Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1883-04-28
THE Rad BOY.
HIS MA DECEIvES HIM.

man, as he came in the grocery on . gallOp,
early one morning. with no collar or and
no vest. He looked as though he had been
routed out of bed in hurry, and had
jumped into his pants and boots, and put
on his coat and lat on the run.
81 don't keep saffron" said the grocery
man, as he picked up barrel of axe-hand-
les the boy had tipped over in his hurry.
you want to 60 over to the drug store
Oh the corner, if you want saffron. But
what on earth is the mat"
At this point the boy shot out of the
door, tipping over basket Ofwhite beans,
aud disappeared in the drug store. The
grocery man got down oil his knees on the
sidewalk and scooped up the beans, occa-
sionslly looking over to the drug store,
and just as he got them picked up the boy
came cut Of the drug store and walked
deliberately toward his home as though
there was no particular hurry. The gro
Gerry man looked after him, took up an
axe-handle, spit on his hands, and shouted
TO the boy to come over pretty soon, as he
wanted to talk with him. The boy did not
come To the grocery till toward night, but
the grocery man had seen him running
down town dozen times during the day,
and once he rode up to the house with the
doctor, and the grocer surmised what was
the trouble. Along toward night the boy
came in in a detected sort of tired way,
sat down Oh barrel OF sugar, and never
spoke.
what is it-boy or girl ?'' said the gro
Gerry man, winking at AL old lady with 4
shawl over her head, who was trying TO
hold paper over pitcher Of yeast with
her thumb.
GLOW in blazes did you know anything
about ?" said the boy as he looked around
in astonishment, and with some indlgna-
tioE. "Well, lisa girl, if you must know.
and that's enough" and he looked down
at the cat playing on the floor with po-
tato, his face picture of detection.
20, don't fee bad about il" said the
grocery man, as he opened the door for
the old lady. "Such things are bound to
occur. But you take my word for it, that
young one is going to have hard life,
unless you mend your ways. You Will
be using it for cork to jug, or TO wad
gun with the first thing your ma knows"
Il wouldn't touch the darn thing with
the tongs," said the boy, AS he rallied
enough TO eat some crackers and cheese.
"Gosh, this cheese tastes good. haint
had nothing to eat since morning, have
been all over this town trolling for nurses.
They think boy hasn't got any feelings.
But | wouldn't care a gol darn, if ma
hadn't been sending me for neuralgia
medicine, and hay fever snuff all winter,
when she wanted to get rid ofme. have
come in the room lots Of tunes when ma
and the sewing girl were at work on some
flannel things, and ma would hide them
I'm basket and send me off after medicine.
was deceived up to about o'clock this
morning, when pa came 10 ly room and
pulled me out of bed to go over on the
West Side after some old women that knew
ma, and they have kept ME whoopins ever
since. What does a boy want of sister,
unles 1t Is biz sister? | don't want no
sister that have got to hold, and rock,
and hold bottle for. This affair breaks
me all up" and the boy picked the cheese
out OF his teeth with silver he cut Off the
counter.
"Well, how does your pa take - said
the grocery man, as he charged the boys
pa with cheese, and saffron, and number
Of such things.
80, pa will pull through. He wanted
to BOSS the whole concern until mas chum,
an old oman that takes snuff, fired him
out Into the hall. Pa set there on my
hand-slc,., perfect picture Of despair,
and thought it would be a kindness to
play il on him. | found the cat asleep in
the bathroom, and rolled the Cat up in
u shawl and brought it out to pa and told
him the nurse wanted him to hold the
baby. 1t seemed to C pa good to feel
that he was indispei sable around the
house, and he took tn eaton his lap as
tenderly as you ever saw mother hold
an infant. Well, got in the back hall,
where lie couldn't see ne, and pretty soon
the cat began to wake up and stretch him
self, and pa said, 's-h-h-tootsy, go to sleep
now, and let its pa hold IT, and pa he
rocked back and forth on the hand-sled
and began to sing by, low. baby That
settled 1t with the cat. Well, some cats
can't stand music, any way, aud the more
the eat wanted to get out of the shawl the
louder pa sung. and bimeby heard some
thing rip, and pa yelled, scat you brute
and when looked around the corner OF
the hall the cat was bracing himself
against pas vest with his toe-nails, and
yowling, and pa fell over the sled and
began to talk about the hereafter like the
minister does when he gets excited in
church, and then pa picked up the sled
and seemed to be looking for me or the
cat, but both of us was oftul scarce. Don't
you think there are times when boys and
Gals are kind of few around their accus-
toned haunts! Pa don't look as though
he Was very smart, but he can hold cat
about as we'll as the next man. But am
sorry for me. She was just getting ready
TO go 10 Florida for her neuralgia, and this
will put stop to it. cause she has to stay
and take care of that young one. Pa says
I will have nice time this summer push
ing the baby wagon. By the great horn
spoons, there has got to be dividing line
sapcurharn hot ween husiness and nlsac-