The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-02-25
MacStlnger's boy.


Sometimes, whenh is very busy, Mac
Singer don't have time to 60 home to
dinner, and MacStinger's Boy carries the
dinner to him in one of those wonderful
little tin pals. One day MacStinger's
Boy happened to intercept the school
children as they were going up State
street from the Sullivan School build
ing, and he stopped TO exchange obser-
vati0ns with some of the boys.
"Hey, Johnnie! How dye git along
now?" said the Boy, with the easy in
difference Of man of the world, who
left school ages ago, and has bills and
household expenses on his mind, but
preserves tender rccOllections of humble
peg and other youthful indiscretions.
Johnnie returned the salutation with
somewhat of modest pride in his demean-
or, as became one who was singled out
for special attention from the higher
powers, and the two boys at once be.
came the center of an admiring circle of
something under thousand schoolboys.
~ can't complain-how do y find your
selfT said Johnnie.
ooh, kind o'moderate like" said the
Boy, drawing a cigar stump from his
pocket, and lighting it with bacchana-
liam air.
"What y got there p inquired butch
er's boy, pushing his way through the
crowd, with tight stepping dog at his
heels, who seemed to take morose view
of things, as if he had been disappointed
in love, and looked all life through a
Byron collar.
cts pas dinner" said MacStinger's
Boy, with shaken confidence. II must
git it up to the old man in time, or
there'll be trouble in the family" and he
started up Fourth street, casting wistful
glances at the misanthropic looking dog.
"Did y ever notice what bully Gym
balls y can make out of tin bucket like
that? inquired the butchers boy, taking
the tin pail out of the MacStinger Boys
hand. Then he laid MacStinger's din.
ner near by, and, putting one hand
through the handle of the cover and the
other through the handle of the bucket
began rapping the cover against the boz.
tom of the pail, after the manner Of
playing cymbals, marching along like Q
brass band. The boys all fell in, and
marched after the butcher boy, singing
the Mulligan Guards like mad.
The butcher boys dog cast discon
tented glance at the proceedings, and
then went up and smelled at Old Mac
SINGERS dinner. He stood on his hind
legs rejecting minute over it, Their
cautiously bolted it in two gulps, and
then sat down on his stump of tail
looking pious and forlorn, as if all wal
vanity and vexation Of spirit.
The boys took martial turn up the
street and came back, looking refreshed
in body and mind.
"Hello!" said the butchers boy, =" thu
dinners gone! Tige must "a swalleret
| it!'
Tige looked up in his masters face
mournfully with one eye, as fine belong
ed to the crusade, and thought there wa
entirely too much ruin abroad in tn,
land from reckless indulgence in thu
intoxicating bowl.
MacStinger's Boy looked the image O
despair, nervously moving his right hant
up and down, and rubbing his left hant
over the lower part of his spinal column
with an distracted air, as If trying to re
call a painful incident of personal biog
raphy which had partially slipped hi
memory.
cpl show you how we'll pay him OF
for it," said the butchers boy, with sud
den decision in his manner. He put
few pebbles in the bucket, then whippe,
out string from his pocket and ar
preached the dog, making loop knot
The loop was slipped over the stump 0
tail, which wagged defiance to wick
ed world, then all the boys set up
simultaneous yell. The dog gave on
bound, then settled down to business
The last seen ofhim he was going dow
Fourth street with a crowd Of boys afte
him, MacStinger's dinner pail bouncin
and rafting like snare drum beatin
the long roll, and the dog hurrying on
of the picket line as if the safety of tn
whole Union army depended on his spec
and bottom. MacStinger's Boy locke
after him sadly few minutes, and the
slowly went off rubbing his coat tai
with a reflective air.