Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1883-04-28
The Bad BOy-His Pa Fights
Hornets.

Peck's Sun.
go away from here now" said the
grocery man to the bad boy, as he
came into the store and was going to
draw some cider out of a barrel into a
pint measure that had flies in it. go
right out Of this place, and don't let
me see you around here until the
health officer says your pa has got over
the smallpox. | saw him this morn
ing, and his face is all covered with
postules, and they will have him in
the pest house before night. You git, !"
and he picked up butter fryer and
went for the boy, who took refuge be-
hind barrel of onions, and held up
his hands as though Jesse James had
drawn a bead on him.
ooh, you 60 chase yourself. That is
not smallpox pas got. He had fight
with nest of hornets" said the boy.
"Hornets! Well I'll be cussed," re.
marked the grocery man as he put up
the butter fryer, and handed the boy
slice of muskmelOn. "How in the
world did he get into a nest Of hornets
l hope you did not have anything to
do with it,"
The boy buried his face in the mel
on until he looked as if a yellow cash
had been cut from his mouth to hi;
ears and after Swallowing the melon
he said: "Well, pa said | was respon
sible, and he says that settles it, and
can go my way and he will go his
He says he was willing to overlook
everything | had done to make hi
life unbearable, but steering him int
a hornets nest is too much, and / cal
go.
You see Monday was real Indial
summer day, and pa said he would tax
me and my chum out in the woods t
gather hickory nuts, if we would b
good. | said | would and my chur
said he would and we got a couple c
bags and went away out to Wauwatos
in the woods. We dubbed the tree
and got more than anybody, and ha
a good time. au' pa was Jus enjoyil
, his relidgin first rate. While pa VIZ
taking a nap under tree, my chul
and me looked around and found
+. hornets nest on a low limb of the trC
h we were sitting under, and my chu
4 said it would be good joke to get
pole and run it into the hornets ne
A and then run away.
Honest, didn't think about pa b
ing under the tree, and | went into
o field and got hoop pole and put t
: small end up into the nest, and goug
l. the nest a couple of times, and VIII
% the boss hornet come out of the he
r looking sassy and then looked back
y the hole and whistled to the other he
a. nets to come out and have circI
re and they began to come out, my chu
+. and me run and climbed over fen
i. and got behind pile of hoop pc
that was stacked up. | guess the h
nets saw my pa as soon as they got
IL of the nest, cause pretty soon we hea
pa call to Helen Damnation,' Or sol
i woman we didn't know, and then
," took his coat that he had been usi
for pillow and whipped around,
y hisself on the shoulders, and then t
nc the lunch basket and pounded arou
u like he was crazy, and bimby he star
on run toward town, holding
pants up, cause his suspenders
w w hanging down on his hips, and | ne
ny seen a fat man run SO, and fan his
A' with basket. We could hear /
= ~ yell, come on boys, hell is out
noon,' aud hewent over a hill and
i,' Nv didn't see him any more. We wal
IA till near dark because we were aft
" to go after the bags OF nuts till the
y" nets had gone to bed, and then we CT
u" home. The bags were awful hes
va, and think it was real mean in p
'"u 90 off and leave us and not help CT
III, the bags"