The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-04-16
PAYING OFF.

"rll pay him off! I'll pay him off
first chance get, if 'tisn't till I'm as
old as Methuselum, now!''
Tony's two brown fists came together
with thump. His eyes flashed, and
his face was like a blaze Mamma
looked up, surprised and grieved at the
outburst, but she didn't say word;
she only waited for what would come
uext.
81 will!'' cried Tony. 'TI have to,
mamma! He's the worst boy that ever
lived! He's-he's-Td like to pound
him all black n blue, so!''
Whack! came his fists together again,
poor Tony! and the fire in his eyes was
all at once put out by tears. Mamma
spoke then.
Tell mother all about" said she.
And Tony sat down on little cricket
at mammals feet, and laid his head
against mammals knee, and told, which
was Just what he wanted to do.
Hes kept plaguing me ever since
first begun to go to school, mamma,
Johnny Pratt has, every way he could,
and he's the biggest, too. l wouldn' t
plague boy hitler than / was, would
you, mammal. . ....
mo, dear; don't think I would"
| tBut he does, and calls names, too, :"
Tony went on, beginning to grow rosy
again. "He calls me Tony George
because / always lift my cap to old
| AuntY Dinsmore--and that's right,
isn't it, mamma?' as he thought he
saw a sly little twinkle in mamma s
eye. ....r.
''Quite right, Tony" she answered,
| quietly.
"'Cause it pleases her so much, you
know. And sometimes / carry her
basket for her a ways. And he makes
| fun. And this morning" = Tony
breath came fast and he doubled his
.fists-''this morning was the least bit
late to school, and when | went in they
all commenced to laugh, easy, of course,
so Mr.. Blake wouldn't hear, and look
at the blackboard. And l looked, too;
and there was picture of boy lifting a
| hat b;gger'n he was and bowling real
low-an awful-looking boy, mamma,
| and Tony George was right under it.
/ knew who made it quick enough, and
my face got hot as fire; and just then
Mr.. Blake saw it, and he said: John,
rub that thing out! cross as any thing.
He knew who made it, too, you see.
Mamma. if 1 was big enough, Fd-Td
thrash him all to pieces! I'd just like
to pay him off SO he'd stay paid one
while, mammal
Mamma didn't even smile. She felt
that this was serious matter.
Il don't blame you Bit she said,
soberly. Il think l would want to pay
him off if were you. think, dear, 1
would kill him. -
Tony jumped from his cricket, he was
so astonished.
"Why, Mamma Walters!' he cried.
observation-disclosures
Mamma smiled then, she couldn' thelp
it. But she was quite in earnest.
'It would be great deal better than
thrashing him all to pieces, Tony" she
said; and Tony hung his head and
blushed. Suppose you try itp'
don't know how said Tony.
II think you can guess, dear. And
now we won't say another word about
it for week. "
Il s'pose," said Tony, slowly, with
his face puckered into dozen wrinkles
over this new idea, II s'pose, mamma,
you mean the way that old Quaker man
did that gran pa used to tell about.
But can't be kind to Johnny Spratt,
mamma. How can /? Sides, i
wouldn't have any chance"
/ MAKE one," said mamma. Z" Now
mo more for a week, my son, and
then -
Tony knew what that meant. Il
meant that at the end of the week he
would be expected to tell mamma just
how much he had done toward killing
Johnny Spratt with kindness.
I'm 'fraid it won't be much" he
thought, with little discontinued
quicker between his eyes. It'll be
pretty hard, s'pose.'
And SO it was. Why, it did seem a:
if Johnny Spratt grew worse every
day. Tony had to bite his tongue
hard a good many times to keep from
telling tales out of school about him.
And as for being kind to him--that
seemed quite out of the question
though Tony honestly did his best, arc
didn't get angry more times than ht
could help.
At the end of the week his birthday
was coming, and Washington and
the night before he rushed home from
school all out of breath with his hurry
and delight.
80 mammal he cried, eagerly
''we're going to have the best time to
morrow! We're all-aH. of our class
you know going to put in twenty-five
cents apiece and hire Mr. Bakers grea
big, btq cutter, and Mr.. Blake's going
to take us toto some kind of LAKE
that the last of it's 'guntic, and his sis
ter lives right close side of it; and were
going to skate and fire at q mark witt
just arrows, you know, mamma, anC
eat dinner at his sisters house. And
we've got to meet at the school-houst
real early, and-won't it be grand
mammal"
Mamma smiled and kissed both glow
ing cheeks; for though Tony was half
past nine, as he would have told you
he hadn't grown away from his moth
1