The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1877-05-17
The Boy in the Alley.

Yesterday afternoon a Brush street
housewife lugged bedstead into the
back yard, leaned il against the fence,
rolled up her sleeves, and went to work
and brought out n teakettle full of boil
ing hot water. Her sole object was TO
wash off the dust and cobwebs which set
tie on every bedstead in the land, and
she needn't have looked all around in a
sly and stealthy why before proceeding
to business.
There was a boy in the alley. He was
hunting for plunder in pile of rubbish,
and hearing the woman in the yard he
looked through the the fence and began
TO chuckle. He knew that her object
was to put the bedstead in tidy trim for
the simmer campaign. But yet he ma
liciously called out:
Have the water up to the billing pint
If you want to knock emf
The woman put the teakettle down in
hurry and looked up at the windows
on either side. No one was visible but
presently the boy in the alley remarked:
Don't let that water git coldl'
She located him that time, but she dis.
dained to heed his remarks Lifting up
the kettle again she commenced giving
the cobwebs another soaking
Now follow it up with keTosenel
hoarsely exclaimed the boy, as she paus
ed for a momdnt
Her face darkened, and she looked
anxiously around, and nothing but the
consciousness that everybody has to clean
off the spring cobwebs prevented her
from feeling mad.
I'VE allus use corrosive subliment Ia
kill 'em" called the boy from the knot
hole.
She went down to the fence and asked
who was there, and what he wanted.
81 don't want nuthin'," he softly re
piled, only you can't never kill EN- with
hot waterl'
Cant kill what2 she sternly demand
ed.
Bundle beesl" he chuckled We've
had 'em up home ever since | was born.
boy, I'm only cleaning the dust of
that bedstead, she said, as she got closer
to the knot.hole.
you kin call it dust if you want to
but never saw ma jab at dust with a
sharp stick"
You are a mean, impudent boy, and
want you to 90 away from here at once,
she exclaimed.
This alley belongs to the city" he re
piled, "and | can't 60. You'd better hur
ny back there, or they'll come tor
She picked up a stick, laid it down af.
ter o moment, and going to the house
she brought out huge piece Of apple
pie.
boy, aren't you hungry" she asked
as she reached the fence.
"You betl"
"And if will give you this will you 60
awayT'
81 will that: I'll whoop right out of the
neighborhood in two minutes, and you
kin tack a shingle owe this knot-hole."
"Well, now, here it is, she said as she
reached it over.
"And won't tell no one what / saw,
ma'am, for we're all liable to find EN-,
and ma says she really believes they're a
sign of good luck. Thankee. and il was
you I'd leave the bedstead out doors to
night and let 'er freeze up. Fust-rate
pie, and don't let that water get cold"
Mr.. Frank Buckland tells the follow
ing amusing story:
When some men and boys were out
looking for badger. they came into a
field where was standing a knowing look
ing farmer. They asked him if he had
seen a badger; so he took them q long
walk into q wood, and pointed out a hole
in some cliffs.
do you see that hole2 says he. "Well
! saw badger go in there"
$50 they set to work with packages,
shovels and dogs to get the badger out
They worked all day and found nothing
at all Returning to the farmer, they
were very angry, saying:
You told US you saw a badger 60 into
the hole. We couldn't find one
NO" said the farmer" Il didn't sup
pose you would; / suspect he has had
time to come out again; it's twelve years
since ! saw him so in"