The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-02-09
PICKS BAD BOY AND MS PA.
N exoscx r1cN.

"There. now. what IS your Up ging down that way tor ?" said ihe gso. cry man to the bad boy as he came n wiih An expression on hts face oi osro~. such AS the groceryman had not seen before. Brace us now and have some style aboa, you, What's the matter ''
 Nothing the matter w,th me. said ! the boy. AS he looked around the grocery to sec it he couldn't md scmething that would taste good to sick boy. "l am all haaky. but my cham has 70, the rheumatic.
 Well. that dont hurt you. docs |, ]" sad the groeesyman. with one ot hls heaftleSs expressions. "Nou don't want to grunt until you are hurt yourself There is tune enough for you 10 be limp .ng around when you get sick yourself don't believe m worrying when any body else Is sick.
 Well. you heattleSS old ouss you You never had chum. did you if you ever had a ehum iha, you loved. that had >kood by you in all kinds ot weather. who would work his ssnHer nails otf tor yca. ani go without eating and sleeping to make you happy, you could never talk that way. My oham IA just As tender as woman. though he was strong AS a giant aforc the rhcumat,i struck him. and nov he is as weak as little tiny baby. and ~e have ,o handle hun just as though he was cggx. Every bone. and muscle. and drop of blood. and piece of skin ahou, hts body Is ius, like mas neuralgia. and ssmetimea they all ache A, once. and then they take turns Et..s ak | takes |, as calmly as though he VAS a, picnic, and never gyumbles. He smiles kis great blg old -fashioned smile when he sees tue looking oses the loot board oi his bed, and when 90 up and put my hand on his tase, and wipe the resapifa- ton off h,s forehead. the tears come toll. ing down his cheeks, and he tsies Ia ra.se Ais hclplcss hand Ia 4hakc mlne, but he can't, and he says, Hello. old pArd, and then he shuts hls eyes and the iheuma,lf commences where Il lei, of and goes ,o gI.ndtng him up agaiu. t.osh, fl could pull of my shirt and things and get into his bed and take h.s place. and let the rheuinatis get in tts work on me ior a day. while my chum might go out and slide down hill or kick over fe~ barrels. and frel bully tos while. would enjoy |, Hut you can't change works with fello~ ,ha, has got rhrumatis Never had II, did you ~
 No, never had t.. said the grocery man. bu, l had brother in law who had Il once. but he cured himself eating snow
 70. ge, out. said the boy. "slnee my ehum has had fheumatii. every old crank has told me a nc~ cure tor l, and think l will try some new remedy on him. but when go to his room, and see the good doe,ot who has been brought up amongst theumat,s. and tell him oi the new remedy have heard of. and he tells me h n all nonsense. that settles II. The ,dea ot euuna rheamatn eating sno~ say. lsn't u quee, Abou, cAio hing rheumatic l, is like a lottery, osty fellows may have the same chance io dra~ fhsumatis pIise and only one gcts II >awcd of onto hlm. No~ me and nay .ham were both m the same draft oi Ali. and both had A iight to each the rheumatif. All l got was ~ind on my stomach and alode down h,ll head tsisi. on my sled and the fheumatif has all blo~cd away from me. My chum ~en, riding in a ooupay, and he ao, ii aliding down hsli knos ks rheunatis bet Ter than eating snow pay. ~ouid ihe ,o run this world fof about a month By gosh. would arrange Il so nobody bu, the mean people would be sck l, seems too bad to have these painful diseases strike the beat people m the world dont II II 1 had the running of things rheumatic should never attack such good fellow A my ohnm l would have lao g.. tk .l k. and murderer. and highway robbes.. and ~tfe beaters and old sharks that never do any good nos.o~. and keep ,ts clAws of of fo!ks that never d,d any harm. and always had kind word io1 everybody Hut these diseAses seem to have Iher uapa ses for the t,~a, people and the thieves and burglars are the heAith,est of the lot, II things were run figh, rheuma,is eagh, to be q detective that would catch A hotse thief. just as he vas s,eal,ng the hofse, and make him drop the halter and send for doctor II ~as bossing fheumstU 1 would have Il paFai,tc the arm of the man about to commit murder or whip his ~,fe. and lay him ou, colder than a wedge. l would have fhenmaiis ass'as x reiosma- tory Agen, instead of gong around care. iess and pieking on to thorouxhbfesis. l would have H watch mean nan shen he ~as going to do something mean, and take hold of hum and gise his musci ies t~tst, and then lei up, and fl he kept on, take him by the nesk and double hlm up and make hlin yell. Ba, l must go and do my eham's chores fos his ma. and then 70 and s.i up ~Iih him it n singular how my ,hum knows ~hen 4n eoming, and hos the pam beg,as ,o go s~sy when 1 Am there. shink il would d. you good to love sosne one. old man. sofne one that vas sisk sonetimes. so whom your presence would be sor, of 4 heaven. If you loved anybody so iha, ,he touch of your hand ~oald dnse A~ay pam. and the Aglf of your eye ~agld seem like bened.euon, and you could cheer your friend b Jour hgh, fooiiali on the carpet, and dnse away t.s, tb .t 4