Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-07-04
The Recent Bad Boy.
by GEORGE W. PECK.

grOceryman 10 the bad boy, as he came
along with an old fashioned OIL cloth
carpet bag, with one handle gone,
and Il tired look on his carpet bag
and the boy, AS though they had just
returned from journey. "llaven't
seen YOU IN here for two weeks, aud
| began TO think you had been alb
Quoted, or mysleriously disappeared.
You look sick"
80, am not sick, but tired, and
sleepy, and hungry. | wish you
would cut me oil cheese rind, or
give me Il herring skin, or anything
said the bad boy, as he dropped the
carpet bag on the floor. and dropped
into half bushcl measure, and closed
his eyes. ave are just on the way
from the depot, and pa has left me to
carry this old carpet sack, and he has
gone up the alley TO climb over the
back fence, cause he wore his boots
outOn the railroad ties coming up
from the Chicago convention"
"What! Had to walk back 7 said
the grocery man, AS he handed the
boy Il generous slice of cheese with
spot Of green mould on the under side.
Il should suppose your pa had inilu-
cnce enough to get pass, or borrow
money TO get home with, if he got
busted
"That's what pa thought" said the
boy, as he made u camel's track in
the piece of cheese, and then, making
up face at the mouldy mouthful
reached into a cracker barrel to get
some crackers 10 take the taste out.
"But borrowing was p aged out the
second day. Pa lent money for two
days, and then had to borrow, but
they had all quit lending when pas
turn came to borrow. Gosh but pa
and are out of politics from this out.
Pa says he will never vote again. lie
says the country is all gone to the
dogs"
well what was your pa down
there for, anyway? lie wasn't dele
gate was hep asked the grocerman.
"No, pa was only an assistant dele
gate, and l was pas assistant" said
the boy, rs he gathered in groceries
and provisions with both hands, and
ate as though he had tasted for sever
al days. "You see, the politicians
have been playing it on pa for six
months. They get him TO work in
ward politics, by encouraging him to
think he is an important factor in the
country's affairs. lie wanted to be Il
delegate, and they encouraged him,
but he got beat, and then they told
him he better 90 as an assistant dele
gate. They told him that delegates
dad not amount to anything without
some smart fellows to tell them how
to vote and what they wanted was a
lot of outsiders to go along and brace
up the delegates, and 'whoop-it-up.
There is nothing that pa likes any
better than to whoop-it-up, and he
took me along'to give me an insight
into politics, and carry the satchel.
| don't want any more insight iuto
politics. l have had insight enough TO
last me until / am twenty-one. Pa told
me, all the way down to Chicago. what
an important business it was to be
assistant delegate, and how much de-
pended upon clear-headed outsiders,
who really managed the whole bus
mess. Iexpected they would carry
pa OH their shoulders. There was
band at the depot, and pa pulled up
his collar, and pulled down his vest,
and looked around as much as TO say
watch me now,' and thought he
was going to make speech, when the
crowd walked right over him, and his
hat came off and rolled under car
and somebody picked it up and left
an old dirty hat on the ground. Pa was
mad, but when the crowd got away
that was all the hat there was, and pa
took it, gave it tome, and he took
mine, II was too small for pa, but
il made him look as though he had a
great big head, and SO l didn't kick.
We went TO a hotel, and man
grabbed the satchel, and told pa to 60
TO room twelve hundred and fifty,
and pa was tickled, cause he thought
| n rOOm had haon eava1 fnr him