The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1884-05-31
THE A BOY.
From PECK $ srx.

Don't speak to me- said the
groceryman to the bad boy, as he
showed up in his shirt sleeves one
morning, and acted familiar with
his old friend. $50 right away
from here, and please keep away,
forever. have overlooked about
a thousand of your eccentric char
acteristics, because you have ar
gued with me. and showed me that
YOU we're actuatcd by worthy mo-
tiyeS. But this last thing you have
done, has been the last hair that
has broken the camel's back, and
henceforth you and are strangers.
and ! will take it as a favor if you
will keep on your W side Of the
street and the g%roceryman open
ed the door and pointed the way
out.
What seems to be eating yOu!"
said the bad boy, as he went to the
back end of the grocery, leaving
the g%roceryman pointing out the
open door, and sat down on the
high stool by the desk, and began
TO figure on a piece Of brown paper
with a stub pencil. "You must
be troubled with worms, and there
is nothing better for worms than
vermituge. What have | done
now, that causes you such agonyI'
"Done1 You have disgraccd
yourself, your family, and me, and
everybody. Didn't | see you go
down an alley last night, in your
shirt sleeves, locked arms with
that niger boy who lives down
there! Don't deny it, confound
you, cause | was watching you,
and the niger vas drunk or some
thing, because he staggered, and
don't believe you were much bet
ter. That comes of loafing around
and being bad. When white boy
associates with niggers, and takes
them home when they are drunk,
that Is all ! want to know. Mig
gers are no better than cattle, and
| never saw one that | would walk
a block with tor a million dollars.
Now own up, didn't You go down
the alley with the niger, and amt
you-ashamcd of y%ourself!"
so, is that all? Yes, | did
walk with the colored boy, and il
/ had not held him up he would
have fallen down. and ] am not
ashamed of it Here is a list Of
groceries | want you to send tt
that boys house, down in the alley,
if you are not ashamed to deliver
things in an alley, and here is tho
money to pay for them, and now
fly around, old bar soap" Ant
the boy took an orange and begar
to excavate it with his under teeth
80, that is different" said the
groceryman as he took the list ant
began to hurry to fill it. Maybe
| am wrong, as usual, but | can't
bear ringers. What was the cause
of your helping him home, Hen
merry!
"There was cause enough. ]
was coming down towards the nvel
and | saw about fifty people stand
ing on the bridge, watching a little
German child drown, and yelling
to everybody to do something
the child had fallen off the Woo
dock where she was picking "
chips. Just as l got there | saw
this colored boy throw off his Goa
and shoes and Jump in, and in
few seconds he had hold of tn,
child, and swan to the dock witt
her, and held her up, and some
body pulled her out, and they for
got all about the little niger a
you call him, and he would have
drowned in the dirty water if
hadn't seached the but of my fish
pole down to him to climb up on
They took the rescued white chil'
away, and brought her to by rolling
her on a barrel, and no one tho