The banner-enterprise., 1883-07-12
THE BAD BOY IN MOURNING.
he TELLS ABOUT A FUNERAL AT HIS
HOUSE
An Interesting sketch Of the bear ps-
pnrtcd's Family Ar ,irs-- The Grocery Mnn
Obtains a View of the Deceased.

clean the dirt out from uHuer your
finger nails" said the grocery man to
the bad boy, as he came in the store
and stroked The cat the wrong way as
she lay in the sun on the counter. on a
q1irs of manila paper. ~.
"Can't remove The dirt for thirty
days. 1t is an emblem OF MOURNING,
Had a funeral at our house yesterday,
and the boy took pickle out OF tub
and but it in the eats mouth, and then
went to the show case; while the gro.
Gerry man, whose back had been turned
during the pickle exercise, thought by
the way the cat jumped into the dried
apple barrel and began to paw and
scratch with all four of her. feet, and
yowl, that she was going to have q tt.
az hadn't heard about it, said the
grocery man, as he took the cat by the
neck and tossed her out in the back
shed into an old oyster box full of saw
dust, with a parting injunction that if
she was going to have fits she better
60 out where there was plenty of fresh
air. death is always a sad thing to
contemplate. One day we are full of
health and joy and cold victuals, and
the next we are screwed down In d
box, few words are said over our re-
mains, a few tears are shed, and there
is a race to see who shall get back
from the cemetery first, and though we
may think we are an important factor
in the worlds progress, and sometimes
feel as though it would be unable to
put up margins and have to stop the
deal, the world goes right along, andi
must annoy people who die to realize
that they don't count for game. The
greatest man in the world is only a
nine-spot when he is dead, because
somebody else takes the tricks the dead
man ought to have taken. But, say.
who is dead at your house|
"Our rooster. Take care, don't you
nit me with that canvased ham," said
the boy, as the grocery man looked mad
to learn that there was nobody dead
but rooster, when he had preached
such a sermon on the subject. Yes,
how soon we are forgotten when we
are gone. Now, you would have
thought that ROSTERS hen would have
remained faithful to him for a week at
least. l have watched them all the
spring, and l never saw a more perfect
picture Of devotion than that between
the bantam rooster and his hen. They
were constantly together, and there
was nothing too good for her. lie
would dig up angle worms and call
her, and when she came up on gallop
and saw the great big worm on the
ground, she would look so proud OF her
rooster, and he would straighten up and
look as though he was saying to her,
'rm daisy and then she would look
at him as if she would like to kiss him,
and Just as she was going to pick up the
worm he would snatch it and swallow
it himself, and chuckle and walk
around and be full of business, as
though wondering why she didn't take
the worm after he had dug it for her
and then the hen would look disap.
pointed at first, and then she would
look resigned as much as to say,
Worms are too rich for my blood
anyway, and the poor, dear rooster
needs them more than | do, because he
has to do all the GROWING and SHE
would 90 off and find grasshoppel
and eat it on the sly for fear he wouC
see her and complain because sht
didn't divide. Oh, | have never seen
anything that seemed to me so human
as the relations between that rooster
and hen. He seemed to try to dc
everything for her. But l was dis
gusted with him when the poor her
was setting. The first week that sh'
sat on the eggs he seemed TO get alon'
first rate, because he had Il couple ol
flower beds to dig up, which press O
,, business had caused him to neglect be
, fore, and a couple of neighbor's garden
to destroy, so he seemed to be glad t.
: have his hen retire to her boudoir AM
: set, but after he had been shoOed on
: of the gardens and flower bells HI
/. . seemed to he nervous, and evidentl
wanted to be petted, and he would g
, near the hen and she would seem t
tell him to 90 and take walk aroun
. the block, because she hadn't time t
leave her business, and if she didn'
attend to it they would have a lot o
spoiled eggs on their hand, and n
family to bring up. He would scolC
|. and seem to tell her that it was a
= foolishness, that for his part he didn'
J want to hear a lot of chickens sluawE
I ing around. He would seem to argu
= with her that a brood Of chicken
! would be a dead give-away on thel
!. both, and they would at oncebe classe
:. as old folks, while if they were alon
J in the world they would lie sprin
y chickens, and could go in young societ
: but the hen would scold back, and te
= ! him he ought to be ashamed of hin
! T. self to talk that way, and he would 9
: off mad, and sulk around a spell, an
y then 90 to neighbor's hen-house an
: sometimes he wouldn't come back Il
! the next day. The hen would be Sorl
y she had spoken so cross, and would see
y pained at his going away and won
y look anxiously for his return, and wht
y he came back after being out in Il
: rain all night, she would be solicitor
= after his health, and tell him he ougl
= to wrap something around him, but
i' acted as though he didn't care for h
health, and he would 60 out again az
=. get chillel through. Finally the h,
, , come off the nest with ten chicken
= and the rooster seemed very proud, ar
= = when anybody came out to look
y !. them he would crow. and seem to s.
y y they were all his chickens, though &
!. !. hen was a long time Matching the
J. y and If it had been him that was settil
: on them he could have hatched the
y out in a week, OF died a trying. b
~ | \ IL kn