The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-01-04
AsisreIlan,1r,.
A YOUNG DESPERATE.

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with his rosey cheek resting on one OF ms scratch
ed and grimy little hands, forming altogether 9
perfect picture Of peace and lnnocences It mems
hard to realize what busy, FESTIVE, pugnacious
badly ingenious little wretch he is! There il
something 50 comical in those funny little shoes
and stockings sprawling on the hoOr-they look
as though they could jump up and run OH, il
thew wanted to.--there is something 80 laughable
about those little trowsers, which appear to be
making vain attempts to climb up into the easy
shair--the said trowsors still retaining the shape
of Johnnys little legs, and refusing to go to sleep
there is something, / say, about these things
and about Johnny hi.nself which makes 1t DIM
cult for me to remember that, when Johnny Is
awake be not unfrequently displays traits OF
character not to be compared with anythingeut
the cunning OF an Indian warrior, combined with
the combatve qualities of q trained prlze-hghter
Tn sure I don't know how he came by such
unpleasant. propensities. l am myself the meek
est of men OF course, / don't mean to imply
that johnny Inherited his warlike disposition
from his mothe She is the gentlest OF women
But when YOU ONE to Johnny, he's the terror to
the whole neighborhood Ifhr
He was meek enough at frst,--that is to say,
for the first six or seven days of his existence
But | verify believe that he wasn't more than
eleven days old when he showed degree OF tenn
per that shocked me,-shocked me in one 80
the face,--he was quite red before,-doubled up
his ridiculous hands in the most threatening
manner, and finally, in the impotency OF rage
punched himself in the eye. When 1 think Of
the life he led his mother and Susan during the
first eighteen months after his arrival, l shrink
from the responsibility of allowing Johnny to
call me father
Johnnys aggressive disposition was not more
early developed than his duplioity. By the time
1 s 4 lol f1af al ~ np
g""~;,r hv heart: Whenever J. is particularly
quiet, look out for squalling." He was sure to
be in some mischief And I must say there was
q novelty, an unexpectedness, an ingenuity, in
his badness that constantly astonishsd me. The
crimes he committed could be arranged alpha
betically He never repeated himself His evil
resources were inexhaustible. He never did the
thing expected he would. He never failed to
do the thing l was unprepared for. l am not
thinking so much Of the time when he painted
my writing desk with raspberry-jam, as Of the
occasion when he perpetrated an act of original
cruelty on Mopsey favorite kitten in the house
hold We were sitting in the library. Johnny
was playing in the hall. In view of the super
natural stiffness that reigned, remarked, suspi-
ciously, Johnny is very quiet, my dear" At
that moment series ofIpathetic news was heard
in the entry, followed by violent scratching on
the oil cloth. Then Mopsey bounded into the
room with three empty spools strung upon her
tail The spools were removed with great din
Guilty, especially the last one, which fitted re-
markedly tight. After that, Mopsey mover saw
work basket without arching her tortoise she'll
back and distending her tail to three times it's
natural thickness. Another child would have
squeezed tke kitten, stuck pin in it. or twist
cd her tail; but it was reserved for the superior
genius of Johnny to string rather small spools TO
it. He never did the obvious thing.
1t was this fertility and happiness, if may
say so, of invention, that prevented me from be-
ing entirely detected over my sons behavior at
this period. Sometimes the temptation 10 seize
him and shake him was to strong for poor human
nature. But l always regretted it afterwards
When saw him asleep in his tiny bed, with one
tear dry on his plump cheek, and two little mics
aeeth visible through the parted lips, coRld not
help thinking what little bit of . fellow he was,
with his funny little fingers and his funny little
nails; and it didn't seem to me that he was the
sort OF person to be pitched into by . great man
like me. n
when Johnny grows older" I used 70 say 70
his mother, "Tll reason with him."
Now l 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,
II they happen to be unwilling to accept your
views of matters, am inclined to be very psni-
tent with Johnny, whose experience 10 rather
limited, after all, though he is six years old, and
naturally wants to know why and wherefore.
Somebody says something about the duty Of
blind obedience" l can't expect Johnny to
have more wisdom than Solomon, and to be more
Qhilosophic than the philosophers.
At times 1 have been led to expect this from
him. He has shown depth Of mind that war
ranted me in looking for anything. At times he
seems as if he were hundred years old He has
aquaint, birdhke way cooking his head On one
side, and asking question, that appears
70 be the result of years of study. II I could
answer some of those questions, should solve
the darkest mysteries Of life and death. His in
qUiries, however, generally have grotesque fla
Yol. One night, when the mosquitoes were max
ing lively raids on his person, he appealed to me,
suddenly: How does the moon feel when a
edeeter bites it," To his meditative mind. the
broad, smooth face Of the moon presented temp
alton not be resisted bv any stray skeeter. a.
freely confess that Johnny is now and then
80 much for me. | wish could read him as
I.aTefly US he reads me. He knows allmy weak
points he sees right through me, and makes me
feel that | helpless infant in his adroit
hands. He has argumentive, oracular air,
#~ea things have gone wrong, which always
lpsats my dignity Yet how cunningly he uses
his power. 1t is only in the last extremity that
ne crosses ms legs, puts his hands into his trou-
aera pockets, and argues the case with me. One
day last week he was very near coming to grief
- " my directions kindling- wood and coal are
~gpla ced every morning in the library CRATE, in
order that may have a fire the moment re-
turn at night. Master Johnny must needs apply
lighted match to this arrangement early in the
forenoon. The fire was not discovered until the
blower was one mass Of red-hot iron, and the
wooden mantle piece was smoking with the in
tense heat
Z When came home, Johnny was led from the
" St"re-'ODIl, where ne had been imprisoned from