The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-04-25
THE BAD BOY Is TAKEN I'LL.
UNDER THE WEATHER, BUT HIS
FLAG WAS STILL THERE.
pac Is visited by the Groccrymnn-
Eds sickness Caused by n Prank
Played III on His Pa.

tlp-toed into the darkened room at the
house of the bad boy, where he found
him in bed, proppcd up with pillows, a
pallor on his face that was frightful, and
general look of goneness. "Your pa
tells Inc you have been sick nearly
week. thought things at the grocery
were going along in solemn sort of
manner. Don't hurt you to talk to you,
does it''' aud the groceryman looked foE
a chair to sit down in. --
Nav, it don't,hurt, said the bad boy,
as he motioned to chair, and the gro
Gerry man sat down, 'If talking would
xii me | would have been dead long ago.
BY the way, wish you would hand me
that mustard plaster You will find it in
the chair you are setting on, " and the boy
smiled Il sickly smile, while the grocery
man got up as though he was in hurry,
and apologized for sitting on the plaster.
'No apology necessary" said the bad
boy. "When anybody comes to see me
they are welcome to the best we have
got. A soft answer turneth away wrath,
and mustard plaster covereth multi
tude of pneumonia" and Henncry APP
piled the plaster to his chest, and asked
the groceryman to hand him box of
pills on the table. The groceryman
handed the boy box of pills and glass
of water, and he took a small handful of
pills and a swallow of water, smackcd his
lips and said.
"Ah! A nectar fit for the gods. DO
you know there is something about being
sick that takes the cake2 You can lay
and sleep, or rise up and cough. And
h, Cal 81, I
leaves! take it because it pleases the
doctor. He is a nice man, but | don't
think a man can feel of your pulse and
listen to the hooking bird in your heart
by holding his ear on your shirt, and tell
what is the matter with you. Gimme
drink. Now l want you to do some
things for me, as | may not pull through,
and pa is so busy in politics that he
can't attend to anything"
ooh, say, hush up now" said the
grocery man. "You are not half as sick
as you think you are. What was the
hired girl laughing at when she let me
inl She said something about your soaring
the folks out of seven years growth, just
before you were taken sick and the
groceryman thought if he could get the
sick boy talking about something funny
it would cure him.
"Well, )" said the boy, as he laughed so
the skin was drawn across his pinched
face at was awful mean, but ma wanted
to know what time pa got home nights,
since he has got to working the ward for
alderman. You see, he comes in all times
of the night, and tries to keep still so as
not to wake ma up. lie comes in and
undresses in the dark, and retires and ma
don't wake up. l have got friend
working in a jewclry store, and got him
to lend me six of these little alarm clocks,
and | wound them all up, and placed
them around the house where | could
touch them off when pa came in. | put
one on the hat rack, and when pa came
in just after midnight l touched it off
just as be put his hat on the hat rack and
| crept half way upstairs in the dim
light. Pa was trying to be quiet, and
when that alarm went off he looked sick.
lie didn't know what it was, but he Just
stood still, with his overcoat half off, and
waited for the thing to run down, and he
was listening all the time to see if ma woke
up. | had told ma to pretend to be asleep
until the last one went off, which | had
placed on the foot of the bed, and then
Tor her to get up and begin to throw
chairs. Pa started upstairs as soon as
the clock stopped, in his stocking feet,
and just as he got half way upstairs |
touched off the second alarm, and pa
stopped and l went up to the head of
the stairs to get another one ready. Pa
got hold of the clock and tried to stop
its noise by holding it under his coat,
and he listened for ma some more, but
ma didn't show up. When the clock
got through suffering pa came on up
stairs, and at the top the third one went
off, and then he was mad. He thought
that would wake ma sure, but she snored
right along through it all, and pa
breathcd hard and said some political
words. When that clock stopped |
slipped into the bedroom and whispered
to ma that | was going to let all three
of the others 90 off at once, and she said
all right, so | waited till pa got part of
his clothes off, when | turned on all
three of them, and | slipped out in
the hail. and then began to hear chairs
ramble around, and pa began to beg. |
guess he thought there was a caucus.
When the chairs had all been throwed |
IuluCi up tllC gas III tllc Hall anu CdIuc
in just as though | had been frightened
out of bed, and there stood ma laughing
just as hard as she could, and pa had
crawled under the bed with only his feet
sticking out, and | think he was saying
his now lay me down to Sleep Ma
coaXed him ont, and maybe she did not
read the riot act to him. She made him
promise to keep away from politics and
try to be a man, and | guess he will. But
had to pay for one of the clocks, cause
pa fell on it and busted the works hatter
than tin plate. But we had fun, and
guess my staying up in the hall waiting
for pa gave me the cold that made me
sick, but | feel better now. and | will be
out tomorrow. Don't you know, that
when a sick person lays and thinks of
dying it makes them worse, when if they
get to talking about something interest.
ing it braces them up? Come in again,
boss, and when get we'll | will come
over to the grocery and talk to you till
YOU are sick and the bad boy rolled