The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-12-02

I always possessed the dangerous incul-
~ Of seeing the ludicrous side 81 every
thing, and was famous for making fun.
This was the source of some trouble. both
IN boyhood aud Ia after years, and ! have
always sympathized with every boy who
was prone 20 mischief mean without
malice. Any and every opportunity for
joke WA strong temptation. almost
irresistible. How. when have seen the
baker, with a tray Of loavcs on his head.
my toes would fairly curl In nay shoes,
with the longing just 10 pat out my foot,
and give him only one lit,le trip. think
one Of the severest punishmcnts my father
ever gave me-and / richly deserved it,
was for trick Of this kind, which BOYS
call "fun. A dapper little man. a tailor
by profession, attended the Meihodiu
chapel, where my father used 20 worship,
and his seat was directly In front Of ours.
He was a bit Of dandy, a little conceited
and rather proud Of his personal appear
ance. but was a sad stammeror. he had
what was calld scratch wig small
affair that Just covered the top of his
head. One unlucky Sunday for me, as i
was sitting in the chapel, with biz head
aud wig right before me, / began playing
with a pin, and having bent il 10 the
form of hook, found in my pocket a
piece of string tied il around the head OF
the pin, and began to fish, with nothought
Of any particular mischief, and doing
what BOYS often do IN church, when they
are not interested in. or do not under
stand the service 80 with one eye ou
my father. who sat by me intcntly listen
ing 10 the discourse. and one eye alter
nately on the minister and my fishing
line. continued 10 drop my hook and
haul il up again very quiety--when, be-
coming tired Of fishing, ! gathered up the
line, and resting the pin ON my thumb,
gave il a snap up il went snapped b.
again, and again, very carefully, call ono
unfortunate snap sent the pin on Billy
Benefits head il slid off. Then the
feat was, 10 sec how often / could snap 10
on his head without detection. After
several successful performance Of this
feat, | snapped il little too hard, and it
rested on the scratch wig too far for
ward to fall off, So | must needs pull
the string, and AS my IN fortune would
have il, the pin would not come / drew
it harder and harder. very cautiously, till
il was tight The pin was caught some
where. Now ! knew. IL detected ]
should be severely punished. The temp.
tation was 40 strong 10 pull OF that wig
that it seemed b. me. / must do it; my
fingers itched: / began almost 90 trcmble
with the excitement. / looked al my
father. He saw nothing. All were AZ
tentively listening 90 the preacher. /
must do H. so, looking straight at the min
ister, and giving one sharp, sudden jerk.
off came the wig let go Of the string.
poor Billy sprung from hiz scat and clasp
ing both hands 10 his head, cried, Goo
GOo-Good LOrdP-to the nst0nishmrnt
Of the congregation. But there ia our
pew lay the wig, with pin and string At
tached, a positive evidence against me.
One look at my fathers face, convinced
me that / had done il. and should
''catch it," and "catch il" / did. NV
father waited till Monday, and III the
morning conducted me 10 Billy Benefits.
and made me beg his pardon very hum
bly,. Billy was very good naturcd, and
actually tried 10 beg me of but my faith
er declared he would "dust my Jacket
for me-" And he did; or al any rate,
would have busted il most thoroughly.
but he made me take il oH-so that the
acket was none the better for the "dust-
n.y." but my shOu ders and back "suher-
ID some," and it served me right All
through my life this tendency 20 "mage
'un" has been Of no advantage 70 me.
hough il has given me many "A hearty
augh.-From Autobiography ofJohn Is.
Cough.