, 1880-12-10
A Domestic Experiment.

Col. Bob Ingersoll says he keeps a
pocket-book in an open drawer and his
children go and help themselves to
money whenever they want it. ''They
eat when they want to; they may sleep
all day if they choose, and sit up all
night if they desire. don't try to CO.
cree them. l never punish, never scold.
Ther buy their own clothes and are mas.
ters of themselves"
A. gentleman living on Marshall street,
who has boy that is full as kitteny as
his father. read the article and pondered
deeply. He knew that Col. Ingersoll
was success at raising children in the
way they should go, and he thought he
would try it. The boy had caused him
considerable annoyance, and he made up
his mind that he had not treated the boy
right, so he called the boy in from the
street; where he was putting soft soap on
lamp-post in order to see the lamp
lighter climb it, and said to him;
INV son, have decided to adopt n
different course with you. Heretofore l
have been careful about giving you
money, and have wanted to know where
every cent went to, and my supervision
has. no doubt, been annoying to you.
Now I'm going to leave my pocket book
in the bureau drawer, with plenty OF
money in it, and you are at liberty to
use all you want without asking me. l
want you to buy anything you desire to:
buy your own clothes, and feel as though
| the money was yours, and that you had
not got TO account for it. Just make your
self at home now and try and have
good time
The boy looked at the old gentleman,
put his hand on his head, rs though he
| had ..cot 'em sure" and went out to see
the lamplighter climb that soft soap.
The next day the stern parent went out
into the country shooting, and returned
on the midnight train three days later.
He opened the door with a latch key
and strange yellow dog grabbed him by
the elbow of his pants and shook him, he
said, like the agur."
The dog barked and chewed until the
son came down in his night shirt and
called him off. He told his father he
had bought that dog of a fireman for $11
and it was probably the best dog bar
gain that had been made this season.
| He said the fireman told him he could
| ma u lndu JldJ WhhtSu thbp hiiu VI I"
| dog.
The parent took off his pants, what the
dog had rot removed, and IN the hall he
stumbled over birch bark canoe the
boy bought of an Indian for 80, and an
army musket with an iron ramrod fell
down from the corner. The boy had
paid SO for that. He had also bought
himself an overcoat with sealsiin col
lar and cuffs and complete outfit OF
calico shirts and silk stockings.
| In his room the parent found the mar.
BILE top OF soda fountain, wheelbarrow
and a shelf filled with all kinds of
canned meat, preserves and crackers and
q barrel of apples. A wall tent and six
pairs of blankets were rolled mp, ready
for camping out, and buckskin shirt
and pair of corduroy pants lay On the
bed ready for pulling on. Six fish poles
and basketful of fish.lines were ready
for business, and an oyster can full Of
grub-worms, for bait, were squirming
on the wash stand. The old gentleman
looked the layout over, looked at his
pocket-book in the bureau drawer, as
empty as contribution-box, and re-
marked:
young man. the times have been too
flush. We will now return to specie
basis. When you want money, come to
me, and will give yon nickel, and you
will tell me what you intend to buy with
it, or I'll warm you You hear me ?"--
Springfield Republican.