The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1879-04-04
Select Story.
JIMMY AND JERRY.
From The ChurchmdR.

mere in the corner by the fireplace, where
you can't possibly see iny face, and tell you
all about it That Is, if you are sure you
won't forget and tell anybody; for I'm just
ashamed Of it--aa ashamed as if I'll stolen
birds nest that hal young binds in it, or
told on 3 boy in school, or slapped the ba
by or told mother wrong story, or--any.
thing that's the meanest, yes, just the very
meanest thing boy can possibly do,
you don't believe t's anything very bad?
Well, it just is, Aunt Sadie and before
get done, you see if you couldn't say jim
my or Jerry'd make a great deal better
nephew for such nice aunt as you are, than
boy who could be such sneak as |
was.
IF tell you every single thing about it,
I'll have to z, away back to last summer,
when Ponto was puppy, and used to run
away and 90 down to the mill.pond for a
swim, and to bark at the ducks, like the
silly thing he was. Don't you remember
how he was always getting into scrapes, and
coming home with tin.pans and corn cobs
tied to his tail, and forgetting all about it
the next day, and going back again =?
There is very mean lot Of boys living
around the mill. They are always and Tor
everlastingly throwing stones at us boys,
shouting all sorts of words after us, and
trying to get up fight, till last winter we
boys gave up skating on the mill-poUd. We
weren't afraid of them, don't you % and
think that, Aunt Sadie But who wants to
be fighting the street boys all the while ?
1t takes up too much valuable time, when
the afternoons are so short after school.
But dear me, that's getting long way
behind Ponto, what we did last wiuter. But
I do hate 10 begin, that's just the truth OF
it. But here goes
'One day, when the puppy went down
to the mill.pond. there were ever so many of
the Mill-lane uoys around, and they threw
sticks in the water for POntO to swim after,
and good many times. they pretended to
throw them and didn't, ! guess, till after a
good while the puppy was beginning to get
tired and swimming towards the shore, when
Pat Laughlin, he's the very worst boy of all
came up, and says he That's Bert Hamilton 5
dog let's have some fun and drown him.
Pat Laughln don't like me any better
than | like him, and if | hadn't promised
father not to fight with any boy again this
winter I'd like to-Please don't look at
me in that way, Aunt Sadie. It's Just as
mamma does when she's sorry about some.
thing I've been doing, ,and Pat ought to have
his head punched. You just ask Fred.
of course the the other boys were all
| ready for the fun, as Pat called it. | don't
see any fun in killing puppy. So part OF
the boys ran around the other side of the
pond, some stood on the bridge, and somt
stayed where they had been in the first place
On the other side is the dam, you know
Whenever poor Ponto tried to and they
| beat him back with sticks and stones, till he
was too tired to do anything but hold hi'
nose above water and Jerry says it was
dreadful to hear him breathe. was play
ing ball down at Van der Nechten's meadow
Jimmy and Jerry knew, because they haC
been looking through the fence at us on
their way home from school, l heard I
great shouting, but there's always shouting
down the mill-pond, so l didn't think any
thing about it till Jimmys brother, littl,
barelooted, ragged boy-rau up to me anC
painted out:
Come, just as quick as you can, theyr,
killing your dog Jimmy and Jerry ar,
tryi to save i'm, but they'll kill Jimmy
Jerry too And then, oh my, how he crieC
but he was such little bit of fellow,
don't think it's any wonder, do you?
used to cry myself when | was little.
My didn't | run Auntie, did you eve
see me run when | am running very fast
Just rushed that afternoon, and all the boy
after me When We got to the pond, wha
do you think | saw? Why, Jimmy helping
Jerry out Of the water with one hand 90 Jer
ry had Ponto in his arms, you know ant
lighting off Pat and whole lot of other
with the other
1T was almos. up with hem, though an
if we hadn't come just then they'd hav
been back in the water in minute all thre
of them.
That was the day ! came home with m
thumb out OF joint, don't you remember
but could stand by and see other boyl
boys that didn't know or care anything abou
my dog, trying to save him and not hel
them?
we drove Pat and the other boys o
away around the pond and into the Liant
They never touched Ponto again. No, nc
all the rest of the summer,
Jerry gave himself shake in his W,
clothes, just as the puppy shook himself,an
looked so red aud uncomfortable when
tried to tell him how obliged | was abol
Ponto.
1T amt nothin,' he said 4 never coul
like to see anybody hurt puppy or Il ca
Never ! And there was one of his ey,
getting just as black as it could be, from
stone Pat threw at him; Jimmy's jack
was torn half way down his back, and
guess his shoulder ached pretty badly fro
the way he rubbed it.
But they wouldn't let me give them an.
thing, and Jerry looked real hurt when
offered him my new white,handled knit
Il didn't help the puppy for pay
: said.
Jimmy and Jerry live down in Mill.lan
they are so poor but they aren't bit Ill
the other boys,
e Jimmy sings in our choir at st. John
= My wish could sing rs he can Al
e Jerry's the incest boy in sister Emma's ca
A at the mission school. She told me 50. AT
y they're always trying TO help their me
er
Their fathers dead, you know. So AT
they saved Ponto, father used 10 send
them to rake the paths and pick up app
aud mother said she'd great deal ratl
y have me go fishing and nutting with Jimr
,. and Jerry than with a good many boys S