Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-04-04
Gales aud Sketfhes.
How PA PRosPERED on HIS FAILURE
The BAD Boy SAVES CHUM FROM I'M
PRIsONNENT.

The BAD Boy SAVES CHUM FROM I'M
/ PRIsONMENT.
..Whew,'' said the groceryman. As the
bad bov came in and backed up against
the stove. when strong smell OF horse
filed the air and counteracted the smell
of decayed eggs. ''you haven't gone to
work 10 the livery stable again, have
you?"
No: but it is about the same. | am
taking care of pas trotter. and it is more
work than running whole livery stable.
| cause you have to rub trotter about all
the time, in one place or another, and
blanket him, and bed him down. and treat
| him like q baby" said the bad boy as he
took leather trotting boot out of his coat
pocket and sat down by the stove to punch
hole in the strap.
/ We'll. by gum, that beats me-" said
/ the groceryman. as be put on his specta-
cles and looked at the boy. and held his
nose as the horse fumes came fresh from
the stove "Only two weeks ago your
father failed and now he keeps trotter.
! and he is a member of the church, too, IN
good standing. and prays regularly. 1
swow, l have lost confidence In every
| body"
@, YOU don't have to worry about pa,
said the boy. as he buekled the trotting
boot around his own leg and kicked his
ankles together to see if it would hurt If
he interfered. PA knows his business.
Times were never so good in our family
as they have been since pa failed. unless
| it was that time when pa was selling stock
in the silver mine. Why. pa is full OF fun
at home. and ma. she laffs. and pa gets
her anything she wants. He bought her
diamond lace pin last week with four
big diamonds as big as hazel nuts. But
ma isn't gong to wear it here at nome,
where people think pa is busted. but she
is going to wait till they go off travel
ing and pralyze people at the hotels.
But l s'pose pa has more fun
with the trotter than you can shake
stick at He paid a terrible price
tor the horse. cause he was learned to trot
without pulling on the lines. Pa goes out
on the road. and when anybody tries to
pass him he lets the reins lay on the DASH
board OF the cutter loose. and pa sort OF
shuts his eyes as though he was sweetly
sleeping and the horse just paws the snow.
If anybody comes along that belongs to
our church. pa begins to sing hymn like
he was happy, and the trotter goes for all
that is out. Some of 'em think pas mind
is affected by his failure, and that his head
is weak, but they don't want to fool them
selves much on pa. A man who can set
tie with his creditors for 10 cents on the
dollar, and stand them off for the 10 cents
and put his money in bonds. don't need
much sympathy"
"Well,I guess your pa will pull through.
But what is this hear about you and your
chum hanging around the police court
heard that vou and him made up purse
to pay fellows fine and save him going
to the houSe of correction. You fellows
will get to mixing in with thieves, and the
first thing you know you will get pulled
by the police, and saltpeter won't save
you," and the groceryman looked wise, as
though he had saved two boys from ruin
by his sage remarks.
"Well sir. if we hadn't happened down
to the police court that morning, that boy
would have been ruined. The Judge had
Just said. s. fine, or 10 days in the house
of correction, and the policeman led the
boy out, and as he passed me thought
his face was familiar, and as knew the
cops sister, he let me 60 to the station
} and see the boy. He used to live where
we did, before we came here,
and his folks were rich then, but
his father failed and his mother died, and
the boy never learned to do anything, and
he has been for a year, walking around
from town to town. eating when anybody
offered him a meal, and going without
when they didn't. 'Tother night he struck
this town and he was hungry and he didn'l
have ambition enough to even 60 and beg
, piece of bread, and he stood leaning
I against an iron fence, ready to freeze
when a policeman took him in. The am.
bitlon was all chilled out of him, and he
didn't make any defence at the charge OF
vagrancy, and was going to be sent up
with thieves and drunkards. when we
happened to see him. | tell you it don't
, make any difference how rich boys
father is, every boy ought to learn to dc
, some kind of work. because the time may
I come when he will have to work or starve
, Wsll. he was tickled to see me. and cried
, some, and said when he got out of Jail he
, guessed he would go and drown himself
, cause he wasn't no good. and he talked
about his mothers dying. until it broke us
all up; and then we paid his fine and
took him up to our house, and gave hin
, some of my clothes. and we tried all the
evening to think of some work he couC
, do. but he never learned to do thing
/ when his pa was rich, except to wall
down town and back. | never see boy
3 so helpless. | happened to think tha
, when we were little boys we used to gc
4 in his mas kitchen on baking DAYS, and
I they would give us some dough to mix
and asked him if he remembered it. anC
he said he did. That was the only thing
he could do. So went down to the bak,
cry and told the baker that had friens
who didn't know anything on earth but tc
: mix dough. and | wanted to get Job fol
0 him. Well. sir, it happened that one o
A the bakers was off on a drunk, and the
boss said to bring my friend in, and tolt
the boy. and impressed upon his mind tha
he must act as though he had been brough
up on dough. and knew all about it, and
. . took him down there, and he caught on 81
well the baker is going to give him sl2
week after next week. o. dear, but he
could sling dough. Now this shows wha
little thing will save boy; but it was {
r narrow escape. and every boy should learr
+ something. Seems singular. don't it. tina
< the only thing that boy knew by which h,
could earn living was something hi
taarn.I xrhan ba