The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1883-07-10
PECK'S BAD BOY.


boy. suppose YOU have been having
a high old time. There is nothing tha,
does a boy more good than to have a
NICE visit with good uncle, and hear
him tell about old times when he and
the hovs father were boys together
"Well, don't know about it," said
the boy, as be took stick Of maccaroni
and began TO blow paper wa,ls thro' i'll
at woodsawver who was fling saw
outside the door "Wben boy who
|bas been tough ha got his pins all So,
t6 reform, / don't think it does hin any
good TO have real nice uncle come 10
the house visiting. Anyway, that's my
experience. ] have backsld the worst
way, and its eoring to take me month
after uncle Ezra goes away TO climb up
to the grace that have fallen from 1t
is darn discouraging," said the boy, as
he looked up at the ceiling in an inuO-
cent way, and hid the maccaroni under
his coat, when the woodsawyer, who
had been hit in the neck, dropped his
saw and got up mad.
"What's the trouble p. Your uncle
has the reputation VIII re he lives Of be.
ing one of the pillars of society. But
you cant tell about these fellows when
they get away from home. Does he
dr;nk2"
"Nu he don't drink; but as near as ]
can figure it be and pa were about the
worst pills in the box when they were
young. don't want TO repeat it, but
when pa and ma were married they
eloped. Yes sir, actually ran away and
defind their parents, and they had to
hide about o week for fear mas father
would fill pa so full of cold lead that he
would sink if he fell in the water. Pa
has been kicked over the fence and
chased down the alley doz,ns of times
by my grandfather when he was sparkling
ma, and ma was terror, too, cause her
mother couldn't do anything with her,
though she is awful precise now, and
wants everybody to be good. Why,
mas mother used to warm her ears and
shake the daylights oG:. of her, but it
didn't do any good She was mashed
on pa, and there was no cure for her
except to have pa prescribe for her as q
husband, and they ran away. Uncle
Ezra told me all about it. Ma haint got
any patience with girls now days that
have minds of their own about fellows,
and she thinks their parents ought to
have all the say Well, maybe she
thinks she knows all about it But when
people get in love it's the same now as
it was when pa and ma were trying to
keep out of the reach of my grand
fathers shotgun.
"But pa aud ma and uncle EE q are
good friends, and they talk over old
times and have good laugh. 1 guess
uncle Ezra was too much for pa in jok-
ing when they were boys. cause pa told
me that all rules against joking were sus-
pended while uncle Ezta was here, and
for me to play anything on him could
I told pa was trying TO lead different
life, but he said what l wanted TO do
was to make uncle Ezra think Of old
lines, and the only way was to keep
him on the ragged edge. l thought i'll
there was anything could do to make
1t pleasant for my uncle, it was my duty
to do it, so fixed the bed stats on the
spare bed so they would fall down at
2 a IN. the first night. and then l retired.
At two o'clock heard the awfulest noise
in the spare room, and Bowling and
screaming, and l went down and me,
uncle Ezra in the hall, and he asked tne
what was the matter in thele, and l
asked him il he didn't sleep in the spare
room, and be said no, that pa and ma
was in there, and he slept in their room.
Tnen we went in the spare room, and
you'd dide to see pa. Ma bad jumped
out when the stats first fell, and was put
ting her hair up in curl papers when we
got in, but pa was all tangled up in the
springs and things. His head had gone
down first, and the mattress and q1ilts
rolled over on him, and he was almost
smcthered, and we had to take the bed
stead down to get him out, the way you
have to unharness horse when he runs
away and falls down, before you can get
him up. Pa was mad, but uncle Es a
laughed at him and told him he was
only foundered. and all he wanted was a
bran mash and some horse liniment and
he would come out all right. Uncle
Ezra went out in the hall to get a pail
of water to throw on pa, cause he said !
pa was afire, when pa asked the whv in
the blases ! didn't fix the other bed stats,
and told him l didn't know as they
were going to change beds, and then
said don't let 1t occur again. Pa lays
everything to me. He is the most
changeable man ever saw. He told
me to do everything uncle wanted me
to do, and then when helped uncle
Ezra to play trick ON pa he was mad
Say. l don't think this world is run
right, do your haven't got much tine
to talk to you to day, cause uncle Ezra
aud me are going fishing, hut don't it
strike you that it is qneer that parents
trounce boys for doing just what they
did themselves Qieer amt its And
how is it tlat we send missionaries TO
Burmah, to convert them heathenism,
and the same vessel that takes the mis-
sionaries there CARES from Boston a /
cargo. of tin goods to sell to the heath
emp Why wouldn't it be better to send
the missionaries to BostonP l think
the more boy learns the more he gets
mixed"
"Well, bow's your thea'ref Have
any of the great actors supported you
lately P"; said the grocery man, to change
the subject >.
"No, we are of on d Vacations. Booth
and Barrett, and lots Of the stars, are
gone to Europe, and the rest work down
to less high-toned places Some OF the
thea,ers girls are walters at Summer re-
sorts, and lots are visiting relatives on
farms. 1 tell you, it makes difference
whether the relatives are visiting you
or you are visiting them. Actors and
actresses feel awfully when an old gram
ger comes to the town where they are
playing and wants to see them. They
are ashamed of tEeif home spun clothes
and cowhide boots, and they want to
meet him in the alley and in the base
ment of the theater, so the other actors
will not laugh at their rough relatives,
but when the season is over, an actor
who can remember relative out on