Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1883-01-18

Joe filed posts of honor in his cho-
sen state, fought for his country in the
Revolutionary war, and died full of
years, universally mourned and es-
teemed.
PECK'S BAD BOY.
His Fathers Last Experiment for His
Reform.
''Naw," said the grocery man, as
he charged the cheese to the boys
father, and picked up his cigar stub,
which he had left on the counter, and
which the boy had rubbed on the
Kerosene barrel. 'sNo, sir, that
whistle would scare any dog that
heard it. Say. what was your pa
running after the doctor in his shirt
sleeves for last Sunday morning?
He looked scared. Was your ma
sick again?"
"Oh, no, ma is healthy enough;
she has got new fur-lined cloak.
She played consumption on pa, and
coughed so she liked to raised her
lights and liver, and made pa believe
she couldn't live, and got the doctor
to prescribe fur-lined circular and
pa went and got one, and ma i'm
proved awfully. Her cough has all
gone and she can walk ten miles.
was the one that was sick. You see,
wanted to get pa into the church
again, and get him to stop drinking,
so 1 got boy to write aletter to him,
in female hand, and sign the name
OF choir singer pa was mashed on,
and tell him she was yearning for him
to come back to the church, and that
the chnrch seemed blank without
his smiling face and benevolent heart,
and to please come back for her sake.
Pa got the letter Saturday night, and
he seemed tickled, but 1 guess he
dreamed about it all night, and Sum
day morning he was mad, and took
me by the ear and said I couldn't t
come no Daisy business on him a
second time. He said he knew 1
wrote the letter, and for me to go up
in the store-room and prepare fer the
almightiest licking a boy ever had,
and he went down stairs and broke
up an old apple barrel and got stave
ito whip me with. Well, had to
think mighty quick, but Twas enough
for him. l got dried bladder in my
room, one that me and my chum got
, to a slotte-house, and l blowed il
partly up, SO it would be sort of fla
like, and 1 put it down inside the
back part of my pants, right abou
2 where pa hits when he Furnishes me
l knowed when the barrel stave hi
the bladder it would explode. Well
r pa he came up and found me crying
l can cry just as easy as you can turI
on the water at faucet, and pa tool
5 off his coat and looked sorry. wa
afraid he would give up whipping m,
e when he seen me cry, and wanted
r to go on with the bladder experiment
so looked kind of hard, as if wa
defying him TO do his worst, ant
S then he took me by the neck and lai,
d me across trunk. / didn't dar
struggle much for fear the bladde
= would lose itself, and pa said, "Now
a Hennery, | am going to break yo
of this damfoolishness, or am goin
s to break your back and he spit o
'e his hands and brought the barre
d stave down on my hest pants: We'll
e you'd died if you had heard the ez
plosion. 1t almost knocked me o.
ID the trunk. 1t sounded like firing
1 firecracker away down cellar in bal
re rel, and pa looked scared. l role
off the trunk on the floor and pt
L some -four on my face to make N
look pale, and then kicked my les
ly like fellow who is dying on tt
stage, after being stabbed with a pie'
t, of lath, and groaned and said: 'P
1t you have killed me, but l forgi'
ne you:' and then l rolled around al
frothed at the mouth, cause l had
E. piece of soap in my mouth to NAL
ns foam. Well, pa was all broke up.
y, said: Great God, what have i don
| have broken his spinal column.
Ell my poor boy. do not die.' / Ike
ell chewing the soap and foaming at t
1t. mouth, and 1 drew my legs up Al
We kicked them out, and ciutched u
Is, hair, and rolled my eyes, and th
kicked pa in the stummick as he be
his over me, and knocked his breath Q
ise of him, and then my limbs began
get rigid, and / said. ''Too late, |
ese l die at the hand of an assassin.
he for doctor Pa throwed his c.
to over me, and started down stairs
2" a run, saying, i have murdered
lde brave boy and he told ma TO go
L" stairs and stay with me, cause
lad fallen off a trunk and ruptured
ow blood vessel, and he went after
He doctor.
lis "When he went out of the fir
door, / sat up and Lit cigarette, /:
ar ma came up and told her all alb
lat, how i fooled pa, and if she wo
ry- take on and cry when pa got b
: he l would get him 70 go to chu
ing again and swear off drinking,