Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-05-25
THE BAD LITTLE BOY.
Different from all Other Stories
BY Mark Twain.

Once there was bad little boy, whose
name was Jim-though, if you will notice,
you will find that bad little boys are
nearly always called James in your Sun
day school books. 1t was very strange,
but still it was true, that this one was
called jim
He didn't have any sick mother, either
"a sick mother who was pous and had
the consumption, and would be glad to
lie down in the grave and be at rest, but
for the strong love she bore her boy, and
the anxiety she felt that the world would
be harsh and cold towards him when she
was gone. Most bad boys in the Sunday
school books are named james, and have
sick mothers, who teach them to say,
Now / lay me down" etc., and sing
them to sleep with sweet, plaintivc
voices, and then kiss them good night,
and kneel down by the bedside and weep
But it was different with this fellow. lie
was named Jim, and there wasn't any
thing the matter with his mother-no
consumption, or anything Of that kind.
She was rather stout than otherwise, and
she was not pious; moreover, she was not
anxious on Jim's account She said II
he were to break his neck it wouldn't be
much loss She always spanked Jim to
sleep, and she never kissed him good
night; on the contrary, she boxed his
ears when she was ready to leave him.
Once this little bad boy stole the key
of the pantry and slipped in there and
helped himself to some jam, and filled up
the vessel with tar, so that his mother
would never know.the difference; but all
at once a terrible feeling didn't come
over him, and something did't seem to
whisper to him, is it right to disobey
my mother2 Isn't it sinful to do this
Where do bad little boys go who gobble
up their good, kind mothers jam? 2 and
then he didn't kneel down all alone and
promise never to be wicked any more,
and rise up with light, happy heart,
and go and tell his mother all about it,
and beg her forgiveness, and be blessed
by her with tears of pride and thankful
ness in her eyes, No; that is the way
with all other bad boys in the books; but
it happened otherwise with this jim,
strangely enough. He ate that jam and
said it was bully, in his sinful, vulgar
way; and he put in the tar, and said
that was bully also, and laughed, and
observed that "the old woman would get
ap and snort" when she found 1t out I;
and when she did find it out, he denied
knowing anything about it, and she
whipped him severely, and he did the
crying himself. Everything about this
boy was curious everything turned out
differently with him from the way it does
to the bad Jameses in the books.
Once he climbed up in Farmer Acora's 8
apple tree to steal apples, and the limb
didn't break. and he didn't fall and break
his arm, and get torn by the farmer s
great dog, and then languish in sick
bed for weeks, and then repent and be-
come good Oil no; he stole as many
apples as be wanted, and came down all
right; and he was all ready for the dog,
too, and knocked him endways with a
rock when he came to tear him. 1t was
very strange-nothing like it ever hap
pened in those mild little books with
marbled backs, and with pictures in them
of men with swallow-tailed coats, and
bell crowned hats, and pantaloons that
are short in the legs, and women with
the waist Of their dresses under their
arms and no hoops on. Nothing like 1t
in any of the Sunday school books.
Once he stole the teachers penknife,
and when he was afraid it would be found
out, and he would get whipped, he slip
ped it into George Wilson's cap-poor
Widow Wilson's son, the moral boy, the
good little boy of the village, who always
obeyed his mother, and never told an un.
truth, and was fond of his lessons and
infatuated with Sundsy-schooL And
when the knife dropped from the cap and
poor George hung his head and biushed,
as If in conscious guilt, and the grieved
teacher charged the theft upon him, and
was Just il. the very act of bringing the
switch down upon his trembling should.
ers, white haired improbable justice OF
the peace did not suddenly appear IN
their midst and strike an attitude and
say, spare this noble boy-there stands
the covering culpritl l was passing the
school door at recess, and, unseen my
ssg saw the theft oommitiedI y And
tben Jim didn't get whaled, and the ven.
crable Justice didn't read the fearful
Abool a homily, ard take George by the
hand and say such boy deserved 10 be
exsIted. and then tell him TO come aud
nets his home with him, and sweep out
ne Office. aud make hres, and run er-
rands. and chop wood, and study law,
and help his wife 10 do houssnold laoorsi
and have all the balance Of tho time 70
NAV and get forty cents = month, and
be ksppv. No; il would have happened
tbat Esv in the books, bat i didn't hap