The banner-enterprise. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1883-18??, 1883-06-07
THE BAD BOY NANEW ROLE
HE EXPLAINS HOW HE RECEIVED A
BLACK EYE.
Taking the Part Of Girl Who Had For
merly Been His Sch0olmate--Defriendin
the FricndIcss.

l
boy appears in an entirely new role il
the following sketch:
"Ah, ha, you have got your desert
at last" said the grocery man to tn,
bad boy, as he came in with one ey
black, and his nose peeled on one side
and sat down on a board across tn,
coal scuttle, and began whistling a
unconcerned as possible. "What'.
the matter with your eye2"
boy tried to gouge it out without
asking my CONSENT and the bad boy
took dried herring out of the box
and began peelirg it. lie is in bee
now, and his ma is poulticing him, and
she says he will be out about the last
of next week.
"Oh, you are going to be a prize
Fighter, amt you," said the grocery
man, disgusted. "When boy leaves
a Job where he is working, and goes tC
loating around, he becomes lighter
the first thing. What your pa ought
to do is bind you out with a farmer,
where you would have to work all the
time. l wish you would 60 away from
here, because you look like one of
these fellows that comes up before the
police Judge Monday morning, and
gets thirty days in the house of cor
rection. Why don't you 60 out and
loaf around slaughter-house, where
you would look APPROPRIATED" and the
grocery man took hair-brush and
brushed some loose sugar and tea, that
was on the counter, into the sugar
barrel.
"Well, if you have got through with
your sermon, l will toot little on my
horn" and the boy threw the remains
of the herring over behind barrel of
potatoes, and wiped his hands on a
coffee sack. If you had this black
eye, and had got it the way l did, it
would be a more priceless gem in the
crown deglory you hope to wear, than
any gem you can get by putting
quarters in the collection plate, with
the holes filled with lead, as you did
last Sunday, when was watching you.
Oh, didn't you look pious when you
picked that filled quarter out, and held
your thumb over the place where the
lead was. The way of the black eye
was this. l got a job tending soda
fountain, and last night, just before
we closed, there was two or three
young loafers in the place, and girl
came in for glass of soda. Five
years ago she was one of the brightest
scholars in the ward school, when l
was in the intermediate department.
She was just as handsome as a
peach, and everybody liked her.
At recess she used to take my part
when the boys knocked me around, and
she lived near us. She had heart as
big as that cheese box, and guess
that's what's the matter. Anyway,
she left school, and then it was said
she was going to be married to fel-
low who is now in the dude business,
but he went back on her and after
awhile her ma turned her cut doors,
and for year or two she was selling
beer in a saloon until the mayor
stopped concerts. She tried hard to
get sewing to do, but they wouldn't
have her, | guess cause she cried so
much when she was sewing, and the
tears wet the cloth she was sewing on.
Once l asked pa why ma didn't give
her some sewing to do, and he said for
Inc to dry up and never speak to her If
l met her on the street. 1t seemed
tuff to pass her on the street, when she
had tears in her eyes as big as marbles,
and not speak to her when | know her
so well, and she had been so kind ton
at school, just cause a dude wouldn't
marry her, but wanted to obey pa, so
used to walk around block when
l see her coming, cause didn't want
to hurt her feelings. Well, last night
she came in the store, looking pretty
shabby, and wanted glass of soda,
and gave it to her, and oh, how her
hand trembled when she raised the
glass to her lips, and how wet her eyes
were, and how pale her face was |
choked up so l couldn't speak when
she handed me the nickel, and when
she looked up at me and smiled just
like she used to, and said was getting
to he almost q man since we went to
school at the old school-house, and put
her handkerchief to her eyes, by gosh,
my eyes got so full l couldn't tell
whether it was nickel or lozenger
she gave me. just then one of those
loafers began to laugh at her and call
her names, and say the police ought to
take her up, and he made fun of her
until she cried some more, and | got
hot and went around to where he was
and told him If he said another
unkind word to that girl /
would maui him. He laughed and
asked If she was my sister, and / told
him that a poor friendless girl, who was
sick and in distress, and who was In
suited, ought to be every boys sister,
for minute, and any boy who had
spark of manhood should protect her,
and then he laughed and said ought
to be one of the Little Sisters of the
Poor, and he took mold of her faded
shawl and pulled the weak girl against
the showcase, and said something
mean to her, and she looked as though
she wanted to die, and | mashed that
boy one right on the nose. Well, the
air seemed to be full of me for min
ute, cause he was bigger than me, and
he got me down and got his thumb
in my eye / guess he was going to
take my eye out, but ! turned him
over and got on top and l mauled him
until he begged, but l wouldn't
let him up till he asked the
girls pardon, and swore he would
whip any boy that insulted her,
and then l let him up, and the
girl thanked me, but l told her l
couldn't speak to her, cause she was