Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-01-25
SELECTED MISCELLANY
A YOUNG DESPERATE.

on one of his scratched aud gr1my little
hands, forming altogether a perfect
picture of peace and innocence, it
seems hard 10 realize what busy, rest
i've, pugnacious, badly ingenious little
wretch he isl There is something SO
comical in those funny little shoes and
stockings sprawling on the fioOr-they
look as if they could jump mp and run
off IL they wanted tO-there is some
thing so laughable about those little
trousers, which appear to be making
vain attempts to climb up into the
easy-chair-the said trousers still re-
tanning the shape of Johnny's little
legs, and refusing to 60 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
unfreqReDtIy displays traits of char
acter not to be compared with anything
but the cunning of an Indian warrior,
combined with the combative qualities
of trained prize-fghter.
I'm sure I don't know how he came
By such unpleasant propensities. am
myself the meekest OF men. OF course
/ don't mean to imply that Johnny in
herited his warlike disposition from
his mother. She is the gentle of wo-
men. But when you come TO Johnny
he's the terror Of the whole neighboT-
hood.
He was meek enough at first-that
is to say, for the first SIX or seven days
of his existence. But / verify believe
that be wasn't more than eleven days
old when he showed a degree Of tenn
per that shocked me-shocked me in
one so young. On that occasion he
turned red In tIe face-he was quite
red bef0re-doubled up his ridiculous
hands In the most threatening
manner, and finally, in the impoteDcy
OF rage, punched himself In the eye.
When I think Cf the life he led his
mother and Susan during the first
eighteen months sftar his arrival, i
shrink from the responsibility of allow
ing Johnny to call me father.
Johnny's aggressive disposition was
not more early developed than his du-
plicity. By the time he was two years
of age had got the following maxim
by heart: Whenever j. is particular
ly quiet, look out for squalls" He
was sure to be IL some mischief. And
/ mukt say there was novelty, an I'M
expectedness, an ingenuity In his bad
ness that constantly astonished me.
The crimes he committed could be ar
ranged alphabetically. He never re-
peated himself His evil resources
were inexhaustible. He never did the
thing / expected he would. He never
failed to 40 the thing was unprepar-
ed for. ] am not thinking SO much
of the time when he painted my writ
ing desk with raspberry jam, as of the
occasion when he perpetrated an act of
original cruelty on Mopsey, a favorite
kitten in the household. We were sit
ting in the library Johnny was play
ing in the front hall. Ia view of the
supernatural stiffness that reigned,
remarked suspiclously, Johnny is
very quiet, my dear. At that moment
a series of pathetic meas was heard in
the entry, followed by q violent scratch
ing on the oilcloth. Then Mopsey
bounded into the room with three
empty spools strung upon her tail. The
spOOls were removed with great diff
Guilty, especially the last one, which fit
ted remarkably tight. b #s<E
After that MOpsey never saw a work
basket without arching her tortoise
shell back, and dIstending her tail TO
three times its natural thickness. An
other child would have squeezed the
kitten, or stuck a pin into it, or twist
ed her tail; but lt was reserved for the
superior genus OF Johnny'tO string
rather small spOols upon it. He never
did the obvious thing.
1t was this fertility and happiness, if
/ may say so of invention, that prevent
ed me from being entirely detected
over nv sons behavior at this period.
Sometimes the temptation TO seize him
and shake HIM was too strong for poor
human nature. But always regret
ted it afterWard. When / saw him
asleep in his tiny bed, with one tear
dried on his plump. velvety cheek, and
two little mice-teeJh visible through
the parted lips, i could not help think
ing 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 strong man
like me.
s'when Johnny grows Older" used
TO saw to his mother, ''I'll reason with
him"
Now / don't know when Johnny viii
grow old enough to be reasoned with.
When I reflect how hard it is to reason
with wise, grOwn-up people, If they
happen to be unwilling TO accept your
view of matters, am inclined to be
very patient with Johnny, whose ex
perience is rather limited, after all
though he is six years and half old
and naturally wants to know why an6
wherefore. Somebody says something
about the duty of s'blind obedience.
/ can't expect Johnny to have NOR,
wisdom than Solomon, and to be NOR,
philcsophic than the philosophers.
at zines, indeed, have been led Il
EXPECT ibis from him. He has showl
a depth Of mind that warranted me il
looking for anything. AT times Ia,
seems as if he were a hundred year
old. He has quaint bird-hke way o
cooking his head one side, and asking
question that appears to be the resul
of wears of study. III could answe
some ofithose questions, should solv
the darkest mysteries of life and death
His inquiries, however, generally hav
q QrotesQue flavor. One night whel
the mosquitoes were making hvel,
raids on his person, he appealed to m
suddenly: 'How, does the moon fee
when skeeter bites it?" To his medi
tative mind, the broad, smooth surfac
of the moon presented a temptation
not to be resisted by any stray skeeter
freely confess that Johnny is nov
and then too much for me, / wish