The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-05-15
THE B4D BOY.
ruApTEE I-INTEoDUToFY.

old He had freckleS ali over MS hose,
chewed plug tobacco, and lo"fed around
select schools and put tin ears on boys
smaller than himself. His father was Kilt
cd bv a Canada saw-lOg, his only sister
slept in the silent tomb, and his moi.
divided her time between gOsSiping G,.si
cauvassing for money for the heathen IL
Africa.
CHAPTER II-THUsLY.
Thus it viii be seen that there was no
one to give John Henderson Eompkins any
domestic attention beyond an occasional
whlck with a slipper, which made him the
worse. He wasn't sent to school never
had to take dose of caster oil; was allowed
to go around with a letter in.the postoffice
and his pants supported by magnificent
belt OF sheep twine. and if he WASH homo
at 10 O'clock at night his mother felt per
fectly sure that he would dump down some,
where and be home III time lOi cOuilAh 'i'u
potatoes in the morning.
CHAPTER III--sHAMEFUL NEGLECT
Jobn Henderson Tomkins' mothernevcr
took him on her knee and asked him II he
knew what was beyond the bright stars,
and if he knew where he'd go to if he grew
M An awful liar and hOrse-thief. She
nevortold him about the Children of Egypt,
Moses in the bulrushes, or Daniel III the
lions den, and its no wonder that lie grew
no to be a bad boy. She didn have stick
ing plasters ready when he got cut and
Sunday mornings there was no one TO rub
him behind his ears, fill his eyes with soap
and water and comb his hair the wrong
way.
CHAPTER Iv-HIs PECULIARITIEs.
Everything which happened III the vii
lage was laiG at John Henderson Tomp-
kins' door. ''It's some of that boys work, "
they said, whenever a bushel of piums, a
watermelon or a peck of peaches mystcri-
ously disappeared. He was probably gull
ty of everything charged, as when he died
they found where he had hidden seventeen
stolen cow-bells, forty axes, ever SO many
aw-bucks, fifteen or twenty front gates
and | can't remember how many shovels.
CHAPTER v-DowN on HIM.
In time, as the reader was informed in
previous chapuer, the adult male population
of the village got down on John Henderson
Tompkns. Old maids jabbeG at him with
umbrellas merchants flung pound weights
at him; shocmakers dosed him with strap
oil, and the grocers always looked around
for John Henderson when they wanted to
heave out bad eggs and spoiled fruits.
CnAPTER vI-HIs AMBITIONS.
You might think they would have event
ually succeeded in breaking the boy spirit
and dashing his hopes, but they couldn't
do it, He had the ambition which nothing
X.
rate and sail the raging main, and he was
patiently waiting for the time to come
when he could wear No. 10 boots and swear
in a voice like the echoes of a bass viOl.-
He would be content to crawl into hen
roosts and to creep around horse barns for
a few years, but then-but then
CHAPTER vII-EFFORTs AT REFORM.
Some of the more philanthropie citizens
made strenuous efforts TO reform the boy.
They locked him up in smole-house for n
week they dubbed him until he couldn't
yell, and they held him under pump until
he.was as limp as a rag, but as..soon as they
let him go he went right back to his old
habits again.
CHAPTER VIII-NEARING HIS END.
John Henderson Tompkirs had Kept
this thing up for eight or nine years when
our story opens, and he was nearing hIs
end. Justice overtakes the guilty sooner
or later, and justice was laying low for this
bad boy. He had the cheek to believe That
he would live 20 be a hundred years old,
but he was to be taken down a peg OF two.
and his mother left an orphan.
CHAPTER IX-THE END.
One day while in the heyday of his wick
edness, John Henderson TOmpkins came
upon something new in the line Of plunder. /
1t was pile of little cans labeled Nitro /.
GlvceTne-llanGS Oh-DangerOuS Poi |
son." etc, but he couldn't read, and he !
didn't care copper. He carried a can be- |
hind the meeting house and sat down on a |
rock TO open it. There wasn't any guar
dian angel around to tell him that he'd get /
busted if he fooled with that can, and so
he spit ON his hands and gave it a whacb
on the stone.
CHAPTER X-OBITUARY.
The folks all ran out, and a good deal of
trouble they found in separating the pieces
OF meeting-hou from the pieces of boy.
but they got together enough Of John Hen
derson to fill cigar box and answer as the
basis of funeral They buried the re-
mains in quiet nook, and the grayestone /
maker put little lamb on the headstone |
to show that John Henderson Tumpkins |.
was meek and lovely. NJ. QUAD.
How II CANE TO PASs.-The following. !
by school girl Of fourteen, shows a very (
fine vein of humOr. The composition was /
prompted by the following state of facts :
Margaret is school teacher, faithful and
painstaking. She advised her ''youug !
ideas" to form an association for the Dur-
pose OF improving their elocution and lit !
erary requirements. The proposition met [
with disapproval and evoked the aDpexed |
effort from the Rosa reCerred to in tho !
essay:
'And it came to pass in the days of Mar /
garet, sister of Sarah, that the voice of the !
ungrammaTical was heard in the land and
the voice of ElOcution persisted and was