Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-03-17
HEJOINS A TEMPERANCE SOCI
ETY..
Peck $ sun.

"Don't you think my pa is show
ing his age good deal more than
usual ?" asked the bad boy of the
grocery man, as he took a smoked
herring out of box and peeled off
the skin with brOken-bladedj jack
knife, and split il open and ripped
off the bone, threw the head at a
cat, and took some crackers and be-
gan to eat.
"WelI, l don't know but he does
look as though he was getting old, ]"
said the grocery man, as he took a
piece of yellow wrapping paper and
charged the boys poor old father
with dozen behring's and pound
of crackers" but there is no Won
der he is getting old. / wouldn't
90 through what your father has
the last year for 81 100000. / tell
you, boy, when your father is dead,
and you get stepfather, and he
makes you walk the chalk-mark,
YOU will realize what a bonanza you
nave fooled yourself out of by kill
ing out your father. The way / fig
ure it, your father will last about
six months, and you ought to treat
him right the little time he has to
live"
"Well l am going to-" said the
boy, as he picked the herring bones
out of his teeth with piece of
match that he sharpened with his
knife. "But I.dOn't believe in bOr-
rowing trouble about step-father
so long before hand. don't think
ma could get man to step into pas
shoes, as long as lived, not if she
was inlaid with diamonds, and
men, | know, that are on the mar
ry, but none of them would want to
be brevet father TO cherubim like
me, except he got pretty good wa
geS. And then, since pa was dis
setted he is going to lead differ
ent life, and l guess / will make a
man of him, If he holds out. We got
him to join the GOOd Templars last
night"
mo, you don't tell me-" said the
grocery man, as he thought that
his trade in cider for mince pies
would be cut off. $50 you got him
into the Good Templars, Ell ?''
"Well, he thinks he has Joined
the Good Templars, so it is all the
same. You see, my chum and me
have been going to a private
gymnasium on the West Side kept
by a Dutchman, and in back
room he has all the tools for getting
up muscle. There, look at my arm"
said the boy as he rolled up his
sleeve and showed muscle about
as big as an oyster. "That is the
result of training at the gymnasium.
Before took lessons L hadn't any
more muscle than you have got.
Well, the Dutchman was going to
a dance on the South Side the other
night, and he asked my chum to
tend the gymnasium, and told pa
if he would join the Good Templars
that night there wouldn't be so ma
ny at the lodge, and he wouldn't be
so embarrassed, and / was one of
the officers of the lodge | would put
it to him light, and he said he
would go, so my chum got five
other boys to help us put him
through. So we steered him down
to the gymnasium, and made him
rap on the stOrm-dOor outside, and
Isaid who comes there, and he said
il was s. pilgrim who wanted to
line our sublime order. | asked
him if he had made up his mind to
turn from the ways of hyena, and
adopt the customs of the truly good,
and he said if he knew his own
heart he had, and then | told him
to come in out ofthe snow and take
off his pants. He kicked little at
taking off his pants, because it was
cnld out there in the cold storm
door dog hOuse, but told him they
all bad TO do it. That princes, pO-
tentates and paupers all had to come
to it. He asked me how 1t was
when we initiated women, and
told him women never took
this degree. He pulled off his
pants, and wanted a check for them
but told him the grand mogul
would hold his clothes, and then /
blind-folded him, and with a base
ball club l pounded on the floor as
walked him around the gymnasium,
while the lodge, headed by my
chum, sung 1--WE won't go home
till morning." Then 1 stopped in
front of the ice-water tank and said,
Grand Worthy luke / bring be-
fore you a pilgrim who has drank
of the dregs until his stomach
won't hold water, and who desires
to swear off, The grand mogul
asked me If he was worthy and
well qualified, and told him that