The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1883-06-29
THAT BAD BOY.
His PA Plays Jokes.

Peeks Sun.
"Say, do you think a little prac.
teal joke does any hurtm asked
the bad boy of .he grocery man, as
he come in with his Sunday suit on
aud II bouquet in his button hole,
aud plied OIL Il couple OF figs from
Il box that had just been opeued.
"No, sir" said the grocery man,
as he licked of the syrup that drip.
ped from q measure, from which he
had ueen filling u jug. 81 hold
that mau that gets mad ut prac.
tical joke, that is, one that does
not injure him, isa fool, and he
ought to be stunned by all decent
people. That's u nice bouquet you
have in your coat. What is 1t, pan.
sizes! Let me smell of it," and the
grocery mau bent over in front OF
the hoy to take Il Whit at the bou
Quet. AS be did SO II stream of Wa.
ter shot out ot the innocent looking
bouquet aud struck him full in the
face, aud run down over his shirt,
aud the grocery man yelled muir
der, and fell over u barrel OF AK
helves aud scythe snaths, and then
CROPPED around tor towel to wipe
his iace.
"You condum skunk" said the
grocery man to the boy, as he took
up an ax helve and started for him,
"what kiLd of II golUlasted squirt
gun you got thereI | will maui
you by thunder" aud he rolled up
his shirt sleeves.
"Tbere, keep your temper. /
took a test vote OF you on the sub
ject of practical jokes before the
machine began to play upon the
contlagration that was raging on
your shiskey nose, aud you SAID
a mau that would get mad alta joke
was a fool, aud now | know 1t.
Here, let me show it to you. There
is Il rubber hose runs from the bou-
Quet, inside my coat to my pants
pocket, and there is bulb Of rub
Der that holds about half a pint,
and when % feller smells of the posy,
| squeeze the bulb, aud you see the
result. It's tun when you squirt
OH person that don't get mad.o
The grocery man said he'd give
the boy half pound of figs if he
would lend the bouquet to him tor
half au hour to play it on custom
er, and the boy fixed it OH the gro.
Gerry man, and turned the nozzle so
it would squirt right back into the
grocery mans face. He tried it on
the first customer that came in,
aud got it right in his own face,
and then the bulb in his pants pock-
ct got to leaking and the rest OF
the water run down the grocery
man's trousers leg, and he gave 1t
up in disgust, aud handed it back
to the boy. "Ifow was it that your
pa had to be carried home from the
sociable in u hack the other nights"
asked the grocery man as he stood
close to the stove SO his pants
leg would dry. "He has not got to
drinking again, has he ~
30, no,' said the boy, as he filed
the bulb with vinegar, to practice
on his chum. at was this bou quet
that got pa into trouble. You see
| got pa to smell OF it, and it just
filed him chuck full of water. He
got mad and called me all kinds of
names, aud said | was no good on
earth, aud | would fetch up III the
States prison and then he wanted
to borrow it to wear to the sociable.
He said he would have more fun
than you could shake u stick at,
and | asked him II he didn't think
he would fetch up In the State pris-
on; he said it was different with a
man. He said when d man played
a Joke there was a certain dignity
about it that was lacking in a boy.
SO l lent it to him, aud we all went
to the sociable in the basement of
the church. | never saw pa more
kitteuy than he was that night.
He filled the bulb with ice water,
and the first one he got to smell Of
bis button hole bouquet was an old
maid who thinks pa is q heather,
but she likes to be made something
of, and when pa sidled up to her
aud began talking about what great
work the Christian wiinmen OF the
land were doing in educating the
heather, she felt real good, and