Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-01-01
PECk'S BAD BOY.
The Grocery Man Hears Another
Story.

Say, mister" said the bad boy to
the grocery man, as he came in, bury
ing his face In California pear, it Is
mighty kind Of you TO give away such
nice pears as this, but don't see you
can afford it, | have seen more than
twenty people stop and read your sign
out there, take pear and go off chew
ing it"
What's that" said the groceryman
turning pale and starting for the door,
where he found wood sawyer taking
a pear. Get away from there" and
he drove the wood sawyer away and
came in with sign in his hand, on
which was printed, "Take one" 81
painted that sign and put it on q pile OF
chromOs of new clothes wringer, fOl
people to take one, and by gum, the
wind has blowed that sign over on to
the basket Of pears, and suppose every
darn fool that passed this morning has
aiken pear, and there goes the profits
on the whole days business. Say, You
didn't change that sign, did you ?" ard
the groceryman looked at the bad boy
with glance that was full of lurking
suspicion.
"No STREE, said the boy as he wiped
the pear juice off his face on piece
of tea paper, have quit all kinds OF
fooishhess, and wouldn't play joke
on craven image. But l went to the
Sullivan boxing match all the same
thou b." and the boy put up his hands
like a prize fighter and backed the gro.
cerynan up against a molasses barrel,
and made him beg.
"Oh, say" said tie groceryman,
confidently, there is a rulnor that our
minister is reformed prize fighter,
and an old maid that was in here yes.
terday says he has been fighting with
your pa. Do you know anything about
it ?"
" Know anything about it? know
all about it. 1t was me that brought
about the meeting between them," and
the boy lodged away from an imagi-
nary opponent in aprizering, andtipped
over barrel of ak helves. " You see,
me and my chum have set of boxing
gloves, and we go down in the laundry
in the basement and box with each 9th
or, evenings. Since | got the Irish
boy to box with pa, last summer, and
he pasted pa in the nose, pa has not
visited the laundry to see us box, but
last night the minister called to talk
WI b pa about raising money TO pay the
church debt, and they heard us down
stairs warming each other with the
the minister asked pa what
IL was, and pa said the boys were hay
ing a little innocent amusement with
n Cy II hn 4 nI -,
ter If he thought there was any harm in
T., and the minister said he didn't |
think there was
" He said when he was in college the
used to box in the gymnasium
svery day and he en,joyed it very much,
md got so he didn't take back seat
or any of them He said the only stu
lent that ever got the best of him in
boxing was one who is now preaching
u Chicago, and he was the hardest hit
er in the college. Pa asked the minis.
er II he wouldn't like to 70 down Gel |
ar and see the boys box, and he said he |
lidn't mind, and so they came down
where we were, felt really ashamed |
when the minister came down, and was
,oing to apologi but the minister said
W Soho'hulu" poAlhk tuo AchllIleSu
xercise there was, and if our people
would practice more with boxing
loves and dumb bells, there would
Ne lens liver complaint, and less need of
ummer vacations.
"Me and my chum boxed a couple OF
ounds, and the minister told us where
We made several mistakes, and then pa
ot excited and wanted die minister to
ut on the gloves with him, but he did
rot know but it would cause talk in the
hurch If it should get on that he had
cen boxing with one of the members,
ut pa told him nobody would ever
now II, and it would do them both
God, and 40 the minister took off his
oat, let his suspenders hang down,
oiled up his sleeves, and they put on !
he gloves. l tell you it was fun for us
oys, and | enjoyed it better than a
lrcus. Pa is Il pretty hard hitter, but
o hasn't got the wind that the minister ,
as. Pa pranced around, and the min
ter kept his face guarded, cause he
idn't want to have to preach with a
lack eye, but pretty soon pa made a Q