The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-09-01
DROPS DOG.

with his mouth full of delicious cream
toast, as the family and their guest, Miss
Tophtt, who had arrived on the early ex-
press that morning, were sitting around
the bountifullys spread breakfast table,
I've just been down to the brook to see
if there was a muskrat in my boX-trap,
and l saw more'n hundred striped
snakes summing themselves on the green
grass of the side-hill back of the barn"
Is it possible that your beautiful farm
is infested with those disgusting rep
tiles?" exclaimed Miss Toplitf q shall
not dare step outside the door while ! am
here, and ! have counted on such de-
lightful rambles over our green tields!"
"Oh, they won't hurt YOU" exclaimed
Barney, patronizingly. "Theyre not
there now; the old cow came along and
ate them all up"
Dear mew cried the astonished lady,
with little shiver, never heard of
such a thing as a COW devouring snakes"
Didn't you?" asked Barney in tone
of plying surprise. THAT is queer.
Why, it is only the last of April now,
and our COW has eaten more'n million
already this spring, since the snow went
off. 1t makes her give lots of milk, l
can tell you" and the small boy passed
his plate for more toast.
As his father handed back the replen-
ished plate he nodded his head suggest
lively toward the corner of the room,
where stood a stout whip. Mrs. Drop,
also, with her face as red as the Bohe-
milan glass pickle tray that she was just
then handing to Miss Toplff, gave her
tenyears-old son sharp look, while she
went on making some inquiries of her
guest concerning her journey.
That lady evidently made great eff
fort to appear interested in the CONVEX,
sation, but it was noticeable that she ate
no more of the toast, forgot to taste of
her amber coffee, rich with golden cream,
and after inquiring whether Mrs. Drop
wet up her bread with milk, and being
answered in the affirmative, she finished
her breakfast with dry cracker without
butter.
For day or two poor Miss Toplift felt
uncomfortable enough. She did not
dare to step out of doors for fear of en-
cOuntering a snake, and did not taste of
anything into the composition of which
butter or milk had entered.
Finally Mrs. Drops love of hospitality
overcame her motherly pride, and, with
a doleful face, many signs and some
tears, she told her guest that ever since
Barney had begun to talk he had told the
most absurd wrong stories.
In fact" said the mortified mother,
the child cannot speak the truth. 1t
is impossible to put the least dependence
upon word he says. Punishment
doesn't have any effect in the premises,
and | am afraid he will grow up to be
that most obnoxious of all human Great
ures, a liar"
Miss Topliff was duly surprised and
grieved TO hear that any boy, most of all
deacon's son, should develop such an
evil propensity. But presently, as she
was refreshing herself upon bountiful
lunch of bread and milk she said:
81 have plan that will, l think, re-
suit in Barney's complete cure. You
must send him to my brothers family
school for boys at D.. His number
is limited to eight, but Adam Hall, the
Colonel's son, you know, is to leave the
list of May, and, if you would like to
have me, | can secure the vacant place
for Barney"
The preliminaries were soon arranged,
and the untruthful yet kInd-hearted boy,
who had never passed a night away from
his father and mother, was nearly heart
broken at the idea of being separated
from them. His parents endeavored to
ha
had for sending him away, and promised
that as soon as he became cured of the
bad habit he should return to his home.
Barney tearfully reiterated his inten-
ton of trying to do better, but his father
was memorable in his resolve to send him
to the school.
As the deacon and Mrs. Drop babe
their little weeping son and Miss Toplift
good-by at the door of the car that was
to take them to Orchard Homestead, the
name of the school, they felt that they
themselves were making sore sacrifice
for the boys future good.
After a day or two Barney wrote home:
I'm so homesick | can't eat tarts-and
that's pretty bad. But il cry, Philip Hess
hes the red headed boy-calls me Grain
cred trOusers-calls me dew drops" and
the boy with the red neck.bow, that they all
call Twiggs, says: See the tear-drops drip
ping" ] like the crooked-nosc boy best;
they call him Bean. Though, to be sure,
when | was cross once he called me " vinegar
drops When | treated them all on the
candy brought from home they called me
peppermint drops" and "lemon Drops
The names Of the other two boys are Witt
and Pace. They've all got first names but they
don't use them. We all like the master He
calls me Drop. He talks about how wicked
it is to be wicked, especially to tell lies, and l
am being better.
Mr.. Topliff, the teacher, wrote to Dea-
con Drop glowing accounts of Barney's
good behavior, and said he had not been
caught in wrong story since he had
been with him.
Mrs. Drop sent her little son weekly
letters, portions Of which he always read
to the boys, and they wished they had
such home-folks, who would write to
them such jolly letters.
Father has bought a dog for me, and
is teaching him to do all sorts Of tricks
Barney announced one day after receiv-