The Dawson journal., 1883-10-11
PECK'S BAD BOY.
He Turns PrOdigal Sen and
Goes to Chicago.
Pccks Sun.

Hello, got back again, have you q
said the grocerynGn to the bad boy,
as he came into the store looking
tired, with his clothes soiled and a
general appearance Of having been
sleeping in the freight cars with cat
tie. "Your pa told me he expected
you had run away for good and that
you might not come back. Where
have you been?"
Chicago said the boy as be took
out toad sticker knife and proceed
ed to take the ulster off of smoked
herring. ''Been playing prodigal
son in two acts. But times have
changed since that young fellow in
the bible went off on a tear and came
back and the old folks killed a Young
COW tor him to eat, aud fell Oh his
shirt collar and cried down Che back
of his neck. They doa't receive
prodigal sons that way in oar ward.
They Till a prodigal sons coat tai.
full of boots, and be cant find cold
veal enough in the house to make
sani@ich.
81 thought your folks were pious.
and would be inclined 10 overlook
anything" said the grooeryman, as
he charged the herrings and crackers
to the baa Boys pa. rYon dou't
mean to tell me they went back on
the teachings Of the good booe and
warmed your jaokat?'
"You have guessed it the first
&ime,' said the boy. "rhis prodigal
son business is all right in theory,
but in practice it is dead failure.
You see at Sunday school the lesson
was about the prodigal son, and the
minister told us about how the boy
took all the money he could scrape
up and went away to a distant coun-
try and painted the towns red, and
spent his money like a countryman
at citcus, and how he took in all
the sights, and got broke, and got
hungry and took a job at the stock
yards feeding pigs. and he was So
hungry he used to help the pigs eat
their rations, and finally he thought
of his home, where they had pie, and
he went home expecting to be fired
OUT but his pa was tickled to see
him and set up free lunch Of calf
on the half shell, and hugged the
boy, and made him feel bully.
When we got home pa and ma talked
about the lesson, aud pa said it was
one of the most touching things he
ever heard, and told me to think of
1T, and it would do me good. Well,
the more | thought of it the more
felt like trying~th prodigal business
on, and | told my chum about it,
and he said he hadn't had any vaca-
ton and he would go of prodigaling
: with me if | would go, and we could
see the country and have a good
time, and come back and be received
with open arms. Well, we got all
our money together, and brakeman
on freight train, that gees to our
church cause his wife sings in the
choir, be hid us in the caboose, and
we went to Chicago. 0, my, but
we had good time. I never
saw money wither the way it
did with us. We ate about
twenty times a day, the first
two days, and then our appetites
left us, because we didn't have any
more money. The first two nights
we slept in a two shilling lodging
bed, the third night we walked
around, and the forth night we slept
IN The police station. When our
money was gone, half the fun was
gone. If fellow can walk around
with money in his pocket, he feels
good, even if he don't want 10 buy
anything, but when the money is
gone, he feels bad, and wants to buy
lots OF things We waited two davs
for our brakeman, and when we cot
oon his train he put US in cattle car.
and 1t was vile. traded my collar
button for postal card, and wrote
1 TO pa that the prodigal would put in
appearance at nine p. M. and for
him to prepare to fall on my neck.
and to send down to the meat mar
ket for hind quarter of fatted calf,
and have plenty of gravy. You
wouldn't believe it, but there was no
carriage at the depot, and we had to
walk home. | could have overlook
ed that, if there hal been anything
to eat when got to the house. Pa
was there, however, and I. was iu,t