Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-10-19
THE BAD BOY.
He Gets His Pa Arrested for Stealing
Chickens and then Puts Prize Packages
in a Grab

Al
"Well. WELL" remarked the gro
ceryman as the boy came into the
store and sat up on the edge of the
counter, you loom up well for a boy
with the ague. l thought you
couldn't get out of bed, you haven't
been around for nearly week.
20, the ague's played out. l guess
they run out of quinine in this town
while | was sick. Any how they fired
nearly barrel of it down my neck
replied the boy, helping himself to
an apple.
Il heard your father was arrested
last Saturday. What's the trouble?'
asked the groceryman as he closed a
new gate at the end CT the counter
he had had made to keep the boy
away from the sugar bin.
"Well he did come near being run
III, sure, and l guess he would if it
hadn't been for me. You see ma has
been sick ever since sine went into the
deacons cellar to draw cider and met
that skunk, 80 she told pa if he
would get couple of good fat hens,
she would try and make pot pie for
Sunday, as she felt her health failing.
and if her appetite didn't improve
soon she would go hence. whatever
that means. So that evening pa
started out after hens. He was too
late to get dressed ones, 80 he got
two'live ones from the market and
started home. Me and my chum
were layin' for him, and when he
got about half way home it com
menced to rain and he started on a
run 20 az to not get wet. We fol
lowed and met policeman and told
HIM We saw man steal two hens,
and pointed pa out as the man. The
policeman started after him and
yelled at him to halt, but pa did not
hear him. Pretty soon pa saw some
one was chasing him. and thought it
was robber, so he ran all the harder.
Then the policeman pulled out his re-
volver and fired in the air to scare
pa, just as one of the hens got her
wings loose and Topped it in pas
eye: Pa dropped with a groan and
said: I'm shot. Tell my wife 1 died
happy Then a crowd got around
him and was agoing to hang the
but he swore the shot
came across the street, for he saw
two men run, and said he didu't
carry a revolver anyway. and the
crowd might search him. But l saw
him throw it over in a yard and me
and my chum got it the next morn
ing. When pa found he wasn't
dead, he called for a stretcher to
be carried home to die with his
family. While some of the crowd
went for the stretcher. the rest be-
gan to see where the bullet went in,
and when they couldn't find it, he
got up and offered to lick any man
that said he was shot Just then
another policeman came up and
SAID he recognized pa as Chicago
Bill, a notorious safe-robber and that
a reward was offered for him. Pa
said he was an honest man and
agreed to go back to the market
with the chickens and be identified.
They found only one of the chickens,
but the market man knew pa and
fixed it. and then the policeman be-
gan to beg pas pardon and pa gave
him five dollars to keep still about it.
When pa got home he told ma how
he had helped catch a safe blower
and when he got his share of the
reward she could have a new seal
skin sacque."
'Your father'll kill you some day.
But what shout that fuss at the 80
cial at the deacon's night before
last? asked the groceryman, as he
picked the fly specks off from a lot
of maple sugar he was putting away
for new maple sugar next spring.
Il heard the whole church was mad
at each other over a grab bag. and
the presiding elder had all he could
do to quiet things down."
THAT don't amount to much" re-
piled the boy. There's always some
thing turns up when the sociable
season first starts in. You see, ma
was appointed a committee to fix up
q grabbag. Me and my chum were
digging bait that morning to go fish
ing, when pa came out and said,
'Hennery believe you putt up that
chicken job on me, and 1 don't be-
lieve anything but hard work will
reform you. I want you to spade up
the ground under the currant bushes
/ asked him if he wanted hump
backed, disfgured boy, made so by
hard work. Pa said he would risk
the hump. and told me to pitch in,
and then went down town. My chum
said he would help me, and me
and him got the job done before
two O'Clock. When we got done 1
come in and found ma had finished
the grab-bag, and had it all loaded,
with the top fastened with a puck
ering string. and hung on the back
of chair. Ma was up stairs get
ting her Sunday clothes on, to go
to the sociable, SO it didn't take me
and my chum long to empty the bag
and get first choice. Then 1 got our
mouse trap and took it to the barn,
and caught two nice big fat mice and
put 'em in collar box with holes cut
in it, to give 'em air, and dropped that
in the bag. Then my chum remem-
bered a big swapping turtle he had
in the swill barrel, and me and him
got that and wiped it as dry as we
could, and tied it all no but its
head aud put that in just as the dea-
cons hired man came to take the bag
over tO fho cociablo No apd nv