Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-10-05
JASPER AND THE FIRE.

things that way, you know; the best
way TO do is not to do them.
Perhaps that was about the way JAS
per himself thought, now that it was
too late, as. tired and anxious, ragged
and grimy, he sKulked along in the
shadow toward home.
He was not very big nor very old,
this boy Jasper, and it twas getting pref
ty dark, and Jasper himself was get
ting uncommonly hungry. But, some
way or other, he did not hurry home rs
fast as you might think he would, I'M
der these circumstances.
But then he had good reason for
not hurrying.
Ordinarily, he would have rushed
home and into the house pell-mell, and
vociferously announced to his mother
that he was hungry as bear, and
wanted something to eat" But you
don like to run in the lannon's mouth
to get the ball.
And when Jasper got home tonight,
he was pretty sure of getting something
else besides something to eat. The
truth is, he expected to ''catch it" when
he got home.
Perhaps you don't know what "catch-
ing it is. Jasper did. perfectly well
he had had considerable experience in
catching it," but had never enioved it.
This was the reason why he felt so
solemn this evening, and why he walked
so slow, and why his feet felt so heavy
as he walked.
But must hurry and tell you what it
was that Jasper had done, and now
wished that he had not.
de had been to the fire, fatty dis
obeyed his mother, and scampered off
right before her very eyes.
1t was dreadful in Jasper; for, besides
the disobedience of the thing, his mother
was nervous woman, and he should
not have helped to make her more so.
She had just been telling Mrs. Cole
main that it would drive her to the verge
Of distraction to have her son running
around between iire-engines, and under
horses hoofs, and beneath blazing en-
bers the way those Warren boys did.
And Jasper had heard her tell Mrs.
Coleman this, too-or, at least. he could
have heard if he had listened.
l am not sure, though, that he did
listen, for, ut the time, Mrs. Coleman
and Jasper's mother and Jasper himself
where ali standing on the sidewalk. try
ing to make out where the fire was.
The fire-bells were ringing and the
fire-engines were rushing by, and a
crowd of men and boys were tearing
along the road after the engine So YOU
can see there was considerable to take
Jasper's attention away from what his
mother was saying to Mrs. Coleman.
Another thing that may have attracted
Jasper was his overwhelming desire to
become part of that moving mass of
men and boys.
Cant l 90, mother ?" he demand
ed, vehemently, clutching at his moth
er's dress. ''Fll be sure and not get
killed."
"No!' said his mother, with empha-
sis. LET me catch you going, sir!f'
But the excitement of the scene be-
fore him was too much for Jasper. 1t
was perfectly maddening to have to
stand there stock still, as though he
hadn't any legs to run with, when eve
rybody else--all the other boys, anyway
were running as fast as their legs
would carry them.
just here, q squad of little boys, about
Jasper's own age, came screeching and
yelling down the road in the rear of a
tardy engine, and them really do not
think Jasper could have been personal
ly responsible for what he did he took
to his heels, joined the crowd of boys,
and was lost to sight, all in just about
one second.
And his mother was screaming after
him: aH
"Come back here! Oh, you'll catch
Hr'
Ii 1t hadn't been that she had the baby
in her arms, believe she would have
run along with the crowd herself in
pursuit of this rebellious son of hers.
But all this had happened several hours
ago.
Jasper was not excited now, and his
personal responsibility had all come
back to him. 1t weighed him down
there was so much of it.
And the fire was all out, too. 1t had
not been such a very great fire, anyway.
There was SO much smoke and so little
blaze, and the firemen had been in such
a hurry to put it out. f
And then little short fellow, like
Jasper did not. have half chance to
see anything. with so many grown men
III front OF MIN.
1t had not been at all satisfactory
fire, and then just think of having to
come home in the end and .'.catching
itr' Poor Jasper!
When he got into the yard he thought
he would just see how the land lay be-
fore he ventured into the house. So he
peeped into the dining-room window
and if there were not the folks just sit
ting down to dipping hot" supper!
They had poached eggs and toast, and
repentant Jasper, hanging on the win
dow-sill, thought:
''How good poached eggs and toast
do look when fellows been and run
away to the fire, and don't dare go in
when he's just a-starvingr'
And then he devoutly wished again
that he hadn't gone to that fire.
Jasper was a great boy for wishing,
you see; but if ne had studied Mother
Goose as thoroughly as have done,
he would know that
If wishes were horses,
Beggars might ride"
And that is only poetical way of
saying: There's no use in wishing.
Jasper looked on hungrily until he
had seen the last egg disappear from
the platter, and then he felt more
hungry than ever. He noticed that his
mother kept looking at the clock, and
once he saw her lips say:
II wonder why that boy don't
GOMEZ
Then she got up and went to the
door to look for him, and Jasper hastily
retreated into the dog-kennel. He
Struggled up against old Rover. cried
little, and wished again he hadn't gone
to that old fire; and then he stopped
wishing and went eouud aeladx,