The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1883-06-30

up the shore, where they knew he
wouldn't get a bite in a week, the
way a fellow at Mr,skcgo lake he'd
to our minister q spell agol / tell
you, boss, it is a sad thing for a
boy to have all imagination" and
the boy put his other knee in the
sling mako by the clinched fingers
Of both hands, and waited for the
grocery man to argue with him.
81 wish YOU would go away from
here. I'm afraid OF YOU" said the
grocery man. 81 would give any
thing if your pa or the minister
would come in and have a talk
with YOU. Your mind is wander
ing And the grocery man went
to the door and looked up and
down the street to see if somebody
wouldn't come in and watch the
crazy boy, while he went to break
fast.
20. pa and the minister can't
make a first payment on me. Pa
gets mad when | ask questions,
and the minister thinks l am past
redemption. Pa said yesterday
the badness was caused in every
case, by mems wearing plug hats;
and when | asked where the good
Elijah Whom the boys called go
up. bald-head, and the bears hsdaa
free lunch on them), got his plug
hat, pa said school was dismissed,
and I could go. When the minis
ter was telling me about the good
Elijah going up through the clouds
in q chariot Of fire, and | asked the
minister what he thought Elijah
would have thought if he had met
our Sunday-school superintendent
coming down through the clouds
on a bycicle, he put up his hand
on my head and said my liver was
all wrong. Now, l will leave it to
you if there was anything wrong
about that. Sayl do you know
what | think is the most beautiful
thingin the bible!"
mo, | don't" said the grocery
man, land if you want to tell it, l
will listen Just five minutes, and
then l am going to shut up the
store and go to breakfast. You
make me tired"
well, | think the finest thing is
that story about the prodigal son,
where the boy took all the money
he could scrape up, and went out
west to paint the towns red. He
spent his money in riotous living,
and saw every thingthat was going
on, and got full of benzino, and
struck all the gangs of fought, both
male and female, and his stomach
wentback on him, and he had NAL
aria; aud finally he got to be a COW
boy, herding hogs, and had to eat
husks that the hogs didn't want,
and got pretty low down. Then
he thought it was a good scheme
to be getting around home, where
they had three square meals a day,
and spring mattresses; and he
started home, beating his way on
the trains, and he didn't know
whether the old man would receive
him with open arms or pointed
boots. But the old man came
down to the depot to meet him, and
right there, before the passengers,
and the conductor and brakemen,
he wasn't ashamed Of his boy,
though he was ragged, and looked
like he had been on the war-path
and the old man fell on his neck
and wept, and took him homo in q
hack, and had a veal pot-pie fol
dinner. That's what l call sense.
A good meny man now a days
would have put the police on the
tramp, and had him ordered out Of
town. What, you going to close
up the storel Well, | will see you
later. | want to talk with you
about something that is weighing
on my mind" And the boy go
out just in time to save his coat tai
from being caught in the door; anc
when the grocery man came bach
from breakfast, he found a sign il
front; This store is closed til
further notice. Sheriff"