The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-07-16
WHAT JOHNNY DID ON THE FOURTH.
BY ROSE TERRY COOKE.

WHAT JOHNNY DID ON THE FOURTH
BY ROSE TERRY COOKE.
"DoNNY is a mishpit," lisped little Sue
when the kitten came in with yellow
bow tied on the end of her black tail, ant
the dolls new red earrings in her ears
jingling like little bells Johnny was 4
mischief, doubtless His mother knew i,
by heart, for never did she let him out OF
her sight without the thought, "Wha1
will he do before he comes back?' Al
the early age of year and half, instead
of being remarkable or even a respect
| able baby, he was always getting into
mothers work basket and making great
tangle and muss; upsetting the water
pitcher if by any chance 1t was left on
the floor, throwing everything he could
handle into the fire or out of the window
| pulling the old cats tail-an amusemen,
kitty put an end to very quickly by
scratching his hands and arms till he
cried. Perhaps mamma might have end
ed her troubles by a good tingling SLAP
on the mischievous hands; but she
did not believe in slapping. She
expected to persuade Johnny to be
a good boy-to show him when he
grew older how hateful it is to be
naughty; but he did not grow old very
| fast, and mischief grew faster than he
| did 1t would have saved Johnny some
| trouble afterward to have made the mis-
| chief sting as smart as pussy did. BY
the time Johnny was three years old he
was into and out of every place on the
| farm-head first or not, as it happened
He fell into the -cistern but there was
| only little water in it, and he was
brought out by Hiram, all mud and very
wet; he turned a tub Of maple sirup all
over himself and the kitchen floor, try
ing to spread the legs of the stool il
stood on little wider with his hammer
the leg he worked at was loose to begin
| with; then he fell down into the horses
manger from the NOW above, and scared
old White almost out of his wits. An
other day he slid off the barn roof, and
did not break his bones, but got well
bruised. He fell into the brook, got his
apIvI, ou.nos, rir. SPIN ~>--n- ----'
his little finger sheared off in the hay
cutter. His head was always bumped
his hands full of cuts and slivers, his
feet blistered and stone bruised; but
Johnny didn't care.
It'll take heap to take the conceit
out of ye," said Hirem; and he was pref
ty nearly right, for, because he had never
been hurt seriously, Johnny thought he
never could be, and was not afraid of
anything He was strong, healthy,
happy boy; ready for fun always, never
ready for lessons, never ready to be
talked to.
"Oh. DEAR" said he (aged eight, in a
confidential talk with Hiram, who loved
the little fellow dearly, and had helped
him out of countless scrapes and into
as countless pleasures" oh! dear, Hi,
wish mother wouldn't talk to me forever
If could get good slap or even whip
ping, and be done with it; but talk, talk
talk! l get awful tired, and then think
about something jolly and don't heal
| her"
You're hard case, Johnny" returned
Hiram. Its mighty easy to talk about
| whippin'; but guess you wouldn't han
ker arter it eff yur knew more about it
Jehosaphat an ALFRED lickin amt sugar
nor pie, tell yer
Now Johnny's father was away from
home almost all thetime. He had to live in
New York; but his wife was always sick
there, so Mr. Blake bought farm in the
country, and only came home Sundays
| except in the summer, when everybody
almost has vacation. Johnny always
| behaved better when his father was Al
home He had an idea from the look il
papa's eye that he would not get of
quite so easily if he was naughty as he
did with mamma; and he found out his
idea was true, after while. Johnny hat
always had a very nice time on the Fourtl
of July. Papa came home and tool
mamma and the children out on the LAKE
to stay all day. They had fire on thu
little island and roasted clans, boilee
coffee, and sometimes fried fish, which
they caught from the boat as they sailet
about before dinner. Then they had 1
few fire crackers, to make Susy jump ant
squeal, but not half as many as Johnny
wanted. He had a great wish in hi:
small head, which he had never tolt
anybody, and that was to 60 out in th'
street the night before the Fourth AMI
see the boys fire off crackers and torpe
does, the cannons blaze and the musket
rat lie. He had lain awake many night
thinking about it; for almost every Fourtl
since he could remember he had beel
walked in the middle of the night will
these delightful sounds. He could hea
the boys shout, the tin horns blow, tn
old cannon roar, and the guns go ping
ping! And how he did want to get VI
and see the fun; though he knew just q
well as he knew anything that he woul'
never be allowed to do so. But whel
Johnny was nine years old there hap
pened to come July that found pap
detained out in Ohio by business that h
could neither leave nor finish in time t
be home ON the Fourth. He sent NOR
fire.crackers than ever home to Johnny
and torpedoes besides; and wrote t
mamma that they would only put off tn
picnic. 1t should come by and by, whel
he came back. It happened, too, tina
there was moon shining about the mid
die of the night that week, and Johnn
made plan in his naughty little head thai
after all, did not turn out just as he ez
pected. He went to bed with his preciou
fire-crackers on chair close b
him. Mamma laughed, when she cam
up to kiss him goodnight, to see the re
squares put where he could see them th
minute he woke up. Johnny felt littl
ashamed when mamma kissed him an
called him her precious boy; but he 500
fell asleep and forgot al about ever.
thing except his plan, and never vol