Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-02-14
Peck's Bad Boy.
uIs CnUM HAS GOT RHEUMATIZ, AND
THE BOY TELLS THE GROCERY
MAN ABOUT IT.


in with an expression on his face OF
sorrow, such as the groceryman 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 he looked around the
grocery to see if he couldn't find
something that would taste good TO a
sick boy. Il am all hunky, but my
chum has got the rheumatic"
"Well, that don't hurt you, does it?'
said the groceryman, with one of his
heartless expressions. "Iou don't
want 70 grunt until you are hurt your
self There is time enough for you to
be limping around when you get sick
yourself | don't believe 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 finger
nails off for you, and go without eat
ing and sleeping to make YOU happy
YOU could never talk that way. My
chum is Just ~ tendeS as q woman,
though he was strong rs a giant aiore
the rheumatic struck him, and now be
is as weak as a little tiny baby, and
we have to handle him just as though
he was eggs. Every bone, and muscle
and drop of blood, and piece Of skin
about his body is just like mas neural
gia, and sometimes they all ache at
once, and then they take turns aching
and my chum lays there and takes it
as calmly as though he was at picnic
and never grumb!es. He smiles his
great big old fashioned smile when he
sees me looking over the foot.board OF
his bed, and when 60 up and put my
hand on his face, and wipe the perspi'
ration of his forehead, the tears come
rolling down his cheeks, and he tries
to raise his helpless hand to shake
mine, but, he can't, AID he says, Hello,
old pard, and then he shuts bis eyes
and the rheumatiz commences where
it left off aud goes to grinding him up
again. Gosh, if | could pull off my
shirt and things and get into his bed
aud take his place, and let the rheu-
matiz get in its work on me for day
while my chum might 60 out and slide
down hill or kick over a few barrels
and feel bully for a while, | would en-.
Joy it. But you can't change works
with a fellow that has got rheumatic.
Never had it, did you?'
"No, | never had it," said the gro.
ceryman, "but l bad brother.iu-law
who had it once, but he cured himself
eating snow
90, get out, said the boy. since
my chum has hal rheumatic, every
old crank has told me new cure Tor
it. 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 have
heard of. and he tells me it is all non
sense. that settles it. The idea OF
curing rheumatic eating snow say,
isn't it queer about catching rheuma.
tiz? Ii is like a lottery. Forty tel
lows may have the same chance to
draw a rheumatic prize, and only one
gets it sawed off onto him. Now me
and nv chum were both in the same
daft of air, and both had right to
catch the rheumatic. All | got was
wind on my stomach, and | slode down
hill head irst, on my sled, and the
rheumatic has all blowed away from
we. My chum went riding in couPay,
and he got it. Sliding down hill
knocks rheumatic better than eating
snow Say, ! would like to run this
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 painful diseases
strike the best people in the world,
don't il? If / had the running OF
;hiugs, rheumatic should never attack