry 1« awake yet." "No," said Bertie, "It's too dark." "Oh, come on, you fraidle," said Ned, who was the oldest. Bertie could stand anything but being called "fraldie," and so oft they started. They had not yet reached the barn when suddenly a cry rang out of "Too-whoo-oo! Who are you-oo?" Two very frightened little boys stared Into each other's faces In amazement. "Wh-who was th-that?" gasped Bertie. "I d-don't know," said Ned, in a frightened whisper. "Maybe we better say who w-we are." "We are Ned and Bertie White, and If you please what do you want?" spoke out Ned, In trembling voice. "Too-whoo-oo are you-oo?" was screamed very close now, and two fiery yello\y eyes glared down from the tree overhead, and without a moment's notice Ned and Bertie made a "clean pair of heels" toward the house. They ran into the kitchen and startled Aunt Dinah, the colored housekeeper, by their frightened looks. "Laws, chllluns!" she said. "What has done happened?" When the little boys told their story, Aunt Dinah rolled her eyes and said, mysteriously: "Dat was shoaly the , screech owl what's to' to scare, bad 111' boys what goes out after dark and don't ask dere mammies!" Ned and Bertie went in fear ar.d trembling to bed, and how their mother and father did laugh when Aunt Dinah told them about it.