The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-10-09
HIS SrEp.MOTHER.
What . Confederate and Thoughtful Boy
Said About His Fathers second Wife.

what . Constderate ana ThouHhthui my
Said About His Fathers second Wife.
slows my motherP" he slowly an
swered. .'She was purity well half an
hour ago, when we had a little argu-
ment in the back yard and she pitched
the clothes-bars at me-
II Understand" said the other boy, as
he YEARLY sat down on the curb-stone
and reached out for a straw to break
in pieces in his fingers, that she's Sec
ond-hand."
EXACTLY. She was a widow when
pop married her. and | guess she
looked upon it as her last chance.
That's what we were arguing about this
morning. and that's why she gotmad."
'Do you call her motherp"
81 did up to yesterday. She agreed
to give me fifty cents a week to cali
her mother around the house when
pop was home, and two shillings
every time l called her ma before the
neighbors. She paid up all right the
first week, but defaulted on the second,
and I'm now addressing her as stran-
ger. | do business on a cash basis, |
do, and when the cash stops the ma
business comes to a dead stand-still."
That's perfectly right. Do they
spoon muchP"
Lots. Guess pop thought it was
his last chance, too, the way he acts.
Say, Jim, it's awfully tiresome for a
boy to be around where so much spoon
ing is going on. 1t is kinder turnin'
my stomach ag'in vittles, and l feel
weary all over
"Must have struck you purity sud-
denp'
Yes, it did. Pop and me and his
sister had been keeping house alone
for seven years, when one day he drove
up with this secondhand person in a
hack and told me to kiss my lev ma"
"And did you"
'Nawl Made a climb for the back
fence, and didn't 60 home till the po-
lice threatened to send me to the reform
school"
How did your aunt take itp"
1T was rich. Them women en-
braced and kissed at two o'clock p. M,
standard time. At three my aunt was
out of the house, bags, bundles and old
umbrellas, and the stranger had full
possession. l wasn't there to see it,
but the neighbors laughed until their
sides ached. l guess my aunt is run
ming vet, for we haven't heard from
her,"
'.Do you s'pose this-this second
hand edition will 60 up to see your
mothers graveP''
"Will sheP Well, don't you bet any
money on it! About one of the first
questions she asked me was what the
grave-stone cost, and how often pop
went up, and when l told her she
kicked the cat across the kitchen and
broke a lamp chimney with her elbow.
Next day l heard her saying to pop
that she'd just like to see a husband of
hers fooling away his time in a grave
yard. If she and pop ever do 60 up
there, and pop so far forgets the situa-
ton as to heave a sigh, she'll mop him
over a hull acre of graves"
''Does she 60 through your pockets
after you are asleep"
"She sot out to, but | filled 'em with
red pepper and she didn't get her eyes
opened till next day Don Since then
we treat each other with GOODNESS"
The two sat looking at the cobble-
stones for a long time, and then Jim
suddenly rose up and said:
II know what Iln going to do"
"WhatP'
I'm going to be gooder to my own
mother than ever before. I've got two
cents, and I'm going to take her home
two palm-leaf fans and ask her to keep
on living for my ake.'-DetroU Free
Press.