Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-12-25
THE BAD BOY.


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 quire of msnii-
la paper. =.
Cant remove it for thirty days. 1t
is an emblem of mourning. Had a fune-
raj at our house yesterday and the boy
took pickle out OF tab and put 1t IN
the cats mouth, and then went to the
show case, while the grocery 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 gong
to have fit.
81 hadn't heard about it, said the
grocery man, as took the cat by the neck
and tossed her out in the back shed into
an old oyster box full OF sawdust, with
parting injunction that if she was going
to have fits she better 60 out where there
was plenty of fresh air. death Is al
ways sad thing to contemplate. One
day we are full of health, and JOY, and
cold yic;uals, and the next we are screw
ed down in box, few words are said
over our remains, few tears are shed,
and there is race to see who shall get
back from the cemetery first, and though
we may think we are an important fac
tor in the worlds progress, and some
times feel as though it would be unable
to put up margins and have 10 stop the
deal, the world goes right along, and 1t
must annoy people who die, to realize
that they don't count for game. The
greatest man in the world 10 only II nine
spot when hs Is dead. because somebody
else takes the tricks the dead ough, to
have taken. Bat, say, who Is dead at
your house :"
Our rooster. Take care, doa't sou
| kit ne with that clnvassed ham, SAID
the boy as TIC grocery man looked mad
10 learn that there was nobody dead but
rooster, when he had preached such
sermon on the subject.
eyes, now soon we are forgotten when
we are gone. Now YOU would have
thought that ROSTERS h-n would have
remained faithful to him for week a,
least. have watched them all the spring,
and never saw more perfect picture
of devotion than that between the ban
tam rooster and bis hen They were Goa
s,antly together, and there was nothing
too good for her. He would dig up al
gle worms and call her, and when she
came up on galop and saw the great
big worm on the ground, she would look
50 proud OF her rooster, and he would
straighien up and look as though he was
saying to her, I'm daisy and then she
would look at him as Il she would like
to bite him, and just as she was going 10
pick up the worm he would snatch 1t and
swallow il him,ef, 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 resigned, as much as 10
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 of
and find a grasshopper and eat it on the
sly for fear he would see her and COM
plain because she didn't divide. o, |
have never seen anything that seemed 70
me so human as the relations between
that rooster and hen He seemed 10 ny
to do everything for her. He would M ke
her stop cackling when she laid an cgg,
and he would Try to cackle, and crow
over i, as though he had laid it, and she
would get off in a corner and cluck IN
modest, retiring way, as though she
wished to convey the idea TO the servan
girls in the kitchen that the rooster had
to do all the hard work, and she was only |
useless appendage, tit only for society |
and company for him. But was dis
gusted with him when the poor hen was
setting. The first week tina: she sat on
the eggs he seemed to get along first rate,
because be had q couple OF flower beds to
dig up, which press Of business had
caused him to neglect before, and coup |
lie of neighbours gardens 20 destroy, so he
seemed to be glad TO have his hen retire
to her boudoir and set, but after he had
been shooed out Of the gardens aad flow
err beds he seemed to be nervous and ey-
identity wanted 10 be pe!;ed, and he
would 90 near the hen and she would
seem to tell him 10 90 and take a walk
around the block, because she hadn't
time 10 leave'her business, and if she
didn't attend TO it they would have a lot
of spoiled eggs on their hands and no
family to bring up. lie would scold, and
seem to tell her that it was all fOolishness
that for his part he dida't want to hear
lot Of chickens squawking around. He
would seem 10 argue with her that a
brood of chickens would be dead give
away on them both and they would a,
once be classed as old folks, while if tNsv
were alone in the world they would be
spring chickens, and could 90 in young
society, but the hen would scold back
and tell him he ough, 70 be ashamed of
himself to talk tina, way, and he would
90 off mad, and sulk around spell, and
then 90 to neighbor's hen house and
sometimes he wouldn't come back I'LL the
next day. The hen would be sorry she
had spoken so cross, and would seem pain
ed at his stay and would look anxiously
for his return and when be came back aft
er being out in the rain all night, she would
be SOLICITORS after his health and tell him