Page 107 (1/1)

"They weren't rude to you?"

"Yes, they cert'nly were!"

"Well, then----"

"Mamma, can't you understand?" Florence turned from theto beseech Mrs Atwater's concentration upon thea reporter; they ain't 'playing'----"

"Aren't playing, Florence"

"Yes'-press; Uncle Joseph gave it to him It's a real one, mamma, can't you understand?"

"I'll try," said Mrs Atwater "You et so excited about it, Florence"

"I'uess it'd take -press to get me excited! I don't care what they do; it's far less than nothing to me! All I wish is they'd fall off the fence and break their vile ole necks!"

With this ain to the ; but herthose foolish boys; you "

Florence moaned "They don't 'upset' ree! And I _told_ you, ?"

"Well, they're having a newspaper They got the printing-press and an office in Herbert's stable, and everything They got so froot it stuck up in the stable loft, so it runs across with a kind of a gate in the -press and a desk from that nasty little Henry Rooter's mother's attic; and a table and some chairs, and a o out and look for what's the news, and write it down in lead pencil; and then they go up to their office and write it in ink; and then they print it for their newspaper"

"But what do they do on the fence?"

"That's where they go to watch what the news is," Florence explained rand, sittin' up there, pokin' around! They go other places, too; and they ask people That's all they said _I_ could be!" Here the lady's bitterness becaly intensified "They said , sometimes, if they happened to think of it! I just respectf'ly told 'em I'd decline to wipe my oldest shoes on 'em to save their lives!"