The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-01-03
THE sAD BOY.
IPeck,s sun.l

soap for you, ana another, beet foT your father," and the grocerymsn handed the boy a cake of red soap, and picked a large red beet out of a basket for the
 Well, I snum," said the boy as he looked sad, "l don't care for this insult on my own account for am tuf, and can stand it, but sending this emblem to pa will break him up. You may think i, is smart to thus call rly pa dead bea., but if you could go to his bedside now, and see him, as he tears what little hair he has got, and groans, you would not do 1t. But will take it to him. and the boy wiped his eyes on his coat-sleese, and started to go.
 snatched the beet away from the boy, aI was only joking. What ails your pa ? Is he sick?"
 "No, he isn't exactly sick, but he is mad" said the boy, as he put the soap in his pocket and sa. down on keg ef Malaga grapes, and began digging them out of the sawdust and eating them. You see pa has been buying Christmas presents for three days, and getting them together, and last night he gave me a list of the places where they were to go, and got my chum to go with me to de- liver them. Seems as though something always happens to me when try to do anything right. Just as we were going by the windy corner at the court house, and my chum was wheeling the hand cart, l looked at the list to sec which package went to the minister, and the wind took the list and blew it into the air clear to the dome of the court house, and then it sailed away over the fake. Well, didn't know what to do. Pa had ing, and l knew l couldn't find him, so VIC concluded to deliveK the presents pro- miscuously. knew all the places they were to go, and l thought it wouldn't make 90 very much difference if they did get mixed, so we went around with them, and then went home and went to bed. This morning got up early to see what was in my sock, and l heard pa and ma having a quarrel. It seems that pa had intended to give ma a seal skin cloak, but she found a pair of red ..co rsets in her stocking, about five sizes too small, and she was giving pa fits. Pa explained that he had bought the corsets for the young woman who sings in the choir, 90 she could lace them up tight and make her voice smaller so she csuld reach the highest notes. He was going to do that for joke. While he was explaining it 10 ma, tho man who cleans of snow from the minister's side walk rang tho bell and handed the girl a package for pa, and he opened it and fo,,N4 na%k of NaNla ud l1k .E poker chips, with a note frsm the minis ter to pa giving him old hundred for sending miHister of the gospel pres eat of such tools of the devil The min ister said he was prepared for insults in this world, but that was something he could not stand, and he wouldn't be re- sponsibls for his actions when hc met pa. Pa called mo in and asked why didn't leave those poker chips and cards at the club. and then l had to toll him about the wind blowething the list where ii lsteth, and how we did the best we could without it Pa wanted to die, and guess he wanted me and my chum to die also, but the bell rung for breakfast and we went down to the dining-room. Ma was mad and poured out the coffee as though she wished it was pisen, and pa tried to swallow something. and couldn't, and l tried to pray, cause l though, pa would break my back aftez breakfast. While we was at the table nets came from tho choir singer thanking pa and ma for the sealskin cloak, and saying that it filled long felt hat or something, and that it was so appropriate, and SO thoughtful in them to so kindly remember a poor girl SwkA knA nnektv. k,,S har .-L; ok to pull through cold wsrld. She said she hoped the consciousness of having done kindly action would cause them a very Merry Christmas. Well, when pa read that letter to ma l thought would die. Pa acted as though he could slip through one of the holes in the cane-seat chair, though he couldn't of course, and ma she just leaned right back and blat- ted. felt offul at the mistake, but when went to say didn't mean to mix things up, pa took up the carving knife and looked green in the eyes, like cat that is scared in a dark room, and says, 'M-e-o-u-w,' in a bass voice, and shet right up and kept on eating my sassidge. We hadn't go; fairly onto pancakes be- fere the bell rung aud the old maid with the gold specs, who lives next door, she came in and throwed package down sn the breakfast table, and said she would have pa arrested for defamation of char actez, and she went out Ma tried to get her to stay to breakfast, but she glared at ma as though she would bite. Pa opened the package and it was pair of pas old pants and an old flannel undershirt and pair of drawers Pa turned pale when he saw them, and asked me where left the bottle of tooth powder and the cologne, and told him to the best of my recollec- ton Left them at the office of the As sociased Charities Pa said it va. just as he expected He had intended the pants and undezclothes to go there, to be given to the poor tramps, and had ruined him by sending them to the old maid. Pa asked mo what l thought an old maid wanted of such things, and what th<y wanted of tooth powder and cologne for tramps. l couldn't answer, and pa groaned and got up and went