The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-03-05
PECK's BAD BOY.

hanging down that way Tor said
the groceryman TO tbs bad boy as ne
came ia with an expression on DIS
face Of sorrow, such as the grocery
man had not seen before, Brace up
now and have some style about you.
What's the matter ..
Nothing the matter with me.
said the boy, as be looked around
the grocery to see If he couldn't find
something that would taste good to a
sick bov. II am all hunky, but my
chum has got the rheumtiz
~Well. that don't hurt you, does
it?n said the groceryman with one
of his heartless expressions. You
don't want to grunt until you are
hurt yourself. There Is time enough
for YOU to be limping around when
YOU get sick yourself. don't be
lieve in worrying when anybody else
Is sick.
We'll YOU heartless old cuss you.
You never had chum, did you?
If YOU ever had chum that you
loved. that had stood by you IN all
kinds Of weather, who would work
his fngernaIls off for you, and go
without eating and sleeping to make
you happy, you could never talk
that way. Ny chum is Just as ten
der as a woman, though he was as
strong as a giant afore the rheuma-
tiz struck him, and now he Is as
weak as a little tiny baby, and we
have TO handle him just as though
he was eggs. Every bone, and
muscle, ard drop of blood, and piece
of skin about his body is Just like
mas neuralgia, and sometimes they
all ache at once, and then they take
turns aching, and my chum lays
there and takes il as calmly as
though he was at a picnic, and never
grumbles. He smiles his great big
old fashioned smile when he sees me
looking over the foot board Of his
bed, aud when | 90 up and put my
hand on his face. and wipe the psrs-
piration off his forehead, the tears
come rolling down his checks, and
he tries 10 raise his helpless hand to
shake mine, but he can't and he
saws, Hello, old pard, and then be
shuts his eyes and the rheumatic
commences where it lett off and goes
to grinding him up again. Gosh, II
/ could pull off my shirt and things
and get into his bed and take his
place, and let the rheumatic get in
its work on me for a day, bile my
chum might 20 out and slide down
hill or kick over few barrels, and
feel bully for a while, / would enjoy
it. But you can 'tchange works with
a fellow that has got rheumatic.
Never had ii, did you p
No, never had it, said the gro
ceryman, but | had a brother-in-law
who had it once, but he cured him.
self eating snow.
20, get out, " said the boy. Since
my chum has had rheumatic, every
old crank has told me a new cure
for ii, and | think | will try some
new remedy on him, but when | go
to his room and see the good doctor
who has been brought up amongst
rheumatic, and tell him of the new
remedy | heard of, and he tells me
it is all nonsense, that settles 1t.
The idea of curing rheumatic eating
snow Say, isn't it queer about
catching rheumatic? 1t is like lot
terry. Forty fellows may have the
same chance to draw a rheumatic
prize, and only one gets it sawed off
onto him. Now, me and my chum
were both in the same draft of air,
and both had a right to catch the
rheumatic All got was wind on
my stomach, and / slode down hill
head first on my sled, and the rheu-
matiz has all blown away from me-
My chum went riding in a 'coupay,
and he got il. Sliding down hill
knocks rheumatism better than eat
ing snow. Say, would like to run
the world for about a month. By
gosh, | would arrange it so nobody
but the mean people would be sick.
1t seems too bad to have these pain
ful diseases strike the best people in
the world, don't it? If had the run
ming of things rheumatic should
never attack such a good fellow as
my chum. | would have it lay for
the thieves, and sand baggers, and
murderers, and highway robbers,
and wife beaters, and old sharks that
never do any good no how, and keep
its claws off OF folks that never did
any harm, and always had a kind
word for everybody. But these dis
eases seem to have their traps set
for the best people and the thieves
and burglars are the healthiest of
the lot. If things were run right
rheumatic ought to be a detective
that would catch a horse thief Just
as he was stealing the horse, and
make him drop the halter and send
for a doctor. If was bossing rheu-
matiz | would have it paralyze the
arm of the man about to cemmit
murder or whip his wife, and iay
him out colder than a wedge. |
would have rheumatic act as a refor-
matory agent instead ofgoing around
careless and picking out thorough
breds. / would have it watch a
mean man when he was going to do
something mean, and take hold of
him and give his muscle twist, and
then let up, and if he kept on, take
him by the neck and double him up
and make him yell. But | must 60
and do my chum's chores for his
ma. and then go and set up with
him. 1t is singular how my chum
knows when l am coming, and how
the pain begins to go away when |
am there. | think it would do YOU
good to love some one, old man,
some one that was sick sometimes,
to whom your presence would be a
sort of a heaven. If YOU loved any
body SO that the touch of your hand
would drive away pain, and the light
OF your eye would seem like bene-
diction, and you could cheer your
friend by your light football on the
carpet, and drive away nervousness
by the sound of your voice, and
cause happiness to take the place of
misery when you were around. YOU
would not be half as mean as Won