The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-07-25
THE BAD BOY.
From Peck's Sun.

Here, condemn you, you WILL pay Ior
that cat" said the grocery man to the
bad boy, as he came in the store all
broke up, the morning after the 4th Of
July.
"What cat?" said the boy, as he leaned
against the zinc ice box to cool his back,
which had been having trouble with a
bunch of fire crackers in his pistol pocket.
1--WE haven't ordered any cat from here.
Who ordered any cat sent to our house :?
We get our sausage at the Market" and
the boy rubbed some cold cream on his
nose and eyebrows, where the skin was
off,
"Yes, that is all right enough" /" said
the grocery man, "but somebody who
knew where that cat slept, in the box of
sawdust back of the store. filled it full of
fire crackers Wednesday forenoon, when
was out to see the procession, and
never notified the cat, and touched them
of, and the cat went through the roof OF
the shed, and she hasn't got hair enough
left on her to put in tea. Now, you
didn't show up all the forenoon, and I
went and asked your ma where you was,
and she said YOU had been setting up
four nights straight along with sick
boy in the Third ward, and you was
sleeping all the forenoon of the 4th OF
July. If that is 80, that lets you out on
the cat, but it don't stand to reason. Own
up, now, was you asleepa all the forenoon,
the 4th, while other boys were celebrat-
ing, or did you scorch my cat?" and the
grocery man looked at the boy as though
he would believe every word he said, il
he was bad.
"Well," said the bad boy, as he yawn-
ed as though he had been up all night,
II am innocent of sitting up with your
cat, but plead guilty to sitting up with
Duffy. You see, I am bad, and it don't
make any difference where am, and
Duffy thumped me once, when we were
playing marbles, and said I would get
even with him som time. His ma washes
for US, and when she told me that her
boy was sick, with fever, and had no
body to stay with him while she was
away, thought it would be q good way
to get even with Duffy when he was
weak, and I went down there to his
shanty and gave him medicine, and read
to him all day, and he cried, cause he
knew l ought to have mauled him, and
that night I sat up with him while his
ma did the ironing, and Duffy was 60
glad that I went down every day, and
Stayed there every night, and fired me
dicine down him, and let his ma sleep,
and Duffy has got mashed on me, and he
says will be an angel when die. Last
night makes five nights l have sat up
with him, and he has got SO he can eai
beef tea and crackers. My girl went
back on me cause she said I was sitting
up with some other girl. She said that
Duffy story was too thin, but Duffy's ma
was washing at my girls house and she
proved what said, and l was all right
again. slept all the forenoon the 4th,
and then stayed with Duffy till 4 o'clock,
and got furlough and took my girl to
the Soldiers Home. had rather set up
with Duffy, though"
20, get out. You can't make me be-
lieve You had rather stay in sick room
and set up with boy, than to take girl
to the 4th of July" said the grocery man
ss he took brush and wiped the saw
dust off some bottles of peppersauce
that he was taking out of q box. "You
didn't have any trouble with the girl
did you?"
"No,-not with her." said the boy, n
he looked into the little round zinc mir
| ror to zee if his eyebrows were begin
ming TO grow. "But her pa is 80 unrea
sonable. think man ought to know
better than to kick boy right where he
has had q pack of firecrackers explode in
his pocket. You see, when ! brought
the girl back home, she was wreck
Don't you never take girl to the 4th o
July. Take the advice of . boy who has
had experience. We hadn't more thar
not to the Soldiers Home grounds before
some boys who were PLAYING tag grabbed
! hold Of my girls crushed-strawberry 20