The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-10-04

nights we SiepG IN LWO>snllllng lOdg-
ing hqnses, the third night we walked
around, and the fourth night we
slept in the police station. When our
money was gone half the. fun was
gone. If a fellow can walk around
with money in his pocket he feels
good, even if he don't want to buy
anything. but when the money is
gone, he feels bad, and wants to buy
lots of things. We waited two days
for our brakeman. and when we got
on his train he put us in cattle car,
anu it was vile. | traded my collar
button for postal card. and wrote
to pa that the prodigal wo:ld put in
an appearance at 8 P. NJ, and for him
to prepare to fall on my neck, and to
send down to the meat market for
quarter of fatted calf, and have
plenty Of gravy. You wouldn't be-
lieve it, but there was no carriage at
the depot, and we had to walk home.
I could have overlooked that, if there
had been anything to eat when got
to the house, bat there WASH enough
for canary bird. Pa was there, how.
ever. and | was just going to hold
my neck for pa to get on and weep,
when he grabbed it with his hand
and came near twisting it Oft, and
then he turned me around and be-
gan to play bass drum ON my clothes
With his feet. Inever was so annoy.
ed in all my life. honestly. 1t was
not the treatment ] had u right to
expect, after they had told me about
the prodigal son Of ancient times.
AS quick as / could catch my breath
I asked pa what he thonght the
Prodigal Son of the Bible times would
have thought If his pa had mauled
him when he came home, and what
kind of st ,ry 1t would have made,
if it had told about the old man TAX
ing him by the neck and kicking him
all over the room instead Of falling
on his neck and weeping. and giving
him a veal pot pie. Pa said he wasn't
running any old back number prodi-
gal sons, and he thought his way was
the best, and he sent me TO bed with
out any supper. That settles the
prodigal business with Hennery. No
more fatted calf for Hank, if you
please and the boy got up and
shook the herring peelings off his lap.
well, how die. your chum come
out?" asked the grocery man, with
much interest.
ooh, he hasn't come out yet. He
is III the lookup" said the boy. ellis
ma put the police onto him, and when
he showed up they run him into the
police station for q tramp. l think
we have both demonstrated that this
climate does not agree with the prod.
igal business, and however much they
| try to teach US the beauties Of such
stories they do not expect us to try
to initiate them. When | 90 to Chi
cago after this shall go i'll parlor
car, with lunch enough to Lass me,
and return ticket. / don't under>
stand it at all. Now / didn't do half
the mean things in Chicago hat the
Prodigal Son of old did in the far off
country. and yet he got taffy when he
got home and got my spine broke.
II may be all right. but they do things
different in the old country, you
know"
''If l understand the kind Of a
prodigal son you are said the gro
cery man. as he sprinkled the floor
from wash basin, preparatory to
the semi,annnal sweeping out, "you
have got even with your pa before
this for his outrageous treatment.
That is, mind you, don't suggest
anything for you to play Oh him, but
from what l know of you the account
is evened up before now. Am l
right?'
well, / should remark. Any per.
son who thinks l cannot resent such
an insult makes mistake as to the
sort OF prodigal son / am. We had
company at dinner to day, and pa is
/ always in his element when we have
company. He prides himself on his
carving. We had roast of beef, anf
before it went on table l took the
steel that pa sharpens the carving
knife on and made two holes righ1
through the roast. and then took s
rawhide whip that pa basted me with
once, cut it in two and run pieces q
rawhide in the holes of the beef. Ps
began carving with a smile and asked
the minister if he would have his bee
rare or an outside piece. He wa:
bearing gently OH the carving knife
when the knife struck the ~rawhid'
, and it wouldn't go any further Fl
j smiled and said he guessed he had
struck barbed wire fence, and h
turned the roast around and Gu
, again, and he struck the rawhide
The minister drnmmed with his forl
| and spoke to ma and said We had
e splendid meeting Wednesday night,
t and ma said it was perfectly gorgeous
i, and pa began to perspire and tur
! red in the face. and he said som
\ words that wodld sound better in
b brewery, and he tried to gouge o
g some meat, but it wouldn't come, an
e the minister said: Brother. you seel
h to be having monkey and parre
If time with that roast and that mad
n pa mad and he said he could cary
,rI his own meat without any sky pilot
,e interference, and ma said why, p
Idt YOU should nor be impudent. and 7
7e said he could whip tue butcher th
.y .oId sd illire-that piece Of wor)ox, anu
xi.o bocf ont 4I1p Kitchen