The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1878-07-11

Henry.
"Wen, you can't have it. and tina
i settles the matter" " answered l.
J Whereupon John Henry, in fit 0.
the sulks, for which he had Datura
aptitude if things didn't move to sui
e him, jerked himself out Of the parlor t.
% ''telI ma"
. looked about to see what had be.
Q come Of Georgy. He had dragged down
a book from hang-shelf and was rump.
ling over the leaves at fearful rate,
, What was my dismay when 1 saw
t what he had dOnel The volume he had
Faptured was a beautiful copy of Bry-
ants Library of Poetry and Song, .
and had been presented to me by a
friend. There was nothing in the IL
brary that J valued mOre:highlY.
e sat down to chat awhile with Lucy
} Twas interrupted by one Of Mary's pc,
culiaT coughs, Whenever heard them
1 knew that they were signals OF ''dan-
I gers ahead"
1 looked up towards her, and she
mOtioned towards the conservatory.
was on the alert in moment, 1 could
stand almost anything better than
having my flowers meddled with.
John Henry had crawled in, and was
breaking OFF some lovely clusters Of
Oleander blossoms.
Isprang up, utterly careless OF what
Lucy might think about it, opened the
door, seized john Henry by the arm,
and jerked him into the sitting room in
atWinkling.
The child is so fond of flowers, said
Lucy, smiling. LET him have a bunch
to amuse him."
ST don't grow flowers for that pur-
pose" I answered, curtly. John Hen
rT, you must not 60 in there again."
I could see that Lucy was offended,
but I didn't care. ItOld Mary so, when
we got d chance to exchange a few
words OfcOnfdence.
''If people go a visiting with such
lli-behaved children as Lucy's are, and
don't try to make them mind, and keep
out of mischief, they can't blame other
people for acting on the defence. If
she won't see to them, L will. won't
sit down, and let them destroy every
thing without saying a word"
81 don't blame yOu," said Mary. 81
wish-Oh, dearl'' and with her last
sentence cut short at the beginning by
this exclamation, she made a raid on
John Henry, who had got the kitter,
and had tied a string about its neck,
almost choking it to death in his effort
to make it follow him.
"If catch you treating my kitty IN
this way again, I'll tell your mother,
sir" said Mary, severely, as she res
cued the kitten from John Henry's van
dal clutches.
81 don't care" said John Henry.
INA won't do nOthin' to me-"
There it was in a nutshell. The
children knew that they could do what
they pleased and be safe from punish
ment.
followed Lucy into the parloE.
''It don't seem to me that your parior
is arranged very tastefully," " said Lucy.
you've got everything put up SO high
that it doesn't look WE'LL"
laughed in my sleeve, but soon had
cause for becoming serious.
CeOrgy conceived the brilliant idea
of making a train of carriages out of
the whatnOt, and insisted on having it
put to thatpurpOse.
"YOu mustn't do that" I said.
Don't you see you're tipping all the
things off?'
I Ipushed the whatnot back into its
place, and the little cherub flew at me,
kicking and scratching.
"He's such a spirited child" said
Lucy, adm1ringIy. 1--WE can't do any
thing with him."
After quite tussle I came off con-
querOr.
Just as I was going to sit down We
heard an awful vail from the sitting
room, followed by a series of shrieks.
"What can be the matter with John
Henry?" exclaimed Lucy.
We ran into the sittiRg-room to find |
out. John Henry was standing at the
seWing-machine, making terrible de-
mOnstrations Of pain.
He had taken off the cover from the
machine, and then essayed to sew. In |
doing this he had put his finger under
the needle. The consequence was that |
when he started the machine down
came the needle through his finger,
holding him fast.
"Oh, the poor darlingI' said Lucy, |
ingreat compassion. did the naughty |
old Chine hurt mas John Henry? 1t !
ought to be whipped, hadn't it?"
Which punishment John Henry pro- |
ceeded to infict on the naughty old .
Chine" as soon as he got over crying. |
l felt like returning 4 vote of thanks to
the machine for doing its duty.
In the evening we gathered in the
parlor.
We hadn't been there half an hour
before I heard the sound of tearing
leaves. I IshiVered, for knew what to
expect.
"Oh, just see GeorgyIo cried Nary's
little girl, who had kept herself busy
from the time she came home from
school in trying TO keep George and
John Henry out Of mischief. ''IIe's
got your bOOkp'
I sprang up. Yes, Georgy had CAP
tUred another book, and was tearing
out page after page of picturesI
"IIe's rapid reader" laughed bis
proud pa. "He's got almost through
the book"
I didn't say word. I was too angry
to trust myself to speak,
Fifteen minutes of comparative quiet
passed. Then John Henry and Georgy
got 10 tumbling about on the carpet,
kicking their shoes against the wall
paper and making great dirty marks
there. Mary asked them to get up, and
L lifted John Henry to a sitting posture.
but to no avail.