Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-02-08

"Say, mister" said the bad boy to the
grocery man. as be came in burying his
face in California pear. lit is mighty
kind OF you to give away such nice pears
as this. but don't see how you can afford
it. / have seen more than twenty people
stop and read your sign out there, take
pear and 20 of chewing it."
What's that ?" said the grocery man
turning pale and starting for the door,
where he found a woodsawyer taking
pear. Get away from there" and he
drove the woodsawyer away and came in
with a sign in his hand. on which was
printed, Take one." Ipaiuted that sign
and put it on pile Of chromos Of new
clothes-wnnger, for people TO take one.
and BY gum the wind has blowed that
sign over on to basket of pears, and
I suppose every darn fool that has passed
this morning has taken pear. and there
goes the profits on the whole days BUSH
ness. Say. you didn't change that sign
did your and the grocery man looked az
the bad boy with glance that was full
Of lurking suspicion.
mo, STREE" said the boy as he wiped
the pear juice off his face on piece Of
tea paper; II have quit all kinds of fool
ishness, and wouldn't play joke on a
craven image. But | went to the Sulli-
van boxing match all the same, though"
and the boy put up his hands like prize
fighter, and backed the grocery man up
against molasses barrel, and made him
beg.
"Oh. say" said the grocery man conf
dentially, there is a rumor that our min
lister is reformed prize fighter, and an
old maid that was in here yesterday 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 imaginary oppo-
nent in a prize ring, and tipped over a
barrel of AK helves. You see, me and
my chum have set of boxing gloves. and
we 90 down in the laundry in the base
ment and box with each other 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 with pa about raising money to pay
the church debt, and they heard us down
stairs warming each ether with the gloves
and the minister asked pa what it was, and
pa said that the boys were having a little
innocent amusement with boxing gloves.
and he asked the minister if he thought
there was any harm in it. and the minister
said he didn't think there was. He said
when he was in college the students used
to box in the gymnasium every day. and
he enjoyed it very much, and got so he
didn't take back seat for any OF them
He said the only student that ever got the
best OF him in boxing was one who is now
preaching in Chicago, and he was the
hardest hitter in the college. Pa asked
the minister if he wouldn't like to 90
down cellar and see the boys box. and he
said he didn't mind, and so they came
down where we were. ] felt really
ashamed when the minister came down,
and was going to apologize. but the min
lister said he considered boxing the health
lest exercise there was, and if our people
would practice more with boxing gloves
and dumb-bells, there would be less liver
complaint. and less need of summer vaca-
tons. Me and my chum boxed couple
of rounds. and the minister told us where
We made several mistakes. and then pa
got excited and wanted the minister to
put on the gloves with him, but he said he
was out of practice. and he did not know
but it would cause talk in the church if it
should get out that he had been boxing
with one of the members, but pa told
him nobody would ever know it.
and it would do them both good.
and so the minister took off his
coat. let his suspenders hang down,
r.ll Id clA IL
on the gloves. | tell you it was fun tor
us boys. and | enjoyed it better than a
circus. Pa is pretty hard hitter, but
he hasn't got the wind that the minister
has. Pa pranced around, and the minister
kept his face guarded, cause he didn't
want TO have to preach with a black eye,
but pretty soon pa made pass ut the
preacher and took him 'bif' right on the
nose. but he rallied and landed one on
pas stomach, and made pa grunt. The
blow on the nose made the minister per-
spire. and he was more excited than
ever saw him when he was preaching.
and he danced around pa until he got a
good chance and then he landed one on
pas eve. and the other under pas ear,
and pa gave him one on the eye, and
they clinched. and the minister got pas
head under his arm and was giving it to
pa real hard, just as ma and three of the
sisters Of the church came down cellar
to see mas canned fruit, and the minister
got pas legs tangled and threw him
against ma and they both went into Il
clothes basket of wet clothes. and ma
yelled police. and she scratched pa on
the side of the face. and the minister
turned suddenly, and one glove hit a
deaeon's wife on the bangs and knocked
the hair off. and the minister was excited.
and he said: "Whoopl I'm bad man.
This makes me think of when | was on
the turf and the women yelled murder
Ma picked pa out of the clothes basket,
and held his head. and wiped his bloody
nose on a pillow case. and pa was mad at
the minister for striking so hard. and the
minister said he shouldn't have struck
hard only pa pasted him on the nose. and
pa said it was no such thing and referred
to my chum, who was referee. and the
women all said it was perfect shame
to see a minister descend to become a
slugger, and guess they are going to
bring the minister up before the commit
tee and bounce him. We all got on our
coats and went upstairs. and finally ma