Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-06-16
His Pa Gets Boxed.

His Pa Gets Boxed.
"You don't want to buy good parrot
do you," said the bad boy to the grocery
man, as he put his wet mittens on the
top of the stove to dry, and kept his
back to the stove SO he could watch the
grocery man and be prepared for a kick,
if the man should remember the rotten
eg sign that the boy put up in front OF
the grocery last week.
"Naw, don't want no parrot. / had
rather have fool boy around than a
parrot. But what's the matter with your
mas parrot? l thought she wouldn't
part with him for anything"
"Well, she wouldn't, until Wednesday
night, but now she says she will not
have him around, and may have half
can get for him. She told me to 60 to
some saloon, or some disreputable place
and sell him. and l thought may be he
would about suit you," and the boy
broke open bunch of celery and took
ont few tender stalks and rubbed them
on Goldfish to salt them, and began to
bite the stalks, while he held the sole Of
one wet boot up against the stove to dry
it, making a smell Of burned leather that
came near turning the stomach Of the
cigar sign.
"Lookahere, boy, don't lou call this a
disreputable place. Some of the best
people in this town come here" said
the grocery man, as he held up the
cheese knife and grated his teeth as
though he would like to jab it into the
youth.
80, that's all right. They come here
cause you trust. But you make up
what you lose by charging it to other
people. Pa will make it hot for you the
last of the week. He has been looking
over your bill, and comparing it with
the hired girl, and she says we haven't
ever had a prune, or raisin or any
cinnamon, or crackers and cheese out Of
your store, and he says you are worse
than the James Brothers, and that you
used to be three card monte man, and
he will have you arrested for high way
robbery. But you can settle that with
pa. like you, because you are no or
dlnary sneak thief You are a high
toned, gentlemanly sort Of blk, and
wouldn't take anything you couldn't lift.
O, keep your seat, and don't get excited.
1t does man good to hear the truth
from one who has got the nerve to tell
it. But about the parrot. Ma has been
away from home for a week, having a
high old time in Chicago, going to
theatres and things, and while she was
gone guess the hired girl or somebody
learned the parrot some new things to
say. A parrot that only say Polly
wants a cracker don't amout to any
thing. What we need is new rtyle par
rots that can converse OH the topics of
the day, and say things original Well,
when ma got back Oless her consci-
ence hurt her for the way she had been
carrying on in Chicago, and so when she
heard the basement Of the church was
being fresco.d she invited the commit.
tee to hold the Wednesday evening
prayer meeting at our house. First,
there were four people came, and ma
ask ed pa 10 stay to make up quorum,
and pa said seeing he had two pair, he
guessed he would stay in, and if ma
would deal him queen he would have
full hand l don't know what pa
meant, but plays draw poker sometimes
Anyway, there was eleven came includ-
ing the minister. and after they had
talked about the neighbors a spell, and
ma had showed the women a new tidy
she had worked for the heathen, with a
motto on it which pa had taught her, "a
contrite heart beats bob-tailed fush,'
and pa had talked to the men about
religious silver mine he was selling stock
in, which he adviced them as a friend
to buy for the glory Of the church, they
all went in prayer. He got down on his
knees right under the parrots cage, and
you'd dde to see Polly hang on to the
wires of the cage with one foot and drop
an apple core on the minister's head.
Ma shook her handkerchief at Polly, and
looked sassy, and Polly got up on the
perch and as the minister got warmed
up, and began to raise the roof, Polly
said, %, dry up The minister had his
eyes shut, but he opened one Of them a
little and looked at pa. Pa was tickled
at the parrot, but when the minister
looked at pa, as though it was him that
was making irreverent remarks, pa was
mad. The minister got to the Amen