The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1883-03-20
THE BAD BOY.
He VIII Garry in Coal, But Draws
the Line at Kindling.

q LAAO A4AtAt< tAb bAltnuLlkAf3t
Peek's Sun.
"Whats your mother going to do
with that three yards of court plaster |
saw her buying this morning ?" asked |
the grocery man of the bad boy.
80, Iguess she is going 10 patch pa
up so be will hold water. PAS temper
got him into the worst muss you ever
seen, last night. You see, pa wants me
toedo all the work around the house =
The otherday be bought load of kind
alIlg wood and told me TO carry il into
the basement. I'have not been eiuca
ted up to kindlipg mood, and didn't
10 it. WEn saI,er time came, and pa
found that haa not carried Ia the kina=
ling wood, he had hot box, and he
told me If that wood was not in when
he came back from the lodge he would
warm my jacket knew when pa came
home he would search for me. So
slept in the back hall en- cot. But l
didn't want pa to have all his tronble for
nothing, so / borrowed an old tom Cat
that my chum's OH maid aunt owns,
aud put the cat in my he'd. The Cat
isn't AFRAID of anything, and can whip 8
Newfoundland dog quicker than yno
could put sand in barrel of sugar -
Well, about IL o'clock / heard pa tum-
BILE over the kindling wood, and l kne "
by the remark that be made, as the wood
slid around under him, that there was
going to be cat fight real quick H.
lcome up to mas room, and sounded ma
as to whether Hennerv had retired to
his virtuous coach. Pa is awful sarcas
tic when he tries to be. l could hear
him take off his clothes, and hear him
say, as he picked up a trunk strap, !
guess | will 60 up to his room and watch
the smile on his face, as he dreams oil
angels. l yearn to press him to my
aching bosom l thought to myself
mebbe you won't yearn SO mnch direct
lly He csme.up stairs, and l could hear
him breathing bard l looked out
around the corner and could see he just
: had on his shirt aud pants and his sus
penders were hanging down and his hald
head shone like calcium light iust be-
fore it explodes. Pa went in M room
and up TO the bed !; and / could hear him
say, Come out here and bring in tina,
kindling wood, or l will start fire or
iyour base burner with this strap And
then there was yowling such as nev.
er heard before, and pa said, Helen
Blszas, and the furniture in my room
began to fall around and break. .. nv
think pa took the tom Cat right by the
neck, the way be does me, and that lett
all the cats feet free to get in their work
Pas shirt was no protection at all in s
cat fight, and the cat just walked al
aroand pas stomach, ard pa yelled 'po
lice,' and 'fre,' and turn on the hose
and he called ma and the cat yowled =
If pa had had presence Of mind enough
to have dropped the Cat, or rolled it or
in the mattress, it would have been al
right, but man always gets ratified ir
!. time of danger, and he held on to the
cat and started down the stairs yelling
murder, and be met ma coming up
guess mas night cap, or something
frightened the cat some more, cause ht
stabbed ma on the night shirt with one
hind foot, and ma said mercy on Us,
and she went back and pa stumbled or
hand-sled that was on the stair, anf
they all fell down, and the cat got away
and went down in the coal bin anG
yowled all night. Pa and ma went into
their room, and / guess they anointe
themselves with vaseline, and Ponds
extract, and went and got into my bed
cause it was cold out in the hall, and tht
cat had warmed my bed as we'll as it haG
warmed pa. 1t was all / could do to
sleep, with pa and ma talking all night
and this morning came down the bach
stairs, and haven't been to breakfast
cause l don't want to see pa when ht
is vexed. l have passed the kindline
wood period in boys life, and have ar
rived at the coal period. I will carry Il
coal, but / draw the line at kindling
wood"