Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1874-05-28

SHAPrEH l.-IHrO0Rcfory.- name
was John Henderson Tompkins. and he
was going on thirteen years old lie had
frecklcs all over his nose. chewed plug
tobacco. and loafcd around select schools
and put tin ears on boys smaller than him
self. His father was killed by a Canada
saw-log. his only sister slept in the silen,
tomb. and his mother divided her time be-
tween gossiping and canvassing for money
for the heather in Africa.
CHAPTER II.-Nusly-T il will be
seen that there was no one to give John
Henderson Tompkins any domestic a.ten-
ton beyond an occasional whack with a
slipper. which made him the worse. He
wasn't sent TO school, never had to take
dose of castor oil. was allowed to 90 around
with letter in the pos.-office and his pants
supported by a magnificent belt Of sheep.
twine. and if he wasn't home by ten o'clock
at night his mother felt perfectly sure that
he would dump down somewhere and be
home in time for codfish and potatoes in
the morning.
CHAPTER IIT.-!ShamefM Neglect -
John Henderson Tompkins's mother never
took him on her knee and asked him IL he
knew what was beyond the bright stars.
and il he knew where he'd 60 to If he
grew up an awful liar and horse thief -
She never told him about the Children Of
Egypt. Moses in the bulrushes, or Daniel
in the lions den. and it is no wonder that
he grew up to be bad boy. She didn't
never have sticking plasters ready when
he 90. cut, aud Sunday mornings there
was no one to rub him behind his ears. Gil
his eyes with soap and water. and comb
his hair the wrong way.
CHAPTER lV.-Hs Peculiarities.
Everything that happened in the village
was laid at John Henderson Tompkins's
door. '.It's some Of that boys work"
they said. whenever bushel OF plums.
watermelon. or peck Of peaches myste-
riously disappeared. He was probably
guilty Of everything charged. as when he
died they found where he had hidden sew
entcen stolen cow-bells. forty axes. ever
so many saw-bucks fifteen or twenty front
gates. and can't remember how many
snow -shovels.
as the reader was informed in the previ-
ous chapter, the adult male population of
the village got down on John Henderson
Tomrkins Old maids jabted at him with
umbrellas. merchants flung pound weights
at him. shoemakers dosed him with strap
oil, and grocers always looked around for
John Henderson when they wanted to
heave out bad eggs and spoiled fruit.
CHAPTER Wills AmJition.-You
might think that they would have eventu-
ally succeeded in breaking the. boys spir-
it and dashing his hopes. but they couldn';
do it. He had an ambition which moth
ing could check. He wanted to be bold
pirate and sail the raging main, and he
was patiently waiting for she time. to come
when he could wear No 10 boots and
swear in voice like the echoes of bass
viol. He would be content to crawl into
hen roosts and to creep around horse
barns for . few years, but then-but
them.
CnAprrR VII-EForts at Reform
Some of the more philanthropic citizens
made strenuous efforts to reform the boy.
They locked him up in = smoke house for
n week; they clubbed him until he couldn't
yell. and they held him under pump un-
til he WIS limp as a rag. but as soon as
they let him &c he went right back to his
old habits again.
CHATTER VIII -Ncariny his End
John Henderson Tompkins had kep, this
thing Up for eight or nine years when our
story opens. and he was nearing his end 4.
Justice orer,akes the guilty sooner or la
ter. aud justice was laying los for this
bad boy. He had the check tn believe
that he would live to be hundred years
old, bat he Was 10 be taken down peg or
two and his mother left an orphan.
CHAPTER lX-7he Ead One day,
while in the heydey ofhis wiekedness. John
Henderson Tompkins came upon something
pev in the line Of plundcr. Ii Vas pile
Of lissle cans labelled .'niiro-glyseriee--
hands oG-dangerous poison" &C.. but he
eouldn't read and he didn's care . cop
per. He carried can behind the meet
ing house and sat down 90 . roSk 70 open
il. There vas no guardian angel around
to tell him tha, he'd get busted il he fooled
With that can. an' SO he spit on bis hands
| and gave Il = whack On The steps.