The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1874-06-04
LITE AND DEATH OF JOHN HENDERSON,
A MICHIGAN Lad.

LIFE AND DEATH U1 JUN 1n0 AsaAs'OAsS
A MICHIGAN LAD.
His name was John Henderson Tomp-
kins. and he was going on thirteen
wears old. He had freckles all over his
nose chewed plug tobacco, and loafed
around select schools and put tin ears
on boys smaller than himself. His
father was killed by Canada saw-log,
his only sister slept in the silent tomb,
and his mother divided her time be-
tween gossiping and canvassing money
for the heathens in Africa.
Thus it will be seen that there was
no one to. give John Henderson Temp
kins any domestic attention beyond an
occasional whack with slipper, which
only made him the worse. He wasn't
sent to school; never had to take a
dose of castor oil; was allowed to go
around with a letter in the postofiice
and his pants supported by magniti-
cent belt of sheep-twine, and IT ne
wasn't home at ten o'clock at night his
mother felt perfectly sure that he
would dump down somewhere and be
home in time for Goldfish and potatoes.
John Henderson Thompkins' mother
never took him on her knee and asked
him if he knew what was beyond the
bright stars, and if he knew where he
had to go if he grew up an awful liar
and horse thief. She never told him
about the Children Of Egypt, Moses III
the bulrushes, or Daniel in the lions
den. and it is no wonder that he grew
up to be bad boy. She didn't ever
have sticking plasters ready when he
got a cut, and on Sunday mornings
there was no one to rub him behind the
ears, fill his eyes with soap and water
and comb his hair the wrong way.
Everything which happened in the
village was laid at John Henderson
Tompkins' door. Its some Of that
BOYS work" they said, whenever bush
ell of plums, water melon, or peck
of peaches mysteriously disappeared.
He was probably guilty of everything
charged, as when he died they found
where he had hidden seventeen stolen
cow-bells, forty axes, ever SO many saw
bucks, fifteen or twenty front gates,
and | can't remember how many snow
shovels.
In time as the reader was informed
in a previous chapter, the adult male
population Of the village got down on
John Henderson Tompkins. Old maids
liabbed at him with umbrellas; mer
chants flung pound weights at him
shoemakers dosed him with strap-oil
and grocers always looked around fol-
John Henderson when they wanted t.
heave out bad eggs and spoiled fruits.
You might think that they woult
have eventually succeeded in breaking
the boys spirit and dashing his hopes
but they couldn't do it. He had the
ambition which nothing could check
He wanted to be bold pirate and sal
the raging main, and he was patientl,
waiting for the time to come when hs
could wear No. 10 boots and swear il
a voice like the echoes of bass viol
He would be content to crawl into her
roosts and to creep around horse barns
for a few years, but then-but then
Some of the more philanthropic citi
zens made strenuous efforts to reform
the boy. They locked him up in {
smoke-house for a week; they clubbet
him until he couldn't yell, and the,
held him under pump until he was al
limp as rag, but as soon as they lie
: him 60 he went right back to his ole
habits again.
John Henderson Tompkins had KEEP
this up for eight or nine years whel
our story opens, and he was nearing
his end. Justice overtakes the guilt,
sooner or later, and justice was laying
: low for this bad boy. He had the cheel
to believe that he would live to be ;
hundred years old, but he was to b.
taken down peg or two and his moth
er left an orphan.
One day while in the heyday of hi
wickedness, John Henderson Tompkin
came up on something new in the lin
Of plumber 1t was pile of little cans
labeled "Nitro-GIycerine-Hands Off
Dangerous Poison" &C., but he couldn'
read and he didn't care a copper. III
carried q can behind the meeting hous'
rIp b.