The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1883-06-09
Lincoln County Leader.
Saturday. June 8, 1888.
THE A BOY.

erts at last, said the grocery man
to the bad boy, as he came in with
one eve black, and his nose peeled
on one side, and sat down OH a
board across the coal scuttle, and
began whistling as unconcrned rs
possible. "What'sthe matter with
your eyel"
boy tried to gouge it out with
out asking my consent" and the
bad boy took a dried herring out of
the box and began pceling it.
''He's in bed now, and his ma is
poulticing him, and she says he
will be out about the last of next
week"
80, you are going to be a prize
fighter amt YOU" said the grocery
man, disguised. "When a boy
leaves q job where he is working,
and goes to loafing around, to be-
come a prize fighter is the first
thing. What your pa ought to do
is bind you out with a farmer,
where you would have to work all
the time. | wish you would 90
away from here, because you look
like one of these fellows that comes
up before the police Judge Monday
morning, and gets thirty days in
the house of correction. Why
don't you go out and loaf around a
slaughter house, where you would
look appropriated" and the grocery
man took a hair-brush and brushed
some loose sugar and tea, that was
on the counter, into the sugar bar
rel.
"Well, if you have got through
with your sermon, l will toot a lit
tie on my horn" and the boy
threw the remains Of the herring
over behind a barrel of potatoes,
and wiped his hands on a coffee
sack. "If you had this black eye,
and had got it the way | did, 1t
would be = more priceless gem in
the crown of glory you hope to
wear, than any gem you a get by
putting quarters II the collection
plate, with the holes filled with
lead, as you did last Sunday, when
l was watching you. o, didn't
you look pious when you picked
that filled quarter out, and held
your thumb over the place where
the lead was. The way of the
black eye was this. l got a job
tending a soda fountain, and last
night, Just betore we closed, there
was two or three young loafers in
the place, and a girl came in for a
glass Of soda. Five years ago she
was one ofthe biggest scholars in
the ward school, when l was in the
intermediate department, She
was Just as handsome as a peach,
and every body liked her. At re-
cess she used to take my part when
the boys knocked me around, and
she lived near us. She had a heart
as big as that cheese box, and l
guess that's what's the matter.
Anyway, she left school, and then
it was said she was going to be
married to a fellow who is now in
the dude bushes, but he went
back on her and after awhile her
ma turned her out doors, and for a
year or two she wa1 jerking beer
In a concert saloon, until the may
or stopped concerts. She tried
hard to get sewing to do, but they
wouldn't have her, | guess cause
she cried so much when she was
sewing, and the tears wet the cloth
she was sewing on. Once | asked
pa why ma didn't give her some
sewing to do, and he said for me
to dry up and never speak to her if
| met her on the street. 1t seemed
tuff' to pass her on the street, when
she had tears in her eyes as big as
marbles, and not speak to her
when | know her so well, and she
had been so kind to me at school,
Just cause a dude wouldn't marry
her, but | wanted to obey pa, 50 l
used to walk around a block whom
/ see her coming, cause | didn't
want to hurt her feelings. Well,
last night she came into the store,
looking pretty shabby, and wanted
a glass Of soda, and | gave it to her,
and o, how her hand trembled
when she raised it to her lips, and
how wet her eyes were, and how
pale erfsce was. | choked up so
l couldn't speak when she handed
me the nickle, and when she look
ed up at me and smiled Just like
she used to, and said | was getting
to be almost a man since we went
~ school at the old school house,
and put her handkerchief to her
eyes, by gosh, my eyes got so full
cOuldn't tell whether II uoe n