The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1883-05-15
THE BAD BOY.


grocery man to the bad boy, as he
came limping into the store, and be-
gan to tumble around box of straw
berries. 81 have never kicked ut
yonr eating my Goldfish, and crackers,
and cheese, and herring, and apples,
but there has got to be a dividing
line somewhere, and make it at
strawberries at six shillings box
and only two layers in box. l only
bought one box, hoping some plum
Der or gas man would come along
and buy it; and, by gum! everybody
that has been in the store has samp-
led strawberry out of that box,
shivered as though 1t was sour, and
gone off without asking the price"
And the grocery man looked mad,
took hatchct, and knocked in the
head of a barrel Of apples, and said :
"There; help yourself TO dried ap-
plcs.' t.
80, don't want your Strawberries
or dried apples" said the boy, as he
leaned against a showcase, and looked
at bar red, transparent soap. 81
was only trying to fool you. Say,
that bar of soap is old enough to vote.
| remember seeing it in the showcase
when WAS about year old, and pa
came in here with me and held me
up to the showcase to look at that
tin tobacco-box and that round zinc
looking glass, and the yellow wooden
pocket comb; and the soap looks just
the same, only little faded. If you
would wash yourse once in a while,
your soap wouldn't dry up on your
hands,, Aud the boy sat down in
the chair without any back, feeling
that he was even with the grocery
man.
"You never mind the soap. 1t is
paid for; and that Is more than your
father can say about the soap that has
been used in his house the past
month"; said the grocery man, as he
split up a box TO kindlc the fire,
"But we won't quarrel. What was
it heard about band serenading
your father, and his inviting them in
to lunch?'
Don't let that get out, or pa will
kill me dead. 1t was a joke. One ol
these Bohemian bands that goes
about town playing tunes, for pen
nies, was over on the next street, ant
| told pa guessed some Of his friend
who had heard that we had a bab!
ut the house, had hired band an,
was coming in Il few minutes to scre
made him, and he better prepare t.
make speech. Pa is proud of being
a father at his age, and he thought i
was no more than right for the neigh
bors to scrcnadc him, and he went t.
loading himself for speech, III til,
library, and me and my chum wen
Iout and told the leader of the bant
there was family up there tina
wanted to have some music, and the.
didn't care for expense, 50 they qui
blowing where they was and cam
right along. None Of them could un
dcrstand English except the leader
and he only understood enough to y
and take drink when he is Inv.t d
| My chum steered the band up to ou
house and got them to play Babies OF
our Block and Baby Nine, and
stopped all the men who were goin
home and told them to wait minut
and they would see some fun, S
when the band got through the sec
ond tune, and the Prussians wer
temptying the beer out OF the horn,
and pa stepped out OH the porch, ther
was more nor hundred people i
front Of the house. You'd dide t
see pa when he put his hand in tl
breast of his coat, and struck an att
tude. He looked like a congressman
Or tramp. The band was scarce
cause, they thought he was mad, an
some Of them was going to run, thinl
ing he was going to throw pieces I
brick house at them, but my chul
aud the leader kept them. Then |
sailed in. lie commenced, 'Fello
Citizens, anu then went way back
Adam and Eve, and worked up to Il
present day, giving a history Of Il
notable people who had acquire
children. and kept the crowd inte
ested. l felt sorry for pa, cause
knew how he would feel when
came to find out he had been sol
The Bohemians in the band til
couldt understand English, TIN
looked at each other, and wonder,
what it was all about, and finally
wound up by stating that 1t was ev
' ry citizens duty to own children
> his own, ard then he invited the bal
and the crowd in to take some /
! freshments. Well, you ought to ha
" seen that. band come in the .hou:
They fell over each other getting
aud the crowd went home, leaving
and my chum and me and the ban
: Eat? Well, should smile! They ju
Il reached for. things, and talked Boil
: mian. Drink? y, ne! l guess th
:, didn't pour it down. Pa opened
! dozen bottles of champagne, and tn
i. fairly bathed in it, as though til
= had a fire inside. Pa tried to talk