The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1883-06-01
The Bad Boy.

There, you drop that" said the
grocery man to the bad boy, as he
came liinping into the store and be-
gan to tumble around box OF straw
berries. 81 Il have never kicked q.
your eating my Goldfish, and crackers
and cheese, and herring and apples,
but there has got to be a dividing
line somewhere, and / make it at
Strawberries. at six Shilling abox, and
only two layers in box. I only
bought one box hoping some plumb
er or gas man would come along and
buy it, and by gum everybody that
has been in the store has sampled a
strawberry out of that box, sfivered
as though it was sour, aid gone off
without asking the price," aud the
grocery man looked mad, took a
hatchet and knocked iu the head of a
barrel of apples, and said "There,
help yodrself to dried apples"
70, don't want your strawberries
or dried apples,' said the boy: as he
leaned against show case and look
ed at a bar OF read transparent soap.
II was only trying to fool you. Say,
that bar of soap is old enough to vote.
I remember seeing it id the show
case when I was about a year old,
and pa came over With me and held
ed me up to The show case to look at
that tin tJbaeco box, and that round
sine looking-glass, and the yellow
wooden pocket comb, and the soap
looks just the same, only little fad
ed. fyou would wash yourself once
in while your soap wouldn't dry
up on your hands," and the boy sat
down lii a chair without any back,
feeling that he was even with the
groceryman.
"You never mind the soap. It Ii
paid for, and that is more than your
father can say about the Dap that
has been used ih his house the past
month";" said the groceryman as he
split up box to kindle the fire.
"Bu: we won't quarrel. What was
it heard about a band serenading
your father; and his inviting them to
lunch?''
'Don't let that get ont, or pa will
kill me dead. 1t was a joke. One of
these Bohemian bands that goes
about town playing tunes, for pen
nies; was over on the next street, and
l told pa I guessed some IF his frie nds
who had heard we had a baby at our
house, had hired a band and was
coming in few minutes to sereenade
him, and he had. better prepare to
make speech, Pa is proud of being
a father at Ills age. and he thought it
was no more than right for the neigh
bors to serenade him, and he went to
work loading himself for speech, In
the library, and me and MY chum
went out and tofd the feader Of the
band that there was a family up
there who wanted to have some
music, and they didn't. care w for ex-
penses, SO they quit blowing where
they was and came right along.
None Of them understood English
except the leader, and he only under.
stood enough to take a drink when
he was invited. NY. chum s.eered
the band upj to our house aid got
them to play Babies on Our Block, ,
and Baby Mine and I stopped all
the men who were going. home and
told them to Wait minute and they
would have fun, SO when tile band
got through the second tune. and the
Prussians were emptying the beer out
Of their horns, and pa stepped out on
the porch, there was more nor a
hundred people in front Of The house.
You'd dide to see pa when he put lIt
his hand in the breast Of his cost, and
Struck an attitude. He looked like a
congressman, Of . tramp. The band
was scared, cause they thought he
was mad, and some of them were
goipg to run, thinking he was going
to throw pieces of brick houses at
them, but my chum and the Leader
kept them. Then pa sailed id. He
commenced Fellow Citikens,' and
then went back to Adam, and Eve,
and worked up to tie present day.
giving history Of the notable people
who bad acquired. children, and kept
the crowd interested. I felt sorry
for pa, cause | knew how he would
feel when he cafie.to find out De had
been sold. The Bohemians in. the
band that couldn't understand Eng
lish they looked at each, other and
wondered what it was all about, and
finally pa wound up by stating that
il was ,a every citizens duty to own
children of his own, anil then be in