Read Online My Children Are More Precious Than Gold by Fay Risner - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Fay Risner
Ads: Link
moonlit door. They
stopped at the manger's edge and crawled into what remained of the
sweet smelling clover hay that Daisy left at chore time. Snuggling
down, they peeked over the top of the deep manger to watch for the
haunt to appear.
Stifling yawns, Don and Tom leaned
back to relax their nodding heads and dozed off. Lue and Sid, too
tense to sleep, listened and waited. A quick and short, muffled
rustle sounded some place in the manger when a mouse scurried
through the hay. Crickets kept up a constant, irritating
chirp.
Down on the end of the manger, a tom
cat emitted a low, mournful meow to stake out his territory,
warning a stray tom cat to leave. Illuminated by the full moon
beaming through the barn window, the two pairs of unblinking,
yellow eyes glared at each other. Soft threats began to rumble in
the crouching toms' throats like a volcano about to erupt. Their
tails swished slowly back and forth across the hay as further
warning of an impending battle.
Meanwhile as nocturnal creatures often
tend to do, a skunk was on his nightly prowl. The Bishop barn was a
good place to find mice, a nest of eggs, or if he was really lucky
a chicken dinner.
The small black and white form
scampered quickly across the moon lit barnyard, scaled up the
bottom door, and silently dropped to the barn floor. He paused to
listen for danger and sniff the air. The odor of chicken came to
him from nearby. With his nose to the floor, he slowly trailed the
scent, stopping at the stall door. He looked up, wondering if he
could climb that high, hold on and grab a hen. Just then the
haughty toms, tired of arguing, erupted into a blood curdling,
squalling free for all. That startled the boys as the cats turned
end over end down the manger toward them.
“ What's goen on?” Tom
cried, bolting upright.
“ Is Haunt Dawson here?”
Don asked, aroused from his slumber.
“ No, it's a tom cat fight.
They're comen this way. Get out of the manger quick!” Ordered
Lue.
The boys scrambled over the manger
just as the cats tumbled passed them. The trespasser broke loose,
jumped to the floor. Screeching menacingly, he crouched between the
boys and the barn door. The Bishop's tom cat pounced in front of
the intruder, yowling his warning to leave. Deciding he'd had
enough, the intruder turned and sped across the barn passed the
startled skunk. He darted up the stall door, knocking two hens off
balance, and they fluttered to the floor. Aroused from their
stupor, all the chicken began to cackle. Nervously, the horses
paced back and forth in their stall, whinnying loudly.
To make sure he won the battle, the
Bishop's tom cat took off in hot pursuit. He whizzed by the skunk,
scattering the chickens, just as the skunk was about to pounce on
one of the unsuspecting, droopy hens that had fell in front of him.
The irritated skunk decided he had been interrupted enough. He knew
how to quiet things down around him. He turned his back and lifted
his tail, spraying at the departing cats.
“ Oh no! A skunk’s in
here,” coughed Sid.
“ Let's get out of here,”
said Lue, gagging.
They raced for the door, only to stop
short. Above the half door appeared the glow of light they had
waited for and in the glow was the dark outline of a
man.
“ He's here! The haunt is
here!” Lue cried in a panic.
“ Lue, ya've got the
potion. Throw it on him,” Sid ordered, always the voice of
reason.
Oh, the potion. All right, but ya boys
have to say the chant. I cain’t think what it is right now,” Lue
said, fumbling nervously to untie the bag's knotted draw string. He
poured his hand full of white ash like powder and threw it in the
haunt's direction.
In unison, the boys chanted. “Haunt
Dawson, be gone with ye.”
“ Boys!” The form yelled
before he had a coughing spell.
“ Yer -- yer dead! This
barn is for the liven,” the boys screeched together, scrambling
backwards, holding on to each other to keep from falling
down.
Dark fingers gripped the top of
stopped at the manger's edge and crawled into what remained of the
sweet smelling clover hay that Daisy left at chore time. Snuggling
down, they peeked over the top of the deep manger to watch for the
haunt to appear.
Stifling yawns, Don and Tom leaned
back to relax their nodding heads and dozed off. Lue and Sid, too
tense to sleep, listened and waited. A quick and short, muffled
rustle sounded some place in the manger when a mouse scurried
through the hay. Crickets kept up a constant, irritating
chirp.
Down on the end of the manger, a tom
cat emitted a low, mournful meow to stake out his territory,
warning a stray tom cat to leave. Illuminated by the full moon
beaming through the barn window, the two pairs of unblinking,
yellow eyes glared at each other. Soft threats began to rumble in
the crouching toms' throats like a volcano about to erupt. Their
tails swished slowly back and forth across the hay as further
warning of an impending battle.
Meanwhile as nocturnal creatures often
tend to do, a skunk was on his nightly prowl. The Bishop barn was a
good place to find mice, a nest of eggs, or if he was really lucky
a chicken dinner.
The small black and white form
scampered quickly across the moon lit barnyard, scaled up the
bottom door, and silently dropped to the barn floor. He paused to
listen for danger and sniff the air. The odor of chicken came to
him from nearby. With his nose to the floor, he slowly trailed the
scent, stopping at the stall door. He looked up, wondering if he
could climb that high, hold on and grab a hen. Just then the
haughty toms, tired of arguing, erupted into a blood curdling,
squalling free for all. That startled the boys as the cats turned
end over end down the manger toward them.
“ What's goen on?” Tom
cried, bolting upright.
“ Is Haunt Dawson here?”
Don asked, aroused from his slumber.
“ No, it's a tom cat fight.
They're comen this way. Get out of the manger quick!” Ordered
Lue.
The boys scrambled over the manger
just as the cats tumbled passed them. The trespasser broke loose,
jumped to the floor. Screeching menacingly, he crouched between the
boys and the barn door. The Bishop's tom cat pounced in front of
the intruder, yowling his warning to leave. Deciding he'd had
enough, the intruder turned and sped across the barn passed the
startled skunk. He darted up the stall door, knocking two hens off
balance, and they fluttered to the floor. Aroused from their
stupor, all the chicken began to cackle. Nervously, the horses
paced back and forth in their stall, whinnying loudly.
To make sure he won the battle, the
Bishop's tom cat took off in hot pursuit. He whizzed by the skunk,
scattering the chickens, just as the skunk was about to pounce on
one of the unsuspecting, droopy hens that had fell in front of him.
The irritated skunk decided he had been interrupted enough. He knew
how to quiet things down around him. He turned his back and lifted
his tail, spraying at the departing cats.
“ Oh no! A skunk’s in
here,” coughed Sid.
“ Let's get out of here,”
said Lue, gagging.
They raced for the door, only to stop
short. Above the half door appeared the glow of light they had
waited for and in the glow was the dark outline of a
man.
“ He's here! The haunt is
here!” Lue cried in a panic.
“ Lue, ya've got the
potion. Throw it on him,” Sid ordered, always the voice of
reason.
Oh, the potion. All right, but ya boys
have to say the chant. I cain’t think what it is right now,” Lue
said, fumbling nervously to untie the bag's knotted draw string. He
poured his hand full of white ash like powder and threw it in the
haunt's direction.
In unison, the boys chanted. “Haunt
Dawson, be gone with ye.”
“ Boys!” The form yelled
before he had a coughing spell.
“ Yer -- yer dead! This
barn is for the liven,” the boys screeched together, scrambling
backwards, holding on to each other to keep from falling
down.
Dark fingers gripped the top of
Similar Books
