Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-12
SUGAR JOHN AND BRAX.
They Tackled the New Boy, Smith
and Caught Tartar.

and Caught Tartar.
Mrs. Baker has a round-faced, snub-
nosed, blue-eyed boy, whom, with mater
nal fondness, she calls by the appe llation
OF ''Sugar John" Sugar j. has a chum a
year his senior, named BraX, and they
are rather hard lot. While their amia-
BILE mammRs attend the society meetings,
devising ways and means to help the
heather. this brace roam the streets and
commons, and levy war on birds, stray
dogs and cats, and such hapless urchlns
as fail in their way.
Ihelr sweetest pleasure is to catch a
new boy in their ward. If he is not too
large they proceed to break him IN" as
they call ii, and his suherings are sure
and many If he shows up on the street
much for the first three weeks.
A tenant came to the cottage across
the street from the Baker homestead the
other day. A fat, laZy-loOking, shock
headed boy about eight years old was OF
the family, and ne had not swung on the
fence gate or crossed the street more than
twice, with that inqustive disposition
common to boys set down in a strange
place, before Sugar john and Brax had
marked him for their own, and had bonn
barded him with stones, pieces of broken
crOckery, ancient eggs and such other
casual missiles as came to their hands.
For three days the strange boy was in a
state of siege, and learned TO be very
careful how he showed mis- head above the
garden wall.
Late the other afternoon Mrs. Baker
was standing aJ her gate with neIghbor,
when her darling OF the saccharine APP
pellation, coming from toward the creek,
put in an unexpected and considerably
dllapldated appearance. 1t would be
hard to say whether said appearance
should have been considered alarming or
cOmical. Your hrst glance at him
aroused your pity; your second, your
merriment; your third, your fears for his
Immediate future.
lie walked on the extreme end of the toes
of the right foot and the heel OF the left, and
his arms swung viOlen lytOrward and back
at each hating step, as If they were with
great difficulty preserving the balance.
His hat and most of his hair was gone.
There were bald patches all over his
head. His nose had been flattened out to
about three times the space nature in
tended it to cover, while the lower por-
ton of bis features looked like a hastily
executed map of Charlton county. Both
eyes were about retiring for an lndefint to
rest, the cuticle about them having taken
on pulling forward, as if it meant to
grow fast and furious, while the colOrs OF
black and red therein seemed to be fight
ing death struggle for the mastery. His
head was thrown we'll back, in order that
he might see from under the upper lids
his limpiag way. Blood was dropping
from one elbow, and hole as big as
saucer in the knee of his trousers re-
Vealed a large area OF muchlV abused skin
thereaOOut.
1t was apparent that Sugar Johns craft
had encountered squall and was COM
ing into port for repairs. To carry out
the figure it might be added that the craft
should have been towed, as the rigging
was utterly torn up, and the progress
made did not show much steam in the
hulk. AS to the event itself, we will let
sugar JOGn tell IL in his own words.
Nv nat on earth has happened to my
darlingp asked the much ffighten I'd
president of the society for the ameliora-
ton OF the heather.
Sugar John carefully, with both hands,
pulled open his left optic, That ne might
be able To see as he talked, aud said:
Eyer see me an BraX has been havin'
ar scrimmage with ther new Smith boy
down ter the erik. We went down Their,
we did, am Directly long he comes, am
We lays down in ther grass an hides by
Their path. Wen he gifts up we reaches
out an ketches him round Their legs and
ilings him. He was monstrous sprised,
but he riz a-ftin', an he took BraX right
in Their mouth with his liss. Then he took
me by ther hair, up here where you see
us most all gone, and jerked me all
about. BraX, be hit i'm in ther side, but
he never stoptit bit. lie jis' raised MS
lef foot an kicked Brax right in the
stummick an BraX fell over. Then he
set down er etraddle OF BraX right on Their
stummick. en- looks BrnX by Their wears
an bumped his head up en- down on ther
hard groun. | wuz mad, wuz, en- run
up aud hit i'm on ther back with a great
big stick. He Hinged out his right arm
an ketcned me round Their waist an
brought me r0un' down with my bel
siummick right across Brakes mouth.
We wuz so mixed up that BraX thought
was Their smith boy, en- he lit in to bitin'
me in the stummick. | hOllered to Brax
ter quit, Ell he got his thumb in NV mouth.
am bit it nearly onn thinkin' IT wuz the
Smith boys thum. Then | pulled
loose frum both oy 'em an run
round an pulled his hair.
He didn't care, but kept on jOtin' hissef
up en- down on Brakes stummick 10 make
II hurt. And Brax hollered. Then Their
raskil turned on me an made my face ali
hurt. Bout that time his little dog. drat
him, ruined up and bit me twice on the
ioots an once on Their leg. hollered TO
BraX TO kill Their dog quick" no pen can
describe how he emphap Zed quick zen
BraX he tbrowed er chunck at Their dog.
he did, and Their chunk it missed the dog
en- hit me ferlnst the knee" Here Sugar
turned loose the lower eyelid long
enough to rub the injured knee, then he
continued: Pm going to put out pizen
iur that dog this very mite. en- as fur that
Smith boy lin Say, ma" tsuddenIv
changing the subject) git ms a sum arni- |
CO en- some sports OF turp'ntin en- er
piece er cake. Think Pm ruined, eh! (as
mis- mother yanked him IN doOrs) well. |
yer jus orter see BraN."
II Is needless to say that the partner. |
snip heretofore existing between Sugar |
John and BraX Is dissolved. n