St. Landry democrat., 1882-03-25
GRANDPARENTS STORY.
AS TOLD BY HIS GRANDSON.

and he likes to see us boys have any |
amount of fun. He ism hard on a fell
low either, when he gets into trouble
through some of his mischief, though he
looked pretty sober when Hal and | and
Uncle Timothy's boys painted Squire
Dexter's Chester Whites one time, and
the Squire caught us at it, and thrashed
us, and made father and UNCLE Timothy
pay ten dollars apiece to get out of hay
ing lawsuit
Don't have any more of that sort of
fun, boys" says grandfather.
"No, SIR says we; and we don't
mean to, for there isn't any fun in it.
Some folks in story-books are all the
time preaching up how funny it is to
paint pigs 1t isn't If it is, it is mean
fun, and don't like that kind. For be-
sides making a fellow feel cheap, there's
almost always something not SO nice to
top off with.
"Boys will be boys, Susan That's
what grandfather says to mother time
and again.
"Well, they needn't be wild Indians
SAYS mother. But she doesn't tell father
that time. You see, my grandfather
was boy once himself, and he knows
we can't keep bottled up all the time.
We have to ''let nature caper' that's
what grandfather calls it-once in a
while, or we would burst, Hal and l,
and 90 off like two rockets maybe. |
hope when | grow up Ill be just the
kind of a grandfather my grandfather is.
Last Washington Birthday we boys
bad planned to have no end OF fun,
skating on the pond, and swapping
crackers at folks, and playing shinney.
But when Hal and got up in the morn
| ing, everything was dull gray; and when
breakfast was over, it was showing as if
the witches were emptying all their
| feather-beds at once up in the sky.
! Hal looked out of the window, and
turned away, and shut his lips. Then
looked out, and-well, I'm not very
old, and small Of my age-and l cried.
At that grandfather put down his
paper. 49, :,
''Hoity-toity!' said he; "what's all
this about?''
We told him.
"Wen," said grandfather, 'sthis snow
will make frst-rate coasting, and while
you're waiting for enough of it to come,
I'll tell you story"
So here is the story. You ought to have
| heard Grandfather Otis tell it, though,
with his funny wrinkles and wrinkles to
set it off; but because you couldn't, I'm
going to tell it my own way, in regular
story-book style:
Early one Twenty-second of February,
more than fifty years ago, my grand
father and my two great-uncles, Ste,
phen and Samuel, were out looking for
something to have fun with. ''Trouble
was" says grandfather, ''there was ice
enough, but we hadn't a pair of skates
Ito our feet" Pretty soon, while they
were standing around on the doorstep
4 man came along leading a horse anC
sleigh, and hitched it to the fence. The
mans name was Mr.. Mutt
! "Good morning." said the boys, won
dering to themselves what made hin
walk and lead the horse, instead O
riding. Catch bog doing it! Fl.
| "Mornin'," said MI. Mutt "Fathel
to home, boysP" .r... ......
eyes sir,'' said they.
"Tm going after the doctor,' sale
Mr.. Mutt, "and that critter runs ava,
Il so'st I can't do nothin' with him. It.
LAWYER Chadbourne's horse, down t.
Westport, at l took for his keep, ant
and that's more'n I'll get out n him
S'pose l can get your fathers team
boys?"
i Wouldn't WONDER" said they
Fathers chopping wood in the nort]
lot"
With that Mr.. Mutt started off acros
the field, and the boys walked down t.
). the gate to look at the horse. He wa
!. red horse, with three white-feet-and
a-white-nose-tak off-his- shoes-and
observation-disclosures. " SUING
The bows walked around him, an
! looked at him, and felt Of the harness
CLOCKS kind enough" said Steve.
! "Don't believe he'll run away" sal
Sam.
Il "The harness is stout" said Charley
, Then they all looked at each othe
and laughed.
: "S'pose we do" said they; "and b
: spry about it."
So Sam and Charley got into th
: sleigh, and Steve unhitched the horse
s and got on behind, with one foot on eac
] runner, and Charley took the reins, an
: away they all went. The horse didn
90 so very fast at first, but he kept g
ing faster and faster and faster; an
pretty soon the sleigh hit his heel
+ Then didn't he go!
a "stop himr' yelled Sam. '.Whoa!
q "Whoa!'' sung out Steve, a-hanggln
D on to the old sleigh-back for dear LIT
e "We've go-go-gone far enough.
Rut there wasn't any whoa to tn