The Red Cloud chief., 1881-11-03
Jimmy's Prompt Obedience.

l haven't been able to write anything
for some time. | don't that there
has been anything the matter with my
fingers SO that | couldn't hold a pen,
but | haven't had the heart to write Of
my troubles. Besides, | have been
locked up fora whole week in the spare
bedroom on bread and water, and just
a little hash or something like that, ex-
cept when Sue used to smuggle in cake
and pie and such things. and | haven't
had any %penanink. i was going TO
write a novel while | was locked up by
pricking my finger and writing blood
with a pin on my shirt; but you cant
write hardly ANYTHING that way. and
don't believe all those stories of con-
~spirators who wrote dreadful promises
to do all sorts Of things in their blood.
Before | could write two little words
my finger stopped bleeding. and |
wasn't going to keep on pricking my
self every few minutes; besides, it
won't do to use all your blood up that
way. There was one a boy who cut
himself awful in the leg with 4 knife.
and he bled to death for five or six
hours, and when he got through he
wasn't any thicker than a newspaper.
and ratified when his friends picked
him up just like the morning paper
does when father turns it inside 1t.
Mr.. Travers told me about him. and
said this was a warning against bleed
ing to death.
OF course you'll say Unjust have been
doing something dreadfully wrong. but
l don't think l have; and even if / had.
I'll leave it to anybody if Aunt Eliza
isn't enough to provoke a whole com.
pany of saints. The truth is, l got into
trouble this time just through Obeying
promptly as soon as | was spoken to.
I'd like to know if that was anything
wrong. Oh. I'm not n bit sulky, and ]
am always ready to admit Eve done
wrong when l really have; but this time
l tried to do my very best and obey my
dear mother promptly. and the conse-
quence was that l was shut up for a
week, besides other things too painful
to mention. This world is q ileeting
SHOW, as our minister says, and l some
times feel that il isn't worth the price
of admission.
Aunt Eliza is one of those women
that always know everything. and
know that nobody else knows anything,
particularly rs men. She was Wis ting
us, and finding fault with everybody,
and constantly saying that men were q
nuisance in a house and why didn't
mother make father mend chairs and
whitewash the ceiling and what do you
let that great lazy boy waste all his
time for? There was q little spot in the
roof where it leaked when it rained.
and Aunt Eliza said to father: why
don't you have energy enough to get
I'D on the roof and see where that leak
is | would if / was a man thank good
ness l amt" So father said: You'd
better do it Yourself, Eliza" And she
said: ~ will this very day."
So after breakfast Aunt Eliza asked
me to show her where the scuttle was.
We always kept it open for fresh air,
except when it rained, and she crawled
up through it and got on the roof. just
then mother called me, and said it was
going to rain. and I must close the scut-
tie. 1 began to tell berthat Aunt Eliza
was on the roof. but she wouldn't
listen. and said: do IS l tell you this
instant without any, words why can't
you obey promptly?" So l obeyed As
prompt as 1 could, and shut the scuttle
and fastened it, and then went down
stairs. and looked out to see the show
er come up.
1t was 3 tremendous shower, and it
struck US in about ten minutes; and
didn't it pour! The wind blew, and it
lightened and Numbered every minute,
and the street looked just like 3 river.
l got tired of looking at it after . while.
and sat down to read, and in about an
hour, when it was beginning to rain a
little easier, mother came where l was.
and said: :" wonder where sister Eliza
is do you know, Jimmy?" And I said
I supposed she was on the root, for l
left her there when / fastened the scut-
tie Just before it began to rain
Nothing was done to me until after
they had got two men to bring Aunt
Eliza down and wiring the water out of
her. and the doctor had come, and she
had been put to bed. and the house was
quiet again. By that time father had
come home, and when he heard what
had happened But, there! it is over
now. and let US say no more about it
Aunt Eliza is as well IS ever, but no.
body has said . word to me about
prompt obedience since the thunder
shower jimmy Brocn." IN HarpcTs
Young People.
-Rohnrf Ronner mars HE hor~o doo-