The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-12-30

SLEEPY JoE.-" You see boys said
Uncle Jack Worcester, as we were resting
in the shade after dinner upon one par
ticular hot hay-day, "you see it is nee
essary to use every faculty We are lucky
enough to have, if we want to keep
it good and strong. l nee knew a boy
named Joseph-Joseph Berry was his
name. Now, Joseph was a smart boy,
naturally, but he was too lazy to use his
smartness; so the people, of course,
couldn't see any of it, and at last they
began to whisper among themselves, Joe
is a FOOL"
"What did they do that for ?" in
quired David, who was just old enough
to like to ask questions, without under
standing the answer very well.
ooh, you will know n of these
days." replied Uncle Jack. "It is a
way people have. There is nothing
folks in a ~neighborhood like SO well as to
have a fool among them. They will
scent one out as quickly as a greyhound
will a rabbit. 1t is such sport for them
to exercise their wit upon the poor little
fellows without danger of getting it back
again."
"But about Joe, Uncle jack" said two
or three of us together.
"Yes, about Joe. Well, he was a
strange boy. He had a fine head, a
healthy body, and a pair of good eyes.
But he didn't seem to know much. He
always appeared to be from half to two
thirds asleep. When he arose in the
morning his mother had to dress him,
for a long time after he was ten years of
age"
"Well, now," spoke up David,
proudly, elf that amt great. Why, l
amt but eight, and [ can dress myself
fifty times a day, if want to-"
"All except your feet, when your boots
get wet and shrink" said Peter.
$50 on with your story, Uncle jack"
interrupted David hastily.
"Well, Joseph grew along in about
the same way for a good while. He
always managed to do things wrong end
foremost, whenever he could be made to
do them at all. If his mother sent him
after a pail of water, he would like as not
go out to the wood-pile; if she sent him
for an armful of wood, she would prob
ably find him in the barn, rolling on the
AdN III uSAG lllC 6uG sdM Hill
"One day he saw his brother Jona-
than sucking a hens egg. He did not
know exactly what it meant, but he
thought he would do as Jonathan did.
So he drove an old hen which had set
nearly two weeks on, off her nest, and
tried to do with one of the eggs as his
brother did. He had never learned any
better. He told Jonathan all about it,
and said he didn't like eggs, himself. He
was quite angry when his brother
laughed at him.
"When he went to school, the boys all
called him Sleepy Joe.' Why, he would
fall asleep every recess and incoming. He
would have slept his six hours at school
time regularly every day, if the school
ma'am hadn't cheered him up with the
whip, occasionally.
"He didn't learn his letters till the
, end of his third term. Even then, he
wasn't sure which had the cross-piece,
} the A or the V, or whether the tail be-
| longed to @ or o.
: The boys used to bully him dread
fully. He didn't know enough to take
his own part. l have seen boys nc
/ taller than his shoulders, roll him in
the mud for a long while at a time. He
5 would get up, shake himself, and stand
, staring at them as if he didn't know
exactly how to take it, or what to think
about it.
t "Poor fellow! | used to pity hin
3 much. Sometimes | took his part, But
!. he didn't. even know who was helping
l him and who wasn't. He hadn't sens
, enough in use, to know or thank hi
{ friends. So l gave him up at last ant
8 let things take their own course.
Sometimes | had seen him rouse JUS
enough to show a little good sense; bu
. he soon dropped back into his drows'
d aud was Sleepy Joe again"
s why didn't you try to teach hin
S something, Uncle Jack ?" said Peter.
81 did; but it wasn't of any use.
believed, somehow, boy that l was, if h,
would only wake up, he would be a
smart as anybody; but he couldn't o
wouldn't wake up.
6 q forgot to tell you that Joe had
sister. | ought to have remembered that
and told you of it, too, for she was Away
with him when she could be. She wa
/ a little, golden haired thing, just fou
t years younger than Joe. She used +
cry, and stamp her pretty foot at turns
when she saw Joe abused but it did IL
good.
k "Things vent on this way till Joe wa
twelve years old. Then Jim Burrow
came to school. Jim was a ~strappini
fellow, fourteen years old. We were al
II just a little afraid of him. | saw tina
Joe did not like him. He wei went s
It far as to make faces at Jim when h
n wasn't looking, for which the teache
n gave him a fine cut over the car ever
e time she caught him at it.
IS Zone morning, before the teacher ha,
come, several of us were standing by tn
It schoolhouse door, listening to some G
Jim's great stories of the fights he ha'
had, and the boys he had whipped, whe,
s. Joe and his little sister Grace came VI
e the path.
"'HelIo, Stupid Sleepy shouted jim
n Here you 60. Lie down there. There
E. That's pretty good. Now roll owe
l. There. Now bark. Bark, you dog, o
I'll kick you. What, you won't bark
h Take thatr
e. "He was abusing Joe shamefully. II
lie had jerked him down upon his nose, tn
d first time, and it was bleeding. TIL
ID boys were indignant, but a little afraic
and laughed at the sport. Little Grac'
ut however, saw the blood, and began to CT.
Joe got up, wiped the blood from h
lie face, and stood staring at Jim in h
lie stupid way.
"tT'll tell the teacher when she comes
said little Grace, still crying.
"What do you mean, you little u
start?' said Jim, taking hold of her ca
in "fHere!' shouted Joe, with the brigh
a est look | ever saw him put on. Here
of what did you hurtlittle Grace forT
ad because l wanted to !! said Jim.
Of "'What did you hurt me for% CO
id tinued Joe, growing deadly pale.
because you are a fool. Fools don
. know anything. They're made to
90 rolled and tumbled about and BILE
10 FOOLS sisters amt much better. Con
Nv here Miss Graciep And he pulled h