Mexico weekly ledger., 1884-04-24
Peek's Bad Boy and His Pa.

mean, sald the oad noy 10 the gro
cery,aan. Don't you find it so in
your ~business?" anil the boy held
up his elbow as though he expected
to be hit in the ear.
81 never had q reputation for be-
ing mean," said the groceryman, $50
1 don't know anything about it. Fl
can see, however, that it must be
very trying on You. What was you
kicking the tomato q out of that
boys hand for down in the alley?
II 1 vas that boys father 1 would
wallup you till you would e stars"
"No you wouldn't. If you was
that boys father you would come
and thank me, and say / vas the
best friend the. boy had," and the
bad boy pulled a half bushel mea-
sure up to the stove and sat down.
"You sec that boy is a good boy,
one of your sweet little angels that
never does anything wrong at home.
His parents are very high toned, and
they wouldn't let him play with a
bad boy like me for anything, for.
fear he would be spoiled. He is po-
lite to his parents, and wouldn't say
darn it. before his folks for any,
thing, but he is meaner than pusley
away from home. About a week ago
l heard that he and three other
boys were in the habit of going to a
low saloon and buying stale beer and
taking it to the loft Of q barn, and
drinking it on the sly, and getting
full, and having headaches, and
their parents thought the boys were
sickly, and petted them. The boys
wanted me to 60 n with them and
have firm drinking beer, but 1 deliv-
cred them a regular temperance lee
ture, and 1 went to the saloon-keeper
and told him he was doing his best
to ruin those boys, but he said it was
none Of my business, and he fired
me out. The boys laughed at me
and said I was an old maid, and
didn't know the first principles of
having fun. l tried my best to con-
vince them that they were in danger
Of going to the bad, but they
hooted at me, and this morning when
l saw them going to the barn with a
tomato can full Of beer, l thought it
was time something was done, so /
kicked the tomato can out of the
boys hand and spilled the beer, and
broke up that drunk, sure. But sew
eral nice people who saw me kick the
can called me q wretch, and said
ought to be sent to the reform
school. don't eare what they say
1 will put a stop to those boys drink
ing stale beer if I get knocked gally'
west. I went to the humane society
man and told him about the saloor
keeper and he is going to have BIZ
license taken away, and il these boy
l put on any more style he is going Il
tell their parents. When q fellow
tries to be a reformer, and do good
Y the persons he tries to benefit g
back on him, and everybody think
. he is tough. Say,'do you think Their
is much encouragement in trying t
do the fair thing? Don't you thin
there is more suspicion directed to
wards q Teller that tries to do good
than there is towards one VIII
o don't?
80, I don't know" said the gre
ceryman. IF a fellow who has bee
vile, begins to do good things, pee
pie are afraid he is not sincere, tbs
i: he has some hidden scheme whereof
be expects to reap a benefit. II 20
l had always been good, it wouldn't b
= noticed so much"
"1hat's what l thought" said til
boy, as he took out a lead nickle an
~ showed it to the grocer. "Tuesda
it I was down town, and an old farmt
le was walking along in front of m
As and I saw him drop his pocket-bool
y and told him he dropped it, but
u told me to go to the hot place.
L was April fool day, and he thought
was fooling him, and he went
laughing, as much as to say no TOW
boy could play any jokes on you
Uncle Ike. Well, I picked up Il
H. !. pocket book, and it was q fat on
an and I followed the old farmer, AZ
H pulled his coat and told him he
was his pocket-5ook, but he hit n
OF side Of the jaw and said to 60 aw.
of or he would maui me. / never fe
so mean since my girl went back {
ne me, but l didn't want to keep Il
n q old mans pocket-book, and I didn
H. want to be killed trying to deliver
to the owner. So I run ahead
him and stopped and opened t
%. pocket-book, and when be came up
:, took out q roll of bills as big as 4
wrist, and showed them to him, al
ng asked him If he knew whose pock'
eat book it a What do you think t
Dr. old granger did, He took the poe
'n' et-book with one hand and took !
'sd by the neck with the other. .
I'd. called me a thief, and said l oui
the to go to state prison, and took mi
to q stairway and set me down q
all stood on my coat tail so 1 could l
get away, and kept me until
|. counted the money in the wall
cussin' me between every ten doll
XIV ha counted. and when he found