The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-04-19
BAD COMPANY.

BAD COMPANY.
"What is all this noise about 2" exclaim-
ed Mrs. Herbert, as she opened the nursery
door, and heard terrible din. There was
baby on the floor screaming with all his
might. Albert was fourishing his whip at
great rate, and popping it on all sides,
and yelling to his horse to "Get up, faster,
faster :" Emma was setting by the table,
reading, but had stopped to cry out
"Do, buddy, stop that fuss :! Don't you
see you've struck Jimmy over the head
with your lash 2"
1t did seem as if each was trying to see
which could make the most noise while
above all other sounds could be heard the
parrots shrill voice" bad company bad
company!"
Mrs. Herbert snatched up the baby and
exclaimed again
"What is the matter 7 Are you all
crazy, and trying to see how much noise
'sNo, ma. My horse was running a race,
and was just whipping him to make him
go faster. Jim wanted to ride, and told
him he'd fall off, Billy Button was going
SO fast. He sat there on the floor and
hollored to me to stop. He even tried to
crawl on the race track in front of my
horse, and I may have hit him but I
didn't mean to do it."
Albert was excited and was talking very
fast.
"Bad company J" screamed the parrot.
81 think he was mad" said Emma, "be-
cause he would not stop when told him."
bad company !" screamed Poll.
The baby began to cry again. Albert
once more tried to explain that he was
racing that baby got in the way, and
wanted to ride and that he did not want
to stop, and that he may have hit him in
the excitement Of the moment
eyes, he did; / saw him !" exclaimed
Emma, loudly.
Said Mrs. Herbert, az can see plainly
enough, that you have been behaving bad
". Even Poll knows. You, Emma, instead
of selfshly reading, ought to have gore to
ill-naturedly screamed at your brother.
You, Albert, were also rough aud selfish,
and entirely too Indifferent to the pleasure
of any one but yourself. Besides, you got
into. passion and struck your baby
brother. Your anger was, indeed, bad
company, that led you astray."
81 am sorry, MAJ" said the now penitent
Albert. 81 didn't know anger was bad
company before. "Pll be more particular
hereafter, for 1 don't like bad company"
"Thats right J" screamed Poll from the
top of his cage. At this everybody laugh
ed, and general good humor was restored.
And why did they laugh Z Because they
knew all the facts which made the parrot
entertain such disgust for bad company.
One morning, about two months previous,
BIT. derbeT6 went out lpJo the held, near
his house, and shot at some erows that
were pulling up his corn. He killed two of
them, and when he went to pick them up,
10 on the ground he beheld Poll, with
broken wig and leg. He had got into the
company of the crows, and was walking
about among them, very grandly, at the
moment Mr.. Herbert, while trying to kill
the crows, shot and wounded him. When
he carried the crows to the house, the chill
dren all said "But how is this, father 7
Here is poor Poll, all covered with blood
and nearly dead ~
cab, yes ~ said Mr.. Herbert,-" Bad
company has got poor Poll into trouble.
If he had not been between the thievish
crows he would not have got hurt"
Mr.. and Mrs. Herbert bandaged up the
limbs of poor Poll, and it was weeks before
he got well. Whenever any one asked
him, "What hurt you, Poll 2" "Bad com
pany," he would reply in solemn tones.
And if ever he heard the children quarrel
ling, or too noisy and ill-tempered in their
sports, he would scream out, "Bad com
pany!" and instantly good humor would
prevail. Let children learn from this that,
always, evil occurs from going into bad
compGny.-Kind Words.