The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1867-12-12
N From tine Atlantic Month.y
u YOUNG DRSPERADO.

4 YOUNG DRSPERADO.
While Johnny II all snugly curled up
in bed, with his rosy cheek resting on
one Of his scratched and grimy little
hands, forming altogether perfect pic
ture of peace and innocence, it seems
hard to realize what busy, restive, pug
nacious, badly ingenious little wretch
he is! There is something SO comical in
those funny little shoes and stockings
sprawling on the fioor,-they look as If
they could jump up and run of, if they
wanted to,-there is something SO laugh
able about those little trousers, which
appear to be making vain attempts to
climb up into the easy chair,-the said
trousers still retaining the shape of
Johnny's little legs, aud refusing to go
to sleep,-there is something, say,
about these things, and about Johnny
himself, which makes it difficult for me
to remember that, when Johnny is
awake, he not unfrequently displays
traits of character not to be compared
with anything but the cunning of an
Indian warrior, combined with the COM
bative qualities of a trained prize-fighter.
I'm sure don't know how he came
by such unpleasant propensities. am
myself the meekest of men. OF course,
l don't mean to imply that Johnny in
herited his warlike disposition from his
mother. She is the gentlest of women.
But when you come to Johnny-he is
the terror of the whole neighborhood.
He was meek enough at first,-that is
to say, for the first six or seven days of
his existence. But l verify believe he
wasn't more than eleven days old when
he showed a degree of temper that shock
ed me,-shocked me in one SO young.
On that occasion he turned very red III
the face,--he was quite red before
doub!ed up his ridiculous hands in the
most threatening manner, and finally,
in the iml oteney of rage, punched HIM
self in the eye. When I think of the
life he led his mother and Susan during
the first eighteen months after his arri-
val, 1 shrink from the responsibility of
allowing Johnny to call me father.
Iohnny's aggressive disposition was
not more early developed ''ah MS ou-
plicity. BY the time he vas t"o years
of age, had got the following >mSAih
by heart: whenever J. is particularly
quiet, look out for squalls" He wa.
sure to be in some mischief And l
must say there was novelty, and unex-
pectedness, an ingenuity, in his badness
that constantly astonished me. The
crimes he committed could be arranged
alphabetically. He never repeated him
self. His evil resources were inexhaus-
tible. He never did the thing 1 expect
ed he would. He never failed to do the
thing l was unprepared for. am not
SO much Of the time when he
painted my writing desk with raspberry
jam, as Of the occasion when he perpe-
trated All act of cruelty on Mopsey, a
favorite kitten in the household. We
were sitting in the library. Johnny was
playing IN the front hall. In view OF
the supernatural stiffness that reigned,
l remarked, suspiciously, Johnny is
very quiet, my dear" At that moment
series of pathetic naeWs was heard in
the entry, followed by violent scratch
ing on the oil-cloth. Then Mopsey
bounded into the room with three emp
ty spools strung upon her tsil. The
spools were removed with great difficult
ty, especially the last one, which fitted
remarkably tight. After that, Mopsey
never saw work-basket without arch
ing her tortoise shell back, and distend-
ing her tail to three times its natural
thickness. Another child would have
squeezed the kitten, or stuck pin in it,
or twisted her tail; but it was reserved
for the superior genius of Johnny to
string rather small spools upon it.
1t was this fertility and happiness, if
may say 50, Of invention, that pre-
vented me from being entirely detected
over my sons behavior at this period
Sometimes the temptation to scixe him
and shake him was too strong for poor
human nature. But l always regretted
it afterwards. When l saw him asleep
in his tiny bed, with one tear dried OH
his plump velvety cheek and two little
mice teeth visible through the parted
lips, / couldn't help thinking what a
little bit of fellow he was, with his
funny little fingers and his funny little
nails; and it didn't seem to me he was
the sort of person to be pitched into 10y
great strong man like me.
"WheD Johnny grows older" used
to say to his mother, "I'll reason with
him.
Now don't know when Johnny will
grow old enough to be reasoned with
When reflect how hard it is to reason
with wise grown up people, if they hap.
pen to be unwilling to accept your view
of matters, am inclined to be very pa
tient with Johnny, whose experience i.
rather limited, after all, though he j.
six years and half old, and naturall,
wants to know why and wherefore
Somebody says something about the du
ty Of tblind Ohelienca con,t oxnoo