Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-12-20


on his perso1, he appealed to me suddenly:
How does the moon feel when skeeter
bites it?" To his meditative mind, the
broad, smooth surface Of the moon pre-
scented temptation not to be resisted by
any stray skeetei.
freely confess that Johnny is now and
then too much for me. I wish could
read him as cleverly as he reads me. He
knows all my weak points he sees right
through me, and makes me feel that am
a helpless infant in his adroit hands. He
has an argumentative, oracular air, when.
things have gone wrong, which always
upsets my dignity. Yet how cunningly
he uses his poweri It Is only in the last
extremity that he crosses his legs, puts his
hands into his trousers pockets, and argues
the case with me. One day last week he
was very near coming to grief By my
directions, kindling-wood and coal are
placed every morning in the library CRATE,
in order that | may have q fire the mo-
ment Ireturn at night. Master Johnny
must needs apply q lighted match TO this
arrangement early In the forenoon. The
fire was not discovered till the blower was
one mass of red hot iron, and the wooden
mantel piece was smoking with the intense
heat 5s7s AlR Rae sfal Hsag3s h1G
When | came home, Johnny was led
from the store.room, where he had been
from an early period, and
where he had employed himself In eat.
ing about two dollara' worth Of preserved
pears
/ "Johnny,, said /, In as severe tone as
one could use in addressing person whose
forehead glistened with syrup Johnny,
don't you remember that have always
told you never to NEEDLE with matches ~
It was something delicious to see Johnny
trying to remember. He cast one eye
meditatively up to the ceiling, then he
fixed Ii abstractedly on the canary bird,
then he rubbed his rufled brows with a
sticky hand; but really, for the life of him,
he couldn't recallany iDjunctions concern
ing matches. ma fs1l slfl~
20 l can't papa, truly, truly, said Johnny
at length. C guess must have forgot 1t. "
"Well, Johnny, In order that you may
not forget 1t in future-"tli 81 aeoal owl.
Here Johnny was seized with an idea.
He interrupted me. -
& "I'Il tell you what you do, papa --you
just put 1t d0ton II, soritsn'." i Ls4
With the air of q man who has settled
q question definitely, but at the same time
Is willing to listen politely to any crude
suggestions that you may have to throw
out, Johnny crossed his legs, and thrust
his hands into those wonderful trousers
pockets. turned my face aside, for felt
q certain weakness creeping into the cor
ners Of my mouth. Twas lost. In an In
slant the little head, covered all over with
yellow curls, was laid upon my knee, and
Johnny was crying, D"Tm so very, very
sorryl' e,y g
I have said that Johnny is the terror of
the neighborhood. I think I have not
done the young gentleman an injustice. II
there Is O window broken within the radius
Of two miles from our house, Johnny's
ball, era stone known to come from his
dexterous hand, Is almost certain to be
found in the battered premises. I never
hear the musical juggling Of splintered
glass, but my portenaon'soie gives convul'
sive throb In my breast-pocket. There Is
not doorstep In our street that hasn't
borne evidences In red chalk of his artistic
ability; there isn't bell that he hasn't
rt1ng and run away from at least three
hundred times Scarcely q day passes but
he falls out of something, or over some
thing, or into something. A ladder run
ming up to the dizzy roof Of an unfinished
building Ia no more to be resisted by him
than the back platform Of a horse car,
when the conductor is collecting his fare
in front. aD' : aH a' aH'es'.
/ should not like to enumerate the bat
ties that Johnny has fought during the
past eight months, II q physical impos-
ability, should judge, for him to refuse
challenge He picks his enemies out of
all ranks Of society. He has fought the
ashman's boy, the grocer's boy, the rich
boys over the way, and any number OF
miscellaneous boys who CHANGED TO stray
into our street so tfs
3 / cant say that this young desperate
Is always victorious. / have known the
tip of his lose to be in a state of I'm
pleasant redness for weeks togethef.
I have known him to come homo fire.
quently with nc brim to his hat; once
he presented himself with only one
shoe, on which occasion his jacket was
split up the back In manner that gave
him the appearance of an over-ripe chest
nut bursting out of Its bur. How he will
fght But this can say IL Johnny is
as cruel as Caligula, he iB every bit as
brave as Agamsmnon. never knew him
to strike boy smaller than himself /
never knew him to tell lis when lie
would cave him from disaster
At present the General, as sometimes
call him, Ia in hospital He was seriously
wounded at the battle Of The Little Go
Cart, on the 9th instant On returning
from my Office yesterday evening, found
that scarred veteran stretched upon q sofa
In the sitting room, with patch OF brown
paper stuck over his left eye, and a con-
victing smell of vinegar about him.
eyes" said his mother, dolefnlly,
g Johnny's been fighting again. That hor
rid Barnabee boy (who Is eight years old,
If he Ia day. won't let the child alone"
" Well," said I, al hope Johnny gave
that Barnabee boy thrashing."
Didn't l. thought cries Johnny, from
the sofa. " + betl"
~" o Johnny p'-says his mother.
Now, several days previous to this, had
addressed the General In the following
terms -
"Johnny, If l ever catch you IN another
fight of your OWE seeking, | shall cane
YOU" #a ~ EAlf5N E
In consequence of this declaration, IL
became my duty TO look into the circum.
stances of the present affair, which will be
known in history "a the battle Of The
Little do-Cart. After going over the
ground very carefully, found tho follow
Ing to be the state of the cese.
It seems that the Barnabee Boy-I speak
of him as Ii he were the Benicia Boys
the oldest pupil in the Primary Military
School, q think it must be military
SCHOOL, of which Johnny Is recent mem
ber9 This Bafnabee, having whipped
every ole Of his companions, was signing