The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-10-13
THE BAD BOY AND HIS PA.
ss axoseK N. rkcs.

Say, you thtnk ct about eeefythtnr mean there is going. don't you ? said the groceyman tc the bad boy. as he came in to show that his black eye had been cured. " The minister explained 10 me yesterday how you caused him and your father 10 lay and soak ,a the water for about three hours, one hot day last summer. in the lake. and they both hhstefed thelt backs, The minister says the skin has no, stopped peeling off his shoulders yet. Whs, caused you 70 play such mean tr,ck on them."
 %. II was their own fault said the boy. as he looked with disda,n on watermelon that was out of season. and had no charms in October. "Nou see, the nigh, the scciable was al our house. the minister and some of the dcacons were up in my room. which they used tha, night for a smok,ng-room, and while they were smoking they were telling stories abou, what fun they had when they were boys. and l remember one story the minister told ahoI, hnding some g,ris in swimming once. and stealing their clothes, and making them wait til night and then sitl had to ,ix herself ur with newspapers and ge home and send a wagon after the rest ot the g,fls. The minister thought il was awful cunning. so when the church had the picnic last sum mer on the b ,nk ot the lake. l femem. bctcd about it. Heats all, dom, fl. how boy will remember anything like ihh We'll, after dinner l saw pa whisper ,o the minister. and they took couple oi towels and pieee ei soap. anal started of up the lake ahou, haii ! nnle. and l knew they were gs,nK m swimming. Well. |, dent take me sery long ,o catch on. got an over. dress that one oi the gitls had been wearing toWash dishes. and shawl. and stole hat selongine to the soprano oi the eho,t, and red par,,ol that a gitl lett under tree. and l went down in the woods and put on the clothes. over my pants and things. and when pa and the minister had got Tn the water and were swimming around, pn, up the pstas"l and inpped along, lhc shore like Il R,ii picking tiowcts and when ] came l" the stump where they pu, theit clothes itdn'i look toward tho water. ha, acted ,ited. and sa, down on the stump and began ,o tan myself Noad ,ltdc ,o see
  iu the shallow wntcf. und sad. ldcf. da yni see that Inc eldet looked, ~l,h his>e.i all under water eNf cpt hts head. and sad. Neteiinl eoodnrss s4uire. VIC arc n io' il. That interesting female IS eaing ta sl thrir and read s novel through before she eocs away peckcd through the Ian and could see tl they sad ,whiie pie,ended tn read novel. They swam around. and msde natse ha, 1 was deal. and l thought Il wasn't my worse tof me to s.i on the stump ihtu tt was for the mlnis ter when he was | good little boy. to stc..i the clothes ui the .:isls stayed anul l ra, ufed. and dbdn', hear them when they hollete to me to 70 away and alter a ~hilc they ga, water soaked. and had tn do something so the minister broke oil . piccc oi tee and dressed himself n T, and tne ,tp towards me, and >s'd. Madame. es use
 me for troubling you. hu, fl you ~lll Rn away while ge, my clothes. will take il as a favor p,etende.i to be insnlicsi, and go, up ana walked oa very indignant. and went back to ,he picnic and fe'amei ihc clothes, and pretty soon they ame up. looking aS rcd as f they had been dunk ing, and the ptentt va ready to 20 home somebody told pt !, was me, ba, doe'i know who |, WIS that give Il away Any say. he chased me clear out of the woods Wtth picse of sspling That was the nme told you l Nas too tifrd to ri~. and walked home from the pienlf Ia has forglvcn me. ba, dan't believe lhe minis,e, ever ~ll. Don't you think some oi these pious folks are awful uHiofgis- m =
 "o, people are no, ail ss good as you and l 4fe." sand ,he gto cry man s. he w., hel lhe boy making sneak on a bun h uf grapcs. " HIi did you go tothe cucas f
 "6ucus, Weil, l should asNn,lalr And R ,s wonder am no, there yet. iiat whatever you do. dont aSk pa fl he vas a, the circus. esase he will klli you. You see pa and l drove up to the race track. where the cltsus was. in the even
 ing. and after he e.t.us ~as out, we waited to see the men take the tents do~n. and after they had gone. we s,aned 10 dfivc home. IL was darker than a squsws pos ke,, and drove on the race track and the old horse used ,o to be raeer and he pne ked up hls ears. Ia took the lines and sad he woalc drive cause we were out pretty late. and ma would be nervous. told pa l didn't be. heve he vas m the rghi road, bat he said he gue&ssd nobody could fool hlm about the road to town, and bless me Il he didn't drive around that traf X about eigh, times. Every tune we passed the grand stand, winch pa couldn, see, on account of his eyes, laiied, but though, fl he kne~ Inc road so eonfou nded well l could ude as long as he could. After ~e had rode around the fas k about eighi males and 1 was get ting sleepy n ld.y sagsessed that tns} be VT had better siop A, hp-se and lnqufe ihe say to toNn, and Pa goi mad and asked me | took hisn for :. foo. Then hc drove around d couple of tunes more. and the man tha, keeps the uaak he came out ~.ih lantern and sand hello Ia stopped and asked him ~hat he wanted and he sad. c. ao'hin'
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