The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1883-11-03
THE BAD 10Y.


you seem sort Of broke up this
morning" sail the grocery man
20 the bad boy las lie came in and
stood against the counter, under
the kerosene lamp that was leaking
on his hat. "And | knew you
would be when | saw you going
down the dark alley last night
with that ragged girl that peddles
apples. O, you are a sly one, and
Ihave watched you, and l am sat
isfcd YOU are on the wrong road.
You better let up, young man, or
your people will be ashamed OF
YOU. When a boy hat belongs to
the better class of society goes down
a dark alley with a low girl"
"But, gol darn it, she lived in
the alley. If she hadn't lived III
the alley | wouldn't have gone in
Their" said the boy, a little nettled
at the remarks Of the groceryman,
and trying to explain.
'sYes. that is all right" said the
cheese ficnd, winking at the carpen-
ter who was mailing a weather strip
on the door. and who looked as
though he needed a weather strip
on the bottom of his pants, to bank
up his low shoes. "Ot curse she
lived there and she inveigled you,
a decent boy, INTO her den, and
YOU, didn't have to have your coat
collar pulled off to get you to 60. |
am ashamed of you, to 60 off down
a dark alley, with a disreputable
girl"
"Therc, hold on, condemn you,
said the boy, as he grated his teeth
and picked up a stick ofstovewood
and drew it on the grocery man, his
face pale as a ghost, while the car
penter stopped work to look on.
you say a word against that poor
girl, and down comes your grocery.
She is a christian, that girl Is,
though she cont put on airs and 60
to church with silk dresses and rich
buds. But she prays, by lingo
better than any ot'em. There amt
none of these prayer sharps that
got up and talk big words, that
can make me cry, but that little girl
made me cry last night as though |
had broke a pair Of skates. You
sec her father is a drunkard, and
he takes half she makes peddling
apples, to buy gin, and her grand,
mother has the consumtion, and
that takes the other half to support
her. | knew that girl when |
went to school, and yesterday she
come to me crying, and said she
was going to ask a favor of me
cause | had a heart in me. |
don't how shefoundit out, bnt any
way she said she had knowed it
for wears. II seems her drunken
father had taken all her mony, and
had gone on an awful bum, and
she didn't have any to bug some
of those cough syrup lozengea for
her grandma, and the old lady was
chokin' mp pretty rough, and she
wanted me to lend her a dollar till
she could realize on the apples she
was going to get trusted for. Pro
badly you noticed hav0D'tGot any
watch this morning. | have got
my chain, with q bunch of keys on
it in my pocket, but nobody will
know | haven't got any watch un-
less they ask me what time it is,
and then | will tell them it has run
down, and | guess it has Cause
pawn-brokers never wind up
watches. Well, sir, | gottour dol
lars on my watch, and | went and
bought apples for her and medi-
cine tor her grandma, and then l
vent home down home with her.
iouare right about the alley being
pretty rongh, but when | went in
the little room, where the old lady
was on a bed, and heard her letotf
one of regular bark trom-the-tombs
coughs, that sounded away down
cellar, where it is damp and moul-
dy, | tell you it made me feel seri-
Gus. And when that ragged little
girl got down on her knees and
prayed, there in dirt, and asked
God to bless the friend that had
risen up and lifted such a load Oft
the sufferer, do you know, ! felt as
though ] had swallowed a piece Of
turnip or something hard, and could
not get it up or down, and the tears
come to my eyes just like when you
peel onions. She didn't use any Of
this hight1lution language, such as
the high salaried preachers use,
where you want a dictionary in
your pew to find what the words
mean. It was no full dress, for