Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-01-10
4 Young Desperate.
BY 7. Is. ALDRIClI.

When johnny is all snugly curled up il
bed. with his rosy cheek resting on one O
his scratched and grimv little hands. forming
altogether. a perfect picture Of peace and in
uocence, it seems hard 10 realize what
busy restiye, puuacious, badly ingeniou.
little wretch lie is There is something =,
comical in those funny little shoes and stock
ings sprawlmg on the Aior-they look rs il
they could jump up and run OF, if they
wantei t5-there II something 50 laughabl le
about thuse little trousers, which appear Il
be N, king vain attempts 10 climb up into the
easy-clair-the said trowsers still retaining
the -laIe Of johnny little legs, and refusing
to 20 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 unfre-
quently displays traits Of character not to be
compared with anything but the cunning Of
an Indian warrior. combined with the com
batiye qualities of trained prize fighter.
I'm sure don know how he came by such
unpleasant propensities. | am myself the
meekest Of men. OF course. don't mean to
imply that johnny inherited his warlike diSlo-
sition from his mother. She Is the gentlest
Of women. But when YOU come 10 JOHNNY
he's the terror of the whole neighbirhood.
lie was meek enough at first-ttat is 10 say.
for the first six or seven davs of his existence
But verify believe that he WASH more than
eleven days old when he showed Il degree Of
temper that shocked me-shocked me In one
50 young. On that occasion he turned very
red in the face-he was quite red before
doubled up his ridiculous hands in the most
threatening manner, and finally. in the i'm
potency Of rage, punched himself in the eve
When | think of the life he led his mother
and Susan during the first eighteen months
after his arrival. shrink from the responsible
ity of allowing Johnny to call me father
Johnnys aggressive disposition was not
more early developed than his duplicitv.
BY the time he was two years of age. ! had
got the following maxim bv heart When
ever it is particularly quiet, look out for
squalls" Sometimes the temptation to seize
him and shake him was too strong for Door
human nature. But | always regretted it af-
terwards When | saw him asleep IN his
tiny bed. with one tear dried ON his plump
yelyety cneek and two little mice-teeth yisi-
bic through his parted lips. could not help
thinking what little bit of a fellow he was
with bis funny little fingers and his funny lit
tie nails A.; and it didn't seem to me that he
was the sort Of person to be pitched into by
great strong man like me,
"When Johnny grows older, | used To
ay 10 his mother, Il II reason with him"
Now don know when johnny will grow
old enough to be reasoned with When | re-
fleet how hard it is to reason with wise grown
up people, If they happen to be unwilling 10
accept your view Of matters, am inclined to
he patient with Johnny, whose experience is
rather limited, after all, though he is six
years and a half old, and naturally wants to
knOT why and wherefore. Somebody says
something about the duty Of . blind obedi
enee." can't expect Johnny to have mora
wisdom than solomon, and to be more philo-
sophie than the philosophers.
At times, indeed, have been led to ex-
pect this from him. He has shown a depth
Of mind that warranted me in looking for any
thing. At times he seems as if he We're a
hundred years old, He has quaint, bird
ike way Of Of cooking his head on one side, |
and asking question that appears to be the
result Of yeare of study. If / could answer |
solns gilhe7e questions, should solve the
darkest mysteries of life and death. His in |
quiries, however, generally have grotesque
favor. One night, when the mosquitoes |
wele making lively raids ON his person, he |
appealed to me. suddenly - How does the |
noon feel when a rkeqrter hite- it p To |
his Ineditatiye mind, the broad, smooth sur
face of the moon presented temptation not |
to be resisted by any stray skeeter.
freely confess that johnny is now and |
then too much for me. 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 helpless in
liant in his adroit Lands lie has an argu-
mentatve, uracular air, when things have
gone wrong, which always uTsets my dignity
Yet how cunningly he uses his power 1t is
only in the last extremity that he crosses his
legs, puts his hands iato his trousers pockets,
siRi .irSL,a' ihe case ,,lth me. one day last
seek he was very near coming to grief. by
ny direction. kindling-wood and coal are
placed every morning IN the library CRATE, IN
order thar ! might have a fire the moment |
return at night. Master johnny must needs
apply lighted match to this arrangement
early in the forenoon. The fire was not dis
covered until the blower was one mass Of red
hot iron, ard the wooden mantle-riece was
smoking with the intense heat
Wien | came home, Johnny was led from
the stJre-room, where he had been imprisoned
from an early period, and where he had en-
Iloycd himself in eating about two dollars
worth Of preserved pears.
JOHNNY said in as severe a tone as one
,iula ua.. in addrpaing 4. peTson " hose lore
had gl;stenod with syrtipL"J johnny, don't
y6u remember that have always told You
never to NEEDLE with matches?''
1t was something delicious to see johnny
.. l.. rs1atI-
atively up to the ceiling, then he fixed 1t
ahstractedy on the canary bird. then he rub
bed his rufied brows with a sticky hand hut
really Tor the life Of him he ceuidu't recall
~ .nVuhteoAs Jone,rnfna' matches
d can IT papa, truly, truly" said Johnny,
at length. 81 guess must have forp,t II
NV ell, doh'lhy; IN order that YOU may not
Here johnny was seized with an idea. He
interrupted me.
''rll tell You what You do, papa - You Just
put II dorm m lcritin
With the air of a man who has settled =
QUESTION deinitoiy
should not like 10 enumera,e The lattle.
that Johnny has fought during the past t Z p;
months. It Is a physical impossibility,
should Judge. for him to refuse challenge
lie ldcks Dle tntilltc Jul Vi dli Adiih0 VI ~
eiety, He has fought the ashman's boy, the
sroSer's toy, the rich boys oyer lhe Nas, anC
sny number Of misoeiaheous boys who
chanced 10 stray into our street
| can't say that this young desperate is al
ways victorious. | have known the tip Of hi
nose 10 be IN state of unpleasant redness fol
weeks together. | have known him to cont
pqye frlquenhy gith 10 l,ri1a to his hat
bIoa he presented himself with only one shoe
on which occasion his jacket wac split up tn,
back in a manner that gave him the appear
ance of an over-ripe chestnut bursting out 0
its burr. How he will fight! But this cal
say; if Johnny is as cruel as Caligula, he i
every bit as brave as Agamemnon. | neye
knsw him TO strike hey smaller than him
sef 'neyer knew him to tell a lie Ahen
lie would save him from disaster
AZ present, the General, as ! sometime
eall him, is IN hospital, lie was seriqusi
Wounded at the battle of the Little-Go-C Cart
On the 9th inst On returning from nv ofic