Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-12-16
The Bad Boy.


"Well, well, don't look so con-
demGed solemn, said the groceryman
to the bad boy, as he came in and
leaned against the show case, put his
hands in his pockets, and looked
down at the floor with his eyes "sot."
HWhat's the matter of you? "What
you thinking Of
81 was just thinking and wonder
ing if it was right for parents to en-
courage boys by telling them Of the
glorious future that is before any
American boy, the prospect that he
may one day be president of the
United States. / think il would be
better to encourage boys by pointing
out TO them how, by conducting
themselves right, they can escape the
fate of running for president. What
glory is there in being president? II
a president amounts to anything he
gets shot, and If Il decent man runs
for president, he is abused worse
than pickpocket. Washington was
all right enough, because his oppo-
nants never found out any of his
cussedness, and if they did they das-
sent tell of ii, for fear he would take
a shot gun and blow 'em full Of buck
shot. But the presidents, since l can
remember, have been pretty tuff, or
got murdered. No, sir, when pa tells
me to brace up and be a man, and
some day may be president, say
Pa l amt a going TO Ie that kind Of
man. Politics are demoralizing
the boys worse than anything.
Some of us boys don't know whether
we are Democrats or Republicans,
because both parties have hired us to
carry torches. Say what is the best
thing to cure prohibitionist's head
ache?"
"Cure a prohibitionist's headache p
asked the groceryman in astoniSh-
ment, "what does prohibiiionist
want with headache? Who has
got one?"
oh, pa. suppose he had the
worst headache in this country, and
all from prohibition. pa has belonged
to both parties during the campaign,
and up 10 the election he was pretty
sober, for him, but all last week,
when Blaine was elected one day aud
Cleveland was elected the next day,
it was 100 much for pa, as lie had to
change parties about twice a day,
and he got so full that he suffered.
lie shouted until he got hoarse, and
came home one night with rooster
tied by one leg, and he tied it TO
the bed post. Pa was feeling funny,
and when ma asked him what he
brought home he told her 1t was a
rooster he had been carrying arond
all the evening, and she would find
il in the morning tied to the bed post
l thought il was time pa was broke
of politics, so took big rat which
we caught in a trap, and united the
rooster, and tied the string TO the rat,
and left it there. When pa woke uT
in the morning he woke ma up aud
said now he would show her the
rooster he carried around all night
and he took hold of the string and
pulled, and said: Come up here
chicky,' and he pulled the rat righ
up on the bed. Well, you'd dide Il
see pa look at that rat, and | know
you'd dide to see ma get scarce
She made one jump and landed OIL
the bureau, aud yelled nine kinds o
murder. Pa looked at the rat sort o
dubious, and rolled over, and locke,
the other way, and then he wanted h
satisfy himself that it was not roos
ter, so he pulled it up again, and tn
rat ran under the bedclothes, and the
pa had had rest enough and he jump
ed out of the bed too quick.
Then you ought to have heard tn
temperance lecture ma gave pa. Sh
told him ifhe had got SO far gone the
he would carry house rat around i
} procession half the night, think
ing it was a rooster, he was in a goo
condition 10 go to the lunatic aylun
and unless he swore off drinkin
!. from that minute she would make az
plication to have him shut up by til
, authorities. Well, when ma gets e1
o cited she makes pa pay attention, an
so pa took solemn oath that h
would join the prohibition part.
and he did, and he has not drank
: drop for three days, and he is Off
nervous, and his head aches so eyer
hair stands right up straight.
have been putting pounded ice o
his head two nights, and he has &C
! so / think / can tell him with safet
how the rat got there"
swell, l ami glad your pa is goln
/ to be a man again." said the grocery
9 man "but you boys shouldn't hay
anything to do with politics. Yo
are too young, and it might rui
= your regulations"
eyes, but we are taught that I'll
highest ambition of man is to |
president, and that we may oil
e day occupy that exalted Office thf
Washington once held, but we can
get there without being politician
can we? Haven't we got to leal