The Indianapolis journal., 1885-12-07
A DOMESTIC COMEDY
In Which Hip-Pocket Edition of "Peck'S
Bad Boy" Figures as Principal.

Near Second street, in the northwestern part
of the city, an elderly German is engaged in
butter making. The work goes on under a
shed inclosed by high tight board fence. The
power that drives the churn is contributed by
an antique mule who swings around the circle
all day long.
Overlooking this humble factory is the resi-
dence of a well-known business man whose wife
is prominent in church work-socals. pink teas
and Japanese weddings. The boys of the neigh
borhood, manufacturing enterprises not abound
ing thereabouts have from the beginning taken
great interest in the factory. None Of the boys
have taken greater interest than George, who
lives next door.
George is an observing boy. Looking through
crack in the fence he discovered mot only that
the old man was rather irascible cranky as
George puts it), but very deaf, and that the
mule was not only stubborn, but stone blind.
With this slender material George proceeded
to build little comedy He thought it would
George could see.
The old man, with much beating and Teutonic
oblurgation, has just succeeded in getting the
mule started. He has described but two or three
circles in the milky-way when a whispered
whoa" comes from the crack in the fence
The old man doesn't hear it. The mule does
He stops. The proprietor. club in hand, belabors
the old mule, which, after many dubious shake
OF the ears, as not understanding it at all, con-
cudes to 60 on. Two or three times round the
ring, when another whoa" comes from the
fence The old mule has his doubts about it, but
the command is repeated and he stops, turning
his head toward the fence as he does so. The
old man was sonto the snap las George said)
but George and the boys who were with him
enjoying the fun nimbly disappear in the dis
tance.
This little entertainment was before school,
and George didn't think of going back to the
churnery until late in the afternoon. In the
meantime he has been trading with the boys,
and has swapped broken -bladed knife, glass
prism from a chandelier, and part of Noah's
family and the remains of the ark for number
of equally valuable relics, among which are
toy pistol and supply of detonating cartridges.
Carefully placing the cartridges in his rear
pocket, George again bethnks him of the mule.
He has new racket" to play upon the old
man.
Georgie's mother is entertaining company of
church ladies this afternoon, me of the sewing
circles, or something of that kind. and, not to
disturb her, George considerably enters by a
rear door, and passing through the kitchen goes
upstairs into the attic.
Lying down upon his little stomach, George
opens round window and looks out. Right it
is directly over the mule After a two-minute
laugh, anticipating the great fun he would have,
George. still struggling hard to restrain his
merriment, again pronounces the magic word.
the old mule waving his ears toward the fence,
stops. The old man. stick in hand, mounts the
fence and looks over. Not boy IN sight. He
can't understand it, and beating the mule for
answering false alarm, the churning begins
again.
George is in ecstasies; all the fun he had had
before was as nothing compared to this, and
SO safe, too. In quick succession he whoas six or
seven times, the mule answering every call. The
old man thinks the animal bewitched. George
is wild with delight, and, incautous with sue
cess, thinks he will try it on once more and then
go down stairs. He whoas again, and so plainly
that the mule, locating the sound turns his
head fairly up toward the window. and the old
man sees George before he can get his head in.
man is. 1t takes him scarce time at all to
climb the fence and appear in the midst of the
sewing society with broken, but dramatic
count of Georgie's wrong doing. It takes
Georges mother an incredibly short space of
time to reach the attic. Her slipper is off in
iiffy. It's shadowy outline is seen for moment
in the air, to be followed by an explosion and a
shrek of pain.
Georges mother fell in one corner while the
remains Of Georges trousers fell with a dull,
sckening thud in another.
These facts were cleaned with the greatest
difficulty. owing to the proverbial retcence that
characterizes sewing circles. Meager as they
are, they may be thoroughly relied upon. They
60 to point moral and adorn a tale, and are thus
given, without comment. to a confiding public.