The Osceola times., 1878-09-14
Bijah's Hour.
Detroit Free Press. Z


Court didn't want 10 send little Jimm,
Whitson to the House of Correction
and realized that the boys old mothe
couldn't pay fine; and So he sent hin
up TO Bijah, accompanied by the follow
ing note:
"EsTEEMED FRIEND--1his boy ha
been making up faces at the public
throwing stones at windows, and. il
various other ways rendering himself
disagreeable 10 the public. Can yor
convince him of the error of his ways"
Bijah read the note, looked the boy
over, and mused:
"He's tuil; | can see Dick Turpin in
the cut of his nose, Ben. Butler in the
slant of his eyes, and old satan all around
his mouth, but Pll wrestle with him
ayel he'll go out of here as humble
minded as q yellow dog caught in a
bear-trap in the back end of the wood.
shed. Bub, how long since you had a
good washg'
How long since ye sandpapered yer
head? ?" was the insolent reply.
"Boyl that's sass, that is! II is true
I'm bald-headed, but / don't like to be
told of it. You've been sent up here to
be reformed, and you'd better be little
nice at the outsetl"
ooh guess ] kin take care of my
self! I've bin on three 'scursions, ownt d
a dog, had toe broken, and I'd have
broken out of the stashun if I'd had half
an hour more timeW
"Child of sass and sin, come up into
my department of indusry!" said Bijah,
as his ears began to work.
"Don't git yourself hurtw growled
the lad, as he pulled away and drew a
bean shooter from his hind pocket.
The old man picked him up and car
ried him up stairs into the spanking
room, but the boy gazed around on the
implements of reform without the least
emotion. As he was dropped to his feet
he remarked
"Hev ye got any stuffed turkey up
here for a feller?''
"Tuff--tuH-tuffr' sighed Bijah, as
he drew the spanking-bench into posi-
ton. "Its wonder to me, boy, that
you haven't been hung for murder ere
this. Here--look at yourself in this
glassw ...
Little Jim looked into the ten-cent
mirror. stroked his chin, rubbed little
of the dirt off his nose, and observed:
al cant help bein' purity, can |?
Miter blame cause hain't lost all my
front teeth, and got ears Hopping clear
down to my shoulders?'
"More sass-more Sass, James, alias
JIM | am now about to invigorate your
physical system with pine shingle.
You need it. Every look and word
proves to me that you will relish a good
sound spanking"
"Pve got money that says there'll be
a lawsuit if you try it on" was the de-
fant reply.
"Child, threats can not move me, J"
sighed the old man. @ ! owe duty TO
you, to your widowed mother, and to
the world at large, and ten thousand
billion lawsuits could not weaken my
elbow. The usual services will now be
inauguratcd.
Selecting fine spanker, marked
Velocity, ten miles per hour" Bijah
gave the lad sudden twist into posi-
ton, and the collision commenced. At
the third blow the spanker was split into
half dozen pieces, and the boy laughed
and called out:
"D'ye want feller to 60 TO sleep in
this posishung"
"There's more to follcr-more 10
loller," replied Bijah, as he reached out
for more timber. This time he selected
a spanker, marked Perpendicular pres
sure fully guaranteed" and when the
shingle came down cloud of dust arose
and the boy gave sudden start. A
second blow-more dust. At the third
blow three old carpet-tacks few across
the room, and young James was visibly
agitated.
The boy stood ON the burning deck
Where flame and smoke did mingis,
And Bijah thought OF this MS he
Gyrated with the shingle.
As soon as the dust and mud, and
g ass, and tacks, and sand had been
c ared away, the spanker began to open
Fl re on the enemy all along the line.
Y ung James passed from Indifference
TO anxious care-from thence to great
mental anxiety, and losing the old cigar.
stub out of his mouth in a last effort to
regain his composure, he broke down
and let the fountain in his youthful
heart be turned on. The spanker didn't
stop work at his first appeal, nor his
second, and it was going as regularly rs
a gas-me,er when he cried out:
This ere thing hez made a perfect
angel of mew
No boy ea felt the shingle play
With fond remembrance of the day.
There were only two dry eyes in the
room as Bijah let his arm down for
rest, and said:
"Thar! that's part the rirst, and Pm
greatly encouraged. didn't expect to
reform you all at once, but shall take
you in sections and be a whole week
on the job. will now introduce
you to soap aud water and a crash-towel,
and while Pm down to the farm after
some huckleberries I'll give you lesson
to read in the city directory"
It's kinder mean to pound a boy with
a shinglew softly observed the lad, as he
wiped his eyes on newspaper.
"My son" replied Bijah, as he patted
him on the head, "human natur' Is nat
urally sinful. A boy is just as prone
TO de- evil as cucumber is to make un-
der the fence into the next mans yard.
He must be wrestled with and coerced.
If one shingle won't make him cut ac-
quaintance with hard words and bad
associates, we must try two. 1t almost
breaks my heart to bend boy over my
knee and administer dose of the Great
American Shingle Corrector, but the
angels up in heaven will never excuse
a man for not doing his duty by his fell
low-man. Some one had to spank good
ness into me, | spank it into you, and
you will administer the tonic to some
ono alaa