The Dawson journal., 1883-08-16
The Bad Boy
AND HIS UNCLE EZRA.

10 to buy stick of striped pepper
mint candy for the baby; while
his pa stopped the baby wagon out
On an tbe sidewalk and waited for the
how, with an expression of 'resig-
nation on his face.
"What's got into your pa to be a
nurse girl this hot weather?''
90. we have had circus at our
house" said the bad boy, as he
came in after putting the candy in
the baby's hand. "You see, uncle
Ezra came back from Chicago,
where he had been to sell some
cheese, and he stopped. over a
couple of days with us, and he
said we must play one moreloke
on pa before he went home. We
PLAYED it, and it is a wonder I am
alive, because | never saw pa SO
mad in all my life. Now this is
the last time I go into joke on
shares. If l play any more jokes
Idon't want any old uncle in to
give me away"
"What was it?" asked the gro
cery man, as he took a stool and
sat out by the front door beside
the boy who was trying to eat a
box of red raspberries on the sly.
"Well, uncle Ezra and me brib-
ed the nurse girl to dress the baby
up one evening in some dirty baby
clothes, belonging to our washer
woman's baby, and we put it in a
basket and placed the basket on
the front door steps, and put a
note in the basket and addressed
it to pa. We had the nurse girl
stay out front, by the basement
stairs, SO the baby couldn't get
away, and she rung the bell and
got behind something. Ma and
pa and uncle Ezra and me were in
the back parlor when the bell
rung and ma told me to go to the
door, and 1 brought in the basket,
and set it down, and told pa there
was not in it for him. Ma, she
came up and looked at the note as
pa tore it open, and uncle Ezra
looked in the basket. and sighed
Paread part of the note and stop
ped and turned pale, and sat down,
then ma read some of it, and she
leaned against the piano and graf
ed her teeth. The note was in a
girls hand writing, and was some
thing like this:
OLD BALD-HEADED PET.-You
will have to take care of your
child, because l cannot. Bring it
up tenderly, and don't for heavens
sake send it to the founding asy-
lum. | shall go drown myself.
Your Loving,
ALMIRA."
What did your ma say?" said
the grocery man, becoming in=
Il terested.
-, ma played her part WE'LL
O2cle Ezra had told her the joke,
and she said reich, to pa, Just as
the actresses do on the stage, and
ma put her handkerchief to her
eyes Pa said that it was false,
ana uncle Ezra said, %, brother.
that should live to see this day,'
and | said, as | looked in the
basket I9S pa, it looks like you, and
Il leave it to ma That was too
lluch' and pa got mad in a min
y rle lie always gets mad at me-
put he went up and looked in the
basket and he said it was some
lu'ch baby, and was evidently
from the lower strata of society.
una the unnatural mother wanted
get rid of it, and he said he did
iO' Know 10, any Almira at all. When
lg called it dutch baby, and
Ealled attention to its irregular
lfga'ures, that made ma mad, and
ng took it up out of the basket
,la to!d pa it was perfect pic
aie OF him, and tried to put it in
= arms, but he wouldn't have it.
nj SAD he would call the police
llu nave it taken to the poor
pOuSe. Uncle Ezra took him in d
ofner and told him the best thing
\ could do would be to see the
b ii ana compromise with her, and
u ,a' =. MADE pa mad and he was 90
y 70 hit uncle Ezra with a chair.
"a a was perfectly wild, and if lie
6o r ( gun guess he would have
Il rO st al OF us. Ma took the baby
i ba4 and had the girl to put It
Pon UeL' and after pa got mad
Tough uncle Ezra told him It WAS
ti Ioke' and it was his own ba-
a maj y, we had put it in the bask-
aHu Then he was madden than
d5r dna ne told uncle Ezra never
Nbow III en LIS door again. | don't
I Ig now y he made up with ma for
ling it dutch baby from N" the The
b laJh settlement, but anyway, he
J sn5 It around every day. 5', and nd
an an q pa have got so they speak k
nat lat. was a mighty mean trick.
Sprs you ought to be ashamed of
fe ateii' Where do you expect
.5 groa up when you die?" said said
! ! 'o Id; uncle Ezra it was a mean
X t. v, sad the boy, "but he said said
tr wasn't printing to some Of
rs aro pa had played on him