The Dawson journal. (Dawson, Ga.) 1878-18??, 1883-07-12
The Bad Boy.
EET1 DRIVES a MINISTER TO
a FUNERAL.

! 0alUleaQed ghost, what s. the mat
/ ter with youw said the grocery
man to the bad boy, as he came in
to the grocery on crutches, with
enc arm in a sling, one eye black
ened, and a strip Of coat plaster
across one side OF his face.
"W here was the explosion, or
have you been in a fight? Or has
your pa been giving you what
you deserved; with a clnb. Here,
let me help you. There, sit down
on that kog Of applejacl1. Well,
by the great guns, you look as
though you had called somebody a
liar. What is the matter?" and
| the grocery man took the clutches
and stood them up against the
snow case.
20, there is not much the mat
ter with me-" said the boy, in a
voice that sounded all broken up,
as be took a big apple of a basket,
and began topeel it with his upper
front teeth. of YOU think I ann a
wreck you ought to see the minis
ter. They had to carry him home
in in8taliments. 1 am all right,
but they have got to stop him with
oakum and tar before lie will ever
hold water again"
Good gracious, you have not
had a fight with the minister, have
you? Wen, / have said all the
time, and 7 stick to it, that you
would commit a crime yet, and 60
to state prison what was the fuss
about?" and the grocery man laid
the Ratchet out Of the boys reach,
for fear he would get excited and
kill him.
20, it wasn't no fuss. Tt was in
the way Of business. You see the
livery man thatI was working for,
promoted me. FIe let me drive q
horse to haul sawdust Tor bedding,
first, and when he found I was
real careful he let me drive an ex-
| press wagon to haul trunks. Day
before yesterday, [ think it was =
yes, [ was in bed al day yester-
day day before yesterday there
was q funeral, and our stable furn-
isLad the outfit. 1t was only q
common eleven dollar funeral, so
they let me go to drive the horse
for the minister you know, the
buggy that goes ahead Of The
hoarsa. They give me an old
horse that IS thirty years cid, that
has not been OF Of q walk since
nine years ago, and they told me
to give him a loose rein, and he
would go along all right It's the
same Old horse that used to pace
so fast on the avenue, years ago,
but I didn't know it. Wei, Z was
NOS to blame. 1 just let him walk
along as though he YVES hauling
sawdast, and gave him a loosoro.n,
| When we got off cf the pavement
tAe fellow tAat drives the hearaa
lac was in a hurry, because his
folks was going to have duck fol
| dinner, and he wanted to get back,
50 he kept driving along side OF
my buggy, and tolling- me to hurry
up. 1 wouldn't 10 it, because the
livery man told me to walk tha
i horse. Then the minister, he eot
nervous, and said he didn't know
as there was any use Of going sc
slow, because he wanted to get bis
lunch and 60 to a minister's meet
ing in the afternoon, but I told him
we would all get TO the cemetery
soon enough five took it cool, and
as for me I wasn't in no sweat
TEon one Of the drivers that was
driving the mourners, he came uT
and said he had to get back in time
I to run q wedding down to the one
o'clock train, and for me to pull
out ljttle. [ have seen enough
of dis0beying orders, andrI TOLD
MIN q funeral in the hand was
worth two weddings in the bush
and as far as 1 was concerned, thi,
funeral was going to be conducted
] IN q decoTous manner; ii we didn't
/ get back till the next day. Well
the minister said, in his regular
Sunday school way, "AIy iittll
man let me take hold &ae lines,
and like a darn fool I gave then
to him. He slapped the old horse
On tae crupper with the lines, anC
then jarked up, and the old horse
! stuck up-his off ear, an then The
| haarse. driver told the minister t
pull hard and saw on the bit lit
tie, and the old horse would wake
up. The hearse driver used t
drive The old PAGER on The track
/ and knew what lac wanted. The
minister to k of his kid glove.
! and put his umbrella down be
tween Us, and pulled his hat down
tight ON his head, and began tt
pun and saw on the bit The oil
cripple began to move along sor
of sideways, like a hog going tC
war, and the minister pulled some
more, and the hearse driver, who
was right behind, he said, so you
| could hear him clear to Waukesha
"Yese up" and the old horse KEEP
going faster Then the minister
thought the procession was getting
! too quick, and he pulled harder