The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1883-05-05
County Leader.
Saturday, May 5, 1883.
THE BAD BOY.
From PICKS Sun.

- 0AhhN OaNbAI y Dhlu
headed gosh what's the mates
with youi" said the grocery man t.
the bad boy, as he came into tn,
grocery on crutchcs, with one arm
IN u sling, n eye blackened, and
a strip Of court plaster across one
side Of his face. Where was the
explosionl or, have you been in a
fight Or, has your pa been giving
you what yon deserve, with a club
Here, let me help you. There;
sit down on that chair. Well, by
the great guns! you look as though
you had called somebody q liar.
What's the mattcr!" And the gro
Gerry man took the crutches and
stood them up against the show
case.
"Oh, there's not much the mat
ter with me- said the boy, in a
voice that sounded all broke up, as
he took a big apple off a basket,
and began pecling 1t with his up
per front teeth. IF you think |
an . wreck, you ought to see the
minister. They had to carry him
home in installments, the way they
buy sewing machines. I'm all
right, but they have got to stop him
up with oakum and tar, before he
will ever hold water again"
Good graciousl You have not
had a fight with the minister, have
youl Well, l have said all the
time, and l stick to it, that you
would commit a crime yet, and 20
to state prison. What was the fuss
about" And the grocery man
laid the hatchet out of the bows
reach, for fear he would get excited
and kill him.
"Oh, it want no fuss. 1t was in
the way of business. You see, the
livery man hat l was working for
prompted me. He let ME drive a
horse to haul sawdust for bedding.
first, and when he found | was real
careful, he let me drive an express
wagon, to haul trunks. Day before
Yesterday, | think it was (yes, l
was in bed all day yesterday, day
before yesterday there was a tuner
and our stable furnished the
1t was only a common
eieven-dollar funeral, and they let
me 20 to drive the horse for tho
nlnister-you know, the buggy
that goes ahead of the hearse.
They gave me an old horse that is
years old, that has not been
9h OF a walk since nine years ago
and they told me to give him a
loose rein, and he would 90 along
right. It's the same old horse
used to pace SO fast on the
avenue, years ago, but l didn't
know it. Well, | want to blame. ]
just let him walk along as though
ne was hauling sawdust, and gave
llm a loose rein. When we got
III OF the pavement the fellow that l
the hearse, he was in a {
iurry,' cause his folks was going to t
ave ducks for dinner and he t
wanted to get back, SO he kept I
irving along side my buggy, and +
cling me to hurry up. wouldn't q
1t, cause the livery man told q
ne to walk the horse. Then the 4
minister, he got nervous, and said =
didn't know as there was any v
ISe OF going 30 slow, because he +
'anted to get back in time to get
Ils lunch and go to a minister's ?
meeting in the afternoon, but a
old him we would all get to the Ii
emetery soon enough if we took Il
cool, and as for me l wasn't in a
y sweat. Then n of the drivers 8
hat was driving the mourners, he Fl
anne up and said lie had to get h
ack in time to run a wedding o
own to the one o'clock train. and t
me to pull out a little. l have h
zen enough of disobeying orders, h
told him a funeral in hand d
as worth two weddings in the 81
ush, and as far as l was concerned Il
lis funeral was going to be con. il
ncted in a decorous manner. if we c;
ldn't get back till next day. Well, st
minister said in his regular d
unday-schOol way, Ny little man. Il
I NE take hold of the lines and Il
ke a darn fool | gave them to him. n
e slapped the old horse on the fc
upper with the lines, and then h
rked up, and the old horse stuck n,
, his Oft ears, and then the hearss fu
told the minister to Dull he
lrd and saw on the bit 4 little fir
the old horse would wake nm I'll
ne hearse driver used to drive n
e old PAGER on the track, and he
what he wanted. The min.
fnnE nfi L.. Il