Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-04-04
Absent With Leave.


Father called me up that morning dread
full early, and because I had eaten too much
supper I didn't sleep good all night. l had
miserable bad dreams, and kicked the bed
clothes all off sideways. 1t was not yet
daylight, and the room was darker than
printers ink 1t was almost darker than
the Heather Land. had altogether forgot,
as usual, to fetch up some matches the
night before, and, Christopher Columbus!
but | was sleepy. TWAS that time of morn
ing when boy would good deal rather
sleep some more than not, and | was so
sleepy that it was with difficulty got out
of bed, also I knew how severely rough it
would go with me if I rolled over into sleep
again, so got up first and rubbed my eyes
open afterwards, and then tried my best for
to find my trousers and my other sock.
1t was curious thing happened in our
family that day, and I couldn't get it in my
head what they meant by getting me up SO
early. Father seemed MORE kinder than |
ever saw him before. and was good natured
all over, and not in spots like he used to be
on previous days. He said that as was a
tolerable good boy yesterday 1 might be re-
warded to go a fishing, and stay all day
and if didn't drive up the COW and saw
some wood before I went, it would make no
difference. He said he would do it hisself
by and by. Well, then, some how couldn't
figure it out whether it was joke or not,
because I knew that if there was man in
town as was good judge Of bad boys, my
father was him. Some how l couldn't re-
member that was any better yesterday than
the day before, but took his word for it,
rather than argue into fuss, for knew
that to get to go fishing was too good a
thing for to lose. So swallowed up my
breakfast in hurry and went over and bor-
rowed Ben Spinner from his mother, and
we were off like the night express. We
went through our orchard and Blake's low
meadow land, and stopped to dig our worms
close by Blake's barn. They were magnifi-
cent fat worms, and not intricate to dig, be-
cause the ground was so awful rich and
mellow that it stands to reason. We got
one Of mothers new tomato cans level full,
and then went on to Flint creek, and a steam
engine in the rolling mill couldn't have held
US back. It was that kind of beautiful
May morning when everything is hushed
and silent as the church of week day. The
fields and lanes were as quiet as stone
quarry on Sunday, and the waters Of
Flint creek was stiller than Catawba in bot
ties in dark cellar. However, we soon
got to the best hole in Lonesome Bend and
throwed our lines in, and then fshed, and
fished, and fshed; and it did seem to me
(and it seemed so to BENZ that ages would
roll before we could get bite.
It is mighty hard work for two boys to
have to fish when they can't catch anything,
but then it would be glorious fun if they
didn't only get too tired. The serious
trouble was with me and Ben, that we both
got dreadful weary and when we had
ished onward long into dinner time, it came
to pass that both Of us had forgot to fetch
along some dinner, and that was the very
worst thing of the business but we stuck
it out until about o'clock in the afternoon
and then voted to give up the job. We had
got chuck full of fsherman's luck and was
resigned to quit, whether we could quit
even or not.
Isuppose that when General Sherman got
through with his march to the sea, that he
was abundantly tired and desperate cross.
But I know two boys which went on a
march to Flint creek of May morning,
that was as tired as he dared be and more
hungrier than his whole stalwart crowd
and when them two boys finally got to the
kitchen of their homes, it was heaven of
rest for them to anchor their pantaloons to a
chair in, and balm of Gilead to the pit of
their stomachs.
At our house the blinds were shut and
the rooms nearly as dark as my bedroom
afore day. The hired girl raised up her fin
ger at me and said, "Hist, Henry! don't
make noise, or you will disturb your ma
and the baby" l said ",chich baby ?''
Then the girl told me had a tiny, wee
brother, but he was orful sweet what there
was of him. Well, know that boy is a
boy, but then | know that boy can be
thunderstruck, and was hit a hard lick
but | was not going to put stop to my
appetite if there was TURNS in the house. ]
told the maiden to please stop combing that
hair just eyerlastingly once, and to pan me
out what she had to eat. If it was chicken,
l would take chicken, and if it was only
liver, would take liver. just so she had
plenty of it, [ didn't care bad nickel if it
was hominy.
When l got started fair on my dinner,
then I had time to think, and while l was
simultaneously putting away them cold
victuals, then I saw how it was that l got
leave to go fishing, and why the governor
was so indulgent to do the work up that
morning. 1t was a clear forethoughted up
thing to me.
It is now long time since me and Ben
went out to Flint creek, and l am some
H. Il