The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-01-04

i "
ing to listen politely to any crude suggestion
that yep may have 10 throw out, Johnny crossed
his legs, and thrust his hands into those wonder
full trousers pockets; turned my face aside, fcl
| felt certain weakness creeping into tine cor
ners of my mouth. 1 was lost. In an instant
the little head, covered all over with yellow curls
was laid upon my knee, and Johnny was crying
! "Tm 30 very very sorry"
have said that Johnny was the terror of the
neighborheod. / think 1 have not done the
young gentleman injustice. If there is win
| dow broken within the radius Of two miles from
our house, Johnny's ball, or a stone known tc
| come from his dexterous hand. is almost certain
to be found in the battered premises. never
hear the musical jingling of splntered glass, but
nay port nsonaae gives convulsive throb in my
breast pocket. There is not a doorstep in our
street that hasn't borne evidence in red chalk Of
his artistic ability there isn't bell that he has
not rung and run away from at least three hun
dred times. Scarcely. a day passes but he falls
out OF something, over something, into
something. A ladder running up to the dizzy
roof of an unfinished building is no more to be
resisted by him than the back platform of a
horse car when the conductor is collecting his
fare in front
should net like to enumerate the battles that
Johnny has fought during the past eight months.
1t is physical impossibility, should judge, for
ulil " IcLuse u liz plChS us
out of all ranks of society. He has fought the
asbmans boy, the grocer's boy, the rich boys over
the way, and any number of miscellaneous boys
who chance to stray into our street.
/ can't say that the young desperate is always
victorious. have known the tip of his nose to
be in state of unpleasant redness for weeks
together. I have known him to come home fire.
quently with no brim to his hat; once he pre-
sented himself with only one shoe, on which
occasion his jacket split up the back in a
manner that gave him the appearance of an over
ripe chestnut bursting out OF its burr. How he
will fight But this can say: If Johnny is
as cruel as Caligula, he is every bit as brave as
Agamemnon. never knew him to strike a boy
smaller than himself i never knew him to tell
lie when lie would save him from disaster
At present, the general, as l sometimes call
him, is 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 SCARED veteran stretched
upon sofa in the sitting room, with a patch of
brown paper stuck over his left eye, and con-
vincing smell of vinegar about him.
"Yes," said his mother doefully, Johnny s
been fighting again. That horrid Barnabee boy
(who is eight years old, if he is day. won't let
| the child alone"
"Well," said !, 81 hope Johnny gave that Barn
abee boy q thrashing."
didn't I. though" cries Johnny, from the
sofa. II bet!"
20, johnny says his mother.
Now several days previous to this, addressed
the general in the following terms:
Johnny, ii ever catch you in another fight
| of your own seeking, shall cane YOU
In consequence Of this declaration, it became
| my duty to look into the circumstances of the
present affair, which will be known in history as
the battle Of the Little Go Cart. After going
over the ground very carefully, found the fol-
lowing TO be the state of the case:
1t seems that the Barnabee boy-I speak Of
him Is it he were the Benicia boy-is the oldest
pupil in the primary military school q think it
must be military school) of which Johnny is o
recent member. This Barnabee, having whipped
every one of his companions, was signing for new
boys to conquer, when Johnny joined the insti-
tuition. He at once made friendly overtures of
battle TO Johnny, who, oddly enough, seemed in
disposed to encourage his advances. Then Barn
abee began q series Of prosecutions, which had
continued up to the day Of the fight.
On the morning of that eventful day the Barn.
abee boy appeared in the school-yard with .
small go-cart After running down On Johnny
several times with this useful vehicle, he cap
tursd JohnRy's cap, filled it with sand, and drag
ged it up and down the yard triumphantly in
tho go-cart This made the general very angry,
| of course, and he took an opportunity of kicking
| over the triumphial car, in doing which he kick
cd one of the wheels so far into space that it has
| not been seen since.
This brought matters to crisis. The battle
would have taken place then and there; but at
that moment the school bell rang, and the glad
istors were obliged to givs their attention to
Smiths Spellsr. But gloom hung over the
mornings exercise gloom not dispeiied in the
back row, when the Barnabee boy stealthly held
up to Johnny's vision slate, whereon was in
soribed this fearful message: