Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-03-20
Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa
THE BoY Is SICK, BuT Ills FLAG Is
STILL THERE.

"Well, Hennery, am sorry to ind
YOU in this fix, said the grocery man
as he tiptoed into the darkeued room
at the house of the bad boy, where
he found him in bed, proppei up with
pillows, Il pallor on his face that was
trighttul. and general look of gone.
ness. ~ our pa tells me You have
been sick yearly week. | thought
things at the grocery were going along
IN a soleRu sort of manner. Don't
hurt you to talk to you, does III aud
the gr1ceryman looked tor a chair 10
sit down in.
Nav, il don't hurt said the bad
boy, a. he motloned To II chair, and
tue grocery man sat down. "lf talk.
ing 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 tie chair
yen are setting on, and the hoy smiled
a sickly smile, while the grocerymau
got up as though he was IN a hurry,
and apologizcd tnr sitting on th" plRs
ter. No apology necessary SAID
the bad boy. "Whcn any body comes
to see me they are welcome To- the best
we have got. A soft answer turneth
away wrath, and mustard plaster
covereth n multitude OF pneumonia,
aud Hcnnery applied the plaster to
his chest, and asked the groccrymau
To hand him box OF pills on the
table. The groceryman handed the
boy box Of pills and n Z lass of water,
and he took small handful of pills
and a swallow of water, smacked his
lips and said.
"Ah! A nectar fit for the gods
Do you know there l. something about
being sick that takes the cake? You
can lay and sleep, or raise up aud
cough. And then, the beautiful medl-
cine the doctor leaves! | take it be
cause it pleases the doctor lie i Il
nice man. but don't think a man can
feel of your pulse and listen to the
mocking bird in your heart by holding
his ear on your shirt, and tell what il
the matter with you. Gimme drink;
Now want you to do some things for
me, as | may not pull through, aud
pa is so busy in politics that he can't
attend to anything. Are you there,
Moriarity ~
"Yes, yes" said the groceryman, as
he saw the boy had something he
wanted 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 aud tell him"
Great heavens" said the grocery
man, what do you want to seud Il
pair of skates to man that hasn't
get any legs for?'
Don't interrupt the speaker" said
the bad boy, as be took IA pill for
change. Take the skates to him,
and tell him I lend them to him till
I get we'll 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
he no skating where | am going"
40, say, hush up now said the
groceryman. "You are not half as
sick a. you think you are. and there
is no hurry about you dividing up
your worldly goods In a day or two
you will be out as good as new, max.
Ing it interesting for all of Us. 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
we're taken sick" and the gIoceryman
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 uu.
dresses in the dark. and retires and
ma don't wake up. | have got friend
working in a jewelry store, and | got
him to lend me six of these little
alarm clocks, and I 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 whes pa came in just after mid.
night touched it off just as he put
his hat on the hat rack and | crept
half way up stairs in the dim light.
Pa was trying 10 he quiet, aud when
that alarm went off he looked sick.
He didn't know what it was, but he
just stood still, with his overcoat half
off, and waited for the thing to run
down, aud he was listening all the
time to see ii ma woke up. had told