The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-12-19
PECK's BAD BOY AND HIS PA.

"Ah, here you are at last, said the GRO
Gerry man to the bad boy. II was afraid the
change in the standard of time would mix
you up so you would not come"
20, you needn't ever be afraid that l will
get left" said the boy, as he used the can
| opener TO open some peanuts Il would
have been here sooner, only pa met with
serious accident, and l had to 20 after a
plumber for him."
Had to 20 after piumber?'' said togro-
Gerry man in amazement. Are you out OF
| your bead2 Why didn't you call doctor?
| What has plumber got 10 do with the prac-
| tice of medicine"
We'll, proposed to call doctor, but pa
wouldn't have a doctor. He told me to get
plumber to the house as quick as possible
You We have been troubled with rats at
| our house, and we tried poison. but they got
| fat on it. We tried cats and the rats drove
! the cats away. So pa went down
and got some steel traps and set them around
| on the floor of the basement. The floor is
cement, and just as smooth as can be- and
me and my chum go down there and skate
with our roller skates. This morning pa
| came down and wanted to put on my skates.
| l told him he couldn't skate. and that L
should think after his experience at the rink
| last winter, when he pulled girl all TO
pieces grabbing at her to keep from falling,
| that he would try some other amusement,
but he said he knew all about it. and he
didn't want no fool boy to try to tell him
anything. When a man gets old and thinks
he knows il all there is no use trying TO argue
with him, and so unbuckled my skates and
pulled them off and he put them on. Well,
| he wabbled around for few minutes, like
Teller that has been drinking gin and held
| on TO things till he thought he had got his
! bearings, when he struck out for the back
end of the basement As he came along by
I the furnace leg began to go over
| towards the neighbors', and he grabbed hold
of the corner of the furnace. swung around
| behind 1t, out OF sight, and We heard an
earthquake, and something snapped like
steel trap, and pa yelled BY crimus,' and
! ma came down after some sassidge for break
fast and she saw pa and she said, 'Merciful
goodness, and by that time me and my chum
bad got there. Well. you'd dide to see pa.
| He had come down like ton of coal, right
! on the steel trap, and it had sprung and
caught whole mouthful of pas pants, and
| about pound and half or two pounds of
meat, and pa was grating his teeth to try and
stand it. o, it was the most ridiculous po-
sition eyer seen pa into, and he got mad
/ and told me to inspiring the trap. We
turned him oyer and me and my chum tried
our best to open the trap, but it was one of
| these traps with a strong spring and we
| couldn't. Pa was the only one that could
inspiring the trap, and hecouldn't go around
behind hisself to get at it, SO ] told him |
! would go after doctor, but he said this was
a case where doctor was no good, and he
wanted a plumber or a blacksmith.
| Pa wanted to go up in the pariOr TO sit on
the sofa while was gone after the plumber,
but the trap was chained TO the furnace and
we couldn't get it loose. so pa had to lay
| there on the cement floor until the plumber
came. The plumber laughed at pa, and said
he bad done all kinds of plumbing before,
| but he never had a call like that Well he
| got pa out. and / don't suppose there is
madden man in this town than pa is, but
there was nobody to blame but himself. Say,
| do you see how / can be blamed about it."
Nav, they can't blame you" said the gro
Gerry man, as ne lit a clay pipe But this
ought to be lesson TO you, that life is one
| continuous rat-trap. always set and baited
with cheese to catch the unwary. The bust
| ness man goes about his business unconscious
| that the rat-trap is set where he can get into
il. He extends his business gives credit and
gets credit himself, everything is booming
| and he is sailing along as nicely as your pa
was on the roller skates when all at once
there is slack up in business, he can't col
lect what is owing to him. and he has TO pay
| what he owes, he clutches and claws at frieRds
for help TO keep him from failing, but friends
have got all.they can attend to T. keep on their
| feet, and they do not reach out TO help him.
and suddenly his feet go out from under him
and he strikes something hard, and finds
that he is in LIES great rat-trap, and his
| creditors do not hurry to unspring the trap
and he waits for the plumber as your pa
did, and thinks what fool he has made OF
himself A boy gets situation in a store
at five dollars a week, and in three months
he thinks he owns the store. He is prouiot-
ed aud has his salery raised, and then be be-
gins TO dress better than the proprietor,
plays billiard till the saloon closes, goes to
his cheap boarding place with beer enough in
him Z" start a new saloon, gets TO buying
VII = and hiring livery rigs and some day a
l"in looking man calls on him and takes
lin' upto the police station, where he is
tod his cash a count Is six hundred dollars
81 ri, and n lie hears the key turn in the
door of his cell he realizes that he has
dropped square on 70 life's rat.trap, which
he knew was all baited for HIM, but he did
not have sense enough TO keep away from
All, boy, beware OF the Tat-trap Here, take
your hand out Of that barrel OF dried apples.
How do you know but there is trap set in
there?'
That's what l want to find out" said
the boy, as he removed his hand and looked
in the barrel to see If it was really loaded for
him. well, sir, your sermon on the infal-
libility OF the rat trap. has done me good.
and / only wish you could preach il to pa.
He gets into more trouble than any man
ever saw. You heard about his coming near
being lynebed in the Fourth ward2 Il was
all On account Of his prowiiDg around trying