The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-04-06
THE BAD BOY.
He VIII Carry in Coal, But Draws the Line
at Kindling.
Peck's Sun.

Pecks Sun.
"What's your mother going TO do with tha
three yards Of court plaster saw her buyin,
this morning." asked the grocery man o
bad boy.
80, guess she is going to patch pa up 81
he will hold water. PAS temper got hin
ints the wsrst muss you ever seen, last night
You see, 70 wants ne to do all the worl
around the house. The other day he bough
a load Of kindling wood, and told me ts
| carry u into the basement. / have not beer
educated up to the kindling wood, and die
not do it. When supper time came, and p,
found that had not carried in the kindlint
wood, be had hot box, and he told me Il
that wood was not in when he came bacl
from the lodge he would warm my jacket.
| knew when pa came home he would search
for me. Sc slept in the back hall on cot
But didn't want pa to have all his trouble
for nothing, so l borrowed an old tom cal
my chun's old maid aunt owns, and put the
cat in my bed. The cat isn't afraid of any.
thing, and can whip New Foundland dog
like you can put sand In barrel of sugar.
Well, shout IL O'Clock heard pa tumble
over th. kindling wood, and knew by the
remark he made, as the wood slid around
under him, there was going to be a cat fight
real qukk. He come up TO mas room, and
soundedma as to whether ii emery had re-
tired to ais virtuous couch. Pa is awful sar-
castle Wien he tries to be. could hear
him take of his clothes, and hear him say,
as he picked up trunk strap, i guess will
60 up to his room and watch the smile on
his face, as he dreams of angels. Iyearn to
press him to my aching BOSOM thought
to myself, mebbe you won't yearn so much
directly. He came up stairs, and l could
hear him breathing hard. look out around
the corner and could see he just had On his
shirt and pants, and his suspenders were
hanging down and his bald head shone like
a calcium light just before 1t explodes. Pa
went in my room, and up to the bed; and
could hear him say, Come out of here, and
bring in that kindling wood, or will start a
fire on your base burner with this strap
And thsn there was a yowling such as
never heard before, and pa said, Helen
Blazes,' and the furniture In my room began
to fall around and break. o, my! think
pa took the tom cat right by the neck, the
way he does me, and left all the cats feet
free to get In their work. PAS shirt was no
protection at all In cat fight, and the cat
just walked all around pas stomach, and pa
yelled police and fire. 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 up in the
mattress, 1t would have been all right, but a
man always gets ratified In time Of danger,
and he held on to the cat and started down
the stairs yelling murder, and he met ma
coming up. guess mas night cap, or
something, frightened the cat some more,
cause he stabbed ma on the night shirt with
one hind foot, and ma said, mercy on u.s.
and she went back, and pa stumbled on
hand sled that was OH the stair, and they all
fell down, and the cat got away and run in
the coal bin and yowled all night. Pa and
ma went into their room. and guess they
annointed themselves with vaseline, and
Ponds extract, and went and got into my
bed, cause 1t was cold out in the hall, and
the cat had warmed my bed as we'll as it had
warmed pa. 1t was all | could do to 60 TO
sleep, with pa and ma talking all night, and
this morning came down the back stairs,
and haven't been to breakfast, cause don't
want to see pa when he is vexeG. have
passed the kindling wood period in boys
life, and have arrived at the coal period. l
will carry in coal, but draw the line at
kindling wood"