River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-01-04

she, "but that is no reason, after all,
why you should be denied chance to
earn your bread. Come, let me see
| you wash these Dishes" 1t appeared
that the junior boy acted as servant.
girl IN old Macdonal's establishment.
No boy ever washed dishes better
Than did that morning. made them
SHINE and they were very dirty, too.
1 wanted to conciliate the old woman.
III possible. The final wipe was be 'ng
administered TO the last platter when
my master appeared in the room.
slow does he get along?" he inguir-
ed, glancing at me. '9. h
''lIe does well enough," said the old
lady, "but he's so deceitful in his
| looks
you ought to be ashamed of your
SELF" said the master, s'to talk Of a
nice boy in that manner. 49, e1
My masters manner, rs he spoke
these words, showed little trepida-
tlon-quite justified, indeed, by the
crisis they precipitated. No sooner
were his words fairly uttered than the
old lady, whom supposed to be quite
feeble, snatched up dish-cloth and
hurled it at her husband, the slippery
rt ic lie lodging ON his noble Roman
nose, then falling to the floor with a
splash; she then selected a variety of
articles and pelted us till we left the
room and went down stairs, and just
as we got to the bottom a wash-dish
full of soap-suds descended upon our
heads, the old lady being undoubtedly
enc of the positive sort. ....t
''Never mind, William" said the
old man 'swhat your mistress says or
does; she is getting old and little &C.
centric. hope your are not revengeful
youth. y tr.ls uul4
sob no, sir" i answered, eagerly.
81 know we must always forgive and
forget EAa ~ h3as w t'i1iD
''That's right, my boy" replied my
master, smiling through his soap-suds;
""You know the plumbers shop over
the way" he continued.
"Yes, SIR" l replied. ''the shop with
the pump in the window" ''2 '' T'''A
"The very one," said The, ''what a
nice, smart boy you arei Il want you
to go over there and present this little
bill and tell them That Mr.. Macdonald
must have the money. We can never
get along without money, William. +" ~
/ started Immediately, very much
pleased, deeming my MISTRESS esti-
mate of my characther totally errone-
Gus, and thinking that was indeed a
pretty nice sort of boy"
"What a good thing it is, thought
|, ''to be such nice boy as AMI
This may be reelection as / knocked at
the private door adjoining the plnmb-
er's shop, for the shop itself was shut
up, and there were very few signs
of business around the premises. The
door was opened by sloyenly-looking
woman, VINO took the bill and read it.
"Well," said she, looking at me in a
very peculiar maner, "You are nice
boy.
Il know it" said I,smiling cOmplac-
emily, sim Il very nice boy, and L
work for Mr. Macdonald"
"a very nice boy" repeated the
woman-and now her sarcasm became
perfectly plain, did you get
out of Newgate! How do you like
picking pockets! What do you mean,
you young thief, by coming here with
your bills And with that she slammed
the door in my face, and went back
to report in somewhat melancholy
frame Of mind, and told the old man
my story.
sYou are very nice boy" said he,
''not to lose your temper and throw a
brick at her.
'.If l did that it would be wicked,
sir" / said.
Nevertheless, said my master,
Zone of the first things to learn in a
printing Office is perseverance so /
will make out a new bill ana you shall
go over again"
A little reluctantly, but pleased
with my masters flattery, | started
once more. The same woman opened
the door, but she took no notice of me,
but called up stairs, "Dick, Dick come
down and very soon that gentleman
the half-drunken, dirty plumber
made his appearance at the end of the
passage-way. 9at -fitle
"Just look here, said the woman,
pointing at me. ''what nice young
jail-bird old Mac has sent over now.
Did ever you see such villainous
face g, AS she said these words the
man caught upa broom that was stand
ing near him, and proceeded to Ego"
for me; but as | went considerably
faster than he did, | arrived safely at
Mr. Macdonald again.
"Never mind" said the old gentle
man, with a bland smile, "you shall go
again, and say I'll send an officer.
Never say die, William nothing like
perseverance. You are a very nice
boy"
"Please, sir, l don't want to go
again. said. .a0 -..T
HThen," said he, with a horrible
frown, ''thenyo won't be a nice boy,
made no further objection, but went
at once. As l opened the door, who
should see upon the sidewalk but
the miserable urchin who had opened
the door to me at first. Not knowing
what his feelings toward me might
be, | did not speak to him, but he adj
dressed me with easy familiarity.
ERE said he, ''you boy come
ERE"
.sWot do you want?'' said l, with
stiff reserve. ~
.Wot are you a-letting 'em make
a monkey of you for!' he enquired,
with pitiful disdain.
"Wot do you mean 2" | inquired,
with dignified curiosity.
"Why," said he, "they're making a
monkey of you-sending you over
there to get that money, which they
knows They'll never get it, which it
been owing IL years. They do 1t with
all the new boys"
ssWot can be done 2 | inquired.
"Take your vengeance. said the
boy, darkly, producing from his
breeches-pocket small, brass cannon,
about six inches long. ''Take your
vengeance.
1t was too bad, but just at the
moment that the boy uttered, with
stern emphasis, the word wen
raance ,; fine old man, who had been