The Argosy — page 134: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

* = 4 up a ertnee « mn, = dem a 120 Shaving the Pontes’ Tails. area “ Lawk-a-mercy !” cried he at last, ‘“‘who’s a done it?” “You have!” roared the Pater, pouncing upon him with outstretched arms. And then there was an uproar. Lena screamed, Hugh began to kick Dwarf Giles, Mrs. Todhetley interposed, the tears running down her swollen face. ‘Tod might have heard the uproar, though he was as far as Alcester. Giles cleared himself, but it took some minutes to do it. In the face of this great evil, he confessed to the lesser one—that he had made too free with the Christmas tap early the previous afternoon, and had been lying up in the tallet amidst the hay until now, as witness the bits sticking to his small-clothes. It ‘“ knocked him back’ards, it did, when he set eyes on the ponies, as the master might ha’ seen.” The master had been a little calming down, sufficiently so to hear. Bill ventured a word as to the state of the animals when they came home the previous night, and everybody turned to him. I tried to wink at Bill to keep him quiet, but he could no more see me than if I'd been in the rain-water barrel. ‘‘ My heart bled for ’em, it did, to see 'em brought back without their tails,” cried the boy, earnestly. ‘‘They was shorn mght off, they was, just as they be now. When I asked what had done it, Mr. Joseph, he telled me to mind my own business, he did. He said the Squire found the tails was growing too long, and he'd a right, he had, to do what he would with his own animals.” ‘‘ Mr. Joseph said that?” roared the Pater, turning himself upon Bull. “Yes, he did, sir; which were as good as saying you clipped ’em with your own hands. Ask Master Johnny if he didn’t—he were there.” Master Johnny had taken care not to be in the way of being asked. The Pater saw it all—Joe had clipped the ponies. But I never thought—no, not in my worst fear—that he’d take it up as he did. Sending the ponies back to the stable, he went in-doors to wnite a warrant for his son’s apprehension, and hurried off with it him- self to Jones, the constable. We kept our constable still, and the police turned their backs upon him. The Squire and his tenant-farmers thought it would be time enough to patronize the police when old Jones should be superannuated. ‘You'll take him, Jones, dead or alive!” foamed the Pater, his passion having increased with the heat of walking. ‘ Apprehend him just as you would a common felon, and put the handcuffs on him. I’ prosecute him for this work !” Jones hid the handcuffs in his pocket, and started, his constable’s staff in hand, and his mouth full of cold rabbit, for the Squire would not let him wait to finish his dinner. Of course the difficulty was, where to find Tod. I was behind the hedge, and saw and heard all this ; and I went off on the search another way. ECOMicoOolkxs.cO©