The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-09-03

son with him"
Now ] do not know when Johnny
will grow old enough to be reasoned
with. When | reflect how hard it is
10 reason with wise grown-up people,
if they happen to be unwilling to &C,
cept your view Of matters, ! am in
clined to be very patient with John
ny, whose experience is rather limi-
ted, after all, though he is six years
and half old, and naturally wants to
know why and wherefore. Somebody
SAYS something about the duty OF
"blind obedience" | cannot expect
Johnny to have more wisdom than
Solomon, and to be more philosophic
than the philosophers.
At times, indeed, | have been led
to expect this from him. He has
shown depth of mind that warrant,
ed me in looking for anything. At
times he seems as if he were a hun
dred years old. He has quaint, bird
like way Of cooking his head on one
side and asking a question that ap-
pears to be the result Of years of
study. If ] could answer some of
those questions, should solve the
darkes, mysteries of life and death. :
His inquiries. however, generally
have grotesque flavor. One night,
when the mosquitoes were making
sprightly raids on his person, he APP
pealed to me, suddenly "How does
the moon feel when skceter bites
n?" To his medi,ative mind, the
broad, smooth surface of the moon
presented temptation not to be re-
sisted by any wandering bird Of prev
| freely confess that johnny is now
and then too much for me. ! wish |
could read him AS cleverlv as he
reads me. He knows all my weak
points; he sees right through me, land
makes me feel that am helpless
infant in his adroit hands. He has an
argumentative, oracuar air, when
things have gone wrong, which al
WAYS upsets my dignity. Yet how
cunninglv he uses his power. 1t is
only in the lest extremity that he
crosses his legs, put his hands into
his trousers-pockets, and argues the
case with me. One day last week he
was very near coming to grief. BY
my directions, kindIing wood and
coal are placed every morning in the
library CRATE, il order that ! NAV
have fire the moment ! return at
night. Master Johnny must needs
apply a lighted match toihs arrange
men, early in the forenoon. The fire
was not discovered until the blower
Was one mass of inoandescent iron,
and the wooden mantle-shelf was
smoking with the intense heat
When | came home, johnny was
led from the store room where he had
been imprisoned from All early period,
and where he had employed himself
in eating about two dollars worth of
preserved pears.
"Johnny," said |, in as severe a
tone as one could use in addressing 4
person whose forehead glistened with
Johnny. don't YOU remember
that have always told you never to
mcddle with maiches?"
1t was something delicious to see
Johnny trying to remember. He cast
one eye meditatively up to the cell
ing, then he fixed it abstractedly on
the canary bird, then he rubbed his
ruflled brows with sticky hand: but
really, for the life of him, he couldn't
recall any injunctions concerning
matches.
81 can't papa. truly said Johnny
at length. 81 guess must have for
got it..
"Well, Johnny, in order that you
may not forget it in future"
Here Johnny was seized with an
idea. He interrupted me
"i'll tell you ~ha. 10 do, papa
you Jest put it down in writin'"
With the air Of man who has set
tied a question definitely, but at the
same time is willing to listen politely
to any crude suggestions that you
may have to throw out, Johnny cross
ed his legs, and thrust his hands into
those wonderful trousers pockets. |
turned my face aside, for felt GER
tain weakness creeping into the corn
ers of my mouth. was lost. In an
instant the little head, covered all
over with brown curls, was laid upon
my knee, and Johnny was crying, 81
am SO very, very sorry"
| have said that Johnny is the ter
ror of the neighborhcod. think |
have not done the young gentleman
an injustice. If there is IA window
broken within the radius of two miles
from our house, Johnny's ball, or a
stone known TO have come from his
dexterous hand, is almost certain to
be found in the battered premises.
never hear the musical jingling of
splintered glass but my porte-mon-
naie gives a convulsive throb in my
breast pocket. There is not door
step in our street that has not borne
evidence in red chalk Of his artistic
ability there is not bell that he
hasn't rung and run away from at
least three hundred times. Scarcely
day passes but he falls out OF some
thing, or over something. or into
something. A ladder running up to
the dizzy roof of an unfinished build.
ing is no more to be resisted by him
than the back platform of a horse e-car,
when the conductor is collecting his
fare in front.
] should not like to enumerate the
battles that Johnny has fought dur
ing the past eight months. 1t is a
physical impossibility,I should judge,
for him to refuse challenge. He
picks his enemies imparlially out Of
all ranks Of society. He has fought
the ash-man's boy, the grocer's boy,
the plumbers boy Il was glad OF
that } the rich boys over the way, and
any number Of miscellaneous boys
who chanced to stray into our street.
| cannot say that this young des-
perado is always victorious. have
known the tip Of his nose to be in a
state of unpleasant redness for weeks
together. | have known him to come
| home Frequently with no brim to his