Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-04-07
misffllane0ns.
The BoY Is SICK. BUT HIS FLAG Is STILL
THERE.

| "Well, Hennery. am sorry 10 hnd you
| in this FIX" said the groceryman as he
tiptoed into the darkened room at the
house of the bad boy. where he found
him in bed. propped up with pillows,
pallor on his face that was frightful. and
q general look of goneness. Your pa
| tells me you have been sick nearly a
week. l thought things at the grocery
were going along in solemn sort OF
manner Don't hurt you to talk to you,
does it ?'' and the groceryman looked for
a chair to sit down in.
Nav, it don't hurt" said the bad boy
as he motioned TO chair, and the gro
ceryman sat down. If talking would
kill me would have been dead long ago.
By the way, / wish you would hand me
that mustard plaster. You will find 1t
| in the chair you are setting on" and the
boy smiled sickly smile. while the gro
ceryman got up as though he was in
hurry. and apologized for sitting on the
plaster. mo 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 a mustard plaster covereth
multitude OF pneumonia" and Hennery
applied the plaster to his chest. and ask
ed the yroceryman to hand him box OF
pills on the table The groceryman
handed the boy a box of pills and glass
of water, and he took small handful OF
pills and q swallow Of water, smacked
his lips and said: "AhP a hector fit for
the gods. Do you know there is some-
thing about being sick that takes the
cake? You can lay and sleep, or raise
up and cough. And then, the beautiful
medicine the doctor leaves l take 1t
because it pleases the doctor. He is
nice man, but | don't think a man can
feel of your pulse and listen to the mock
ing bird in your heart bv holding his ear
on your shirt, and tell what is the matter
with YOU. Gimme drink. Now | want
you to do some thing for me, as may not
pull through, and pa is so busy in politics
that he can't attend to anything. Are you
there. Moriarity?' ?''
Yes, ves," said the groceryman, as he
saw the boy had something to say, ''out
with it now. and will do anything you
ask me to-,
well. you know that man without any
legs, that plays the hand organ down on
the corner. | want you to take my skates
to him and tell him.
"Great heavens" said the groceryman.
"what do YOU want to send pair of skates
to man that hasn't got any legs for ?"
Don't interrupt the speaker" said the
bad boy, as he took pill for a change.
Take the skates to him, and tell him
lend them to him till get well. He has
got three boys, and they are too poor to
buy skates, and they can take turns using
mine, and shall not miss them, for if
live the skating will be all gone before
get out doors, and if die, there Will be
no skating where am going"
30, say hush up now" said the grocery
man. You are not half as sick as YOU
think YOU are, and there is no hurry about
your dividing up your worldly goods. In
dav or two you will be out as good as
new, making it interesting for all of us.
What was the hired girl laughing at when
she let me in ?'' 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 some
thing funny it would cure him.
"Well." said the boy as he laughed so
the skin was drawn across his pinched
face. ut was awful mean, but ma want
ed to know what time pa got home nights,
since he has got to working the ward for
alderman. You see he comes in at all
times of the night. and tries to keep still
so as not to wake ma up. He comes in
and uudresses in the dark, and retires,
and ma don't wake up. | have got a
friend working in jewelry 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 thouch them off when pa came in.
| put one on the hat rack. and when pa
came in just after midnight 1 touched it
off just as he put his hat on the hat REX,
and erept half way up stairs 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 halt off.
and waited for the thing to run down. and
he was listening all the time to see if ma
woke up. I told ma to pretend to be
asleep until the last one went off, which
had placed on the foot of the bed. and
then for her to get up and begin to throw
chairs. Pa started up stairs as soon as
the clock stopped. in his stocking feet,
and Just as be got half way up stairs
touched off the second alarm, and pa,
stopped, and | 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 lis
/ tened for ma some more. but ma Gidn t
show up. When the clock got through
sputtering pa came onup 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.
ard pa breathed hard and said some polit-
ical words When the clock stopped |
slipped into the bed room and whispered
to ma that was going to let all three of
the others 60 of at once. and she said all
right. so | waited till pa got part of his
clothes off, when turned on ali three of
them, and slipped out in the hall, and
then began TO hear chairs tumble around
and pa began to beg; guess he thought
there was a caucus. When the chairs had
all been throwed | turned up the gas in
the hall and came in just as though had
been frightened out of bed. and there
stood ma laughing just as bard 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 out. and maybe
she did not read the riot act to him. She
1 m ade him prou,isa To koo,, Tvo,,~ ,>~l