American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-08-22

Philanders first impulse is to prove to
me that | am mistaken. He finds him
self IN danger; then at once his pres
ence OF mind leaves him, and good-by,
Philander, and then another fearful " /
told you So is placed on record. The
boy that is run over in the street is not
the street Arab, but the boy with his
Sunday clothes on. He falls a victim to
lack of presence of mind, and maybe the
fear of IL fathers wrath
What is true of bodily accidents is also
| true of poisons and improper diet, such
| as green stuff, etc. :; boys do not drink
| everything they see in bottle. If there
is any one thing boy won't,touch it is
a bottle; he is afraid of them; % far as
unripe fruit is concerned, mother nature
has IA way of dealing with boys. If the
diet hurts them they get the belly-ache,
and if they don't suffer the fruit don't
hurt them, and this is their affair and
not ours.
Let me just here state a fact that
think Will be new one to many anX-
ious parents. A haT-brcadth escape is
not an accident nor n calamity. The
boy is all the better for it.
Out of respect for public opinion and
not to be thought peculiar, yielded to
Mariahs persuasiOns and overhauled
Pete the morning after his narrow es-
cape, to show cause why he should not
be whipped for escaping with his life.
We weep for child when he loses his
life, then why not thrash him when he
saves it?
what is this, sir, that your mother
tells me about your coming pretty near
a blowing of yourself up2"
Pete was not much surprised, as boys
as a rule expect to encounter frowns and
sometimes worse fare after holiday.
Parents must have some escapevalve
fx.,, l. RI
digestion. .-l -..-..... -..-
Peter came in our room rubbing his
eyes and looking for his pants; scantily
attired he was. -r-r.. 49, ..s
" Now don't make your reproof ridic-
ulous,'' whispered Mariah.
Never fear, Mariah, my head aches"
replied. Now, sir, go on and tell US
whether"-to save my life / could not
just think what fault I wanted to go at
D" did you set your pocket afire on pur-
pose, sir; tell me about it, sir.nszss
well, mamma told me not TO put any
fire in my pockets, and didn't mean to;
but when | got down to Billy Mullikin's
house he was a-settin' on his steps
Come out and shoot crackers says l.
: Mother won't let me- says he; she
don't let me have Them We'll, then,
not to leave the yard says he, Where
is your mother?' says /. she and pa
has gone ON an excursion says he. Why
didn't you go?' says l. = She was afraid
10 have me On the cars says he. Did
she tell you l couldn't come and see
your says [. No says he So went
in and l shot off crackers. Then
says Bill, Can you shoot off powderr'
: OF COURSE says l. Then he brought out
his fathers powder, and we put it all
along the vine by their porch, as Bill
said so, for he did not want his mother
to know it, and then he was going to
touch it Oft with u coal, and the coal E;
didn't work, and when turned my back
he was on his knees blowing it. TIN
kill you yelled, and grabbed him by
the leg and | hadn't got him morn SO far
from the powder before off it went, and
the vine and the porch steps give jump;
but we didn't mean to blow things up,
only he put down too much powder. And :
then grabbed up cracker that hadn't
gone off yet and put it in my pocket, and
when was getting over the fence, quick
like, heard noise on the fence, and
before l had time to grab the crackers
out of my pocket half a dozen had gone
Pm afraid that's how my
pocket came burned; but didn't think
it would go off," said Pete.-Interior.