The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-11-08
WHAT JOHNNY THOUGHT.
To Save His Life he Can't Understand the
Ways Of Grown People.

To Save His Life he Cant Understand the
Ways Of Grown People.
Grown-ups beat me-for Queerness.
/ mean. l don't undertand 'em, and
spose when I'm grown up I'll be just
as queer. and think / amt. When
they find me with lot of things in
my pocket. they grin and smoker and
wink. and say: '.jess like boyr'-zif
1t was awful funny. How do they
know what l want with a hunk OF
string and key with the key part
broken off? Huh! 1 know my business
bettern they know theirs. Sold the
key 10 Bill Huyler for two cents and
twenty-five cigarette-cards. Told him
it was the boss whisslin' key and
would whistle half mile. What's
the matter with that? Maybe I didn't
stretch that string across the sidewalk
and take off the parsons silk hat first
clip, neither? jess like a boy!" /
guess this boy knows what his pockets
are for, any way.
But those grown-ups! Queer? /
betcher! I'd like to know if they think
they know what they're about. /
don't.
There's Mr. Ferguson, frinstance
He was interjuced to pop last summer,
at Narragansett Pier, and came calling
at our house all the winter He's a
cowboy-that is, he owns an everlast-
ing great big ranch out West, some
where, in Texas or Colorado or Wyo-
ming, or somewheres. He amt like
the cowboys you read about. He
doesn't wear fringe down the sides of
his pan-trousers. They don't have
fringe down the sides of their pa
trousers when they're boss cowboys.
It's only when they're hired cowboys.
and don't own ranches. I wish I'd
known that when Buffalo Bill was
here. ! wouldn't have thought he
was such great shakes. He had fringe
down the sides of his p-trousers.
Oh, yes, l was going to tell you
about Mr.. Ferguson. Well. he came
here, a-calling on the girls. same's all
the rest of them. and he didn't pay any
more attention to me than if l hadn't
been there. If he stumbled over me
in the hall, he jess said ''Ahw And
you bet was there. | wanted to see
what a cowboy looked like when you
got him right in your own home. He
didn't look a bit like a cowboy. though.
He dressed like a swell, and his hair
was just plain short, like mine.
Well. first thing 1 knew, after he'd
been coming for three or four months,
he began to make heap of me-.
Couldn't do too much for me. Had to
see me every time he came to the
house. SAID what a fine boy l was.
Said | Orter come out to his ranch
and he'd give me broncho pony and
make a man of me. Said lots OF
things.
And the tricks he knew! Why. he
tau hit me the smartest things l ever
knew. Showed me how to pass a
half-dollar. and how to pick money
out of the wall-and gave me the half
dollar. too. l tell you, was the pop
ularest boy in school.
Well. next thing | knew. he cooled
down on NE. Not all of sudden, Won
know, sort of gradual like. Oh. yes.
he'd show me that trick tomorrow
Come round next Wednesday, Char
ley. and I'll put the handkerchief
through the hat for YOU" That was
his style. When talked about going
out to his ranch. he'd say that he
thought Id better wait till l got
through college. More he came, more
that way he got.
Now he's given me the cold shake.
"Get along, Charley boy-don't bother
mel" ''See you later, Charley. busy
nOw!"
I'd like to know what it means?
Does hp know what he's about? Spose
said LESS like a man!'-hey? ]
know what | want He don't know
what he wants with Teller.
Wonder how he's going to treat me
after he marries my sister Gwenn. day
aftert' morrer.