New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-10-24
THE BOY JOSEPH JEFFERSON.
SOME AMUSING RECOLLECTI0NS.
From advance sheets Of Jeherson's Autobiography
In the November Century

SOME AMUSING RECOLLECTIONS.
from advance sheets of JeaersOn's Autobiography
in the November Century
may almost say that was born IN s1easS
At all events, my earliest recoecuonS are bnId
situated in the city Of washington The door from
our back entry opened upon tho stage, and as q
todding little CHAP in short frock l was allowed
fun run Of the place So behind the scenes" was
As matter Of course. being the son of the manaser
nd almost yns ser rns Whenever small child was
wanted Even before can remember was tahen
S,s,rionie ambition Of my mother that believe Il
Dny slowboy had existed ~ those DAYS l shoa iS
co liam %y head r 4s the ieaReit
The nrsf dim recollection have Of a public ap,
ns Striped r with ed bands and
In the grasp and on the shoulders OF an Infatuated
report Of guns and pistols and in blaze Of fire ana
smoke. TO me the situation seemed perilous, ana IN
S frdss s sS se ssr Of hs hsad o he
but obeying the first law Of mature, not Rolla'
bas Sas eSor srisR deeeis4e
moment had pulled off his feather-duster head heal
Peruvian stood baldheaded IN the middle of b sss
The flavor of an old anecdote, but am credibly In
tOrmed that was the original scaper'
Our family about this time consisted of father and
mother my half brother Charles Burke anu NY
Who deserves special mention. She not one OF the
family, certainly but the group would oe very She was
that strange kind of woman who while taHe apy
nurse friend and sendaRh have ~ been rather foruate
In this case-and whom everybody aepeLs ,Sa world
would not have parted win .r hsr waV II we had tried
"a faithful loving, truthful friend with no t Iiv
or thought 70. herself n S1s TH have no doubt
that there are such beings aItacnea 10 tht
families but know that our family Was Gns Ust tbo
sS Ss q ay or she %as LADY, was
motherdear Mary-always taking my 1aui ne,,iU Ur
herself finding excuses for my badness, ana sPonIIS
me, OF course. A neighbor whose ave weak
smooth sixpence. 1 showed IT 10 my brother C1aite;
who, looking at with some dsparagement said mat
On present o6iieraed state vnn %T% pv af for an
hour the original figures would show themselves anu
i would pass for its fun value or what da wOa aDd IL
would grow shilling This announcement sIf sos
ne with wonder and delight 50 of we started t tor
baking the nterment and carefully marking Ing It ~ tb
headstone we departed Went n PACK ,e 10 e 5s
81 Mary; she denounced the operation as fraud,
and bid me hurry and get my sixpence II ever eX-
he garden. The headstone there, but the six,
pence had gone The had had 5e
Echng my heels in the air, ] soon made the neigh
borhOod ring with my frantic wells The fan family y,
my guilty brother. j determined now that nothing
short Of shilling should calm my feelings ana
I am not quite sure as to dates, and many Incl
dents come up before me in a confused FORM Whlie
4 number are traditional; but there are certain 1acts
connected with my early life about which there can
be no mistake and It Is quite clear that was what
Fl ! heard an oath. / cherished it as newly found
treasure ard would practise It in private. All a nS
was no fault of my bringing UP, for both faiher ana
mother very particular and exacting in the CON
ct Of home wSs made to say mS nS ne snS
Sound moral principles continually fnstled Into
my yoSh SBS Kind Of T9 else MS 70
Ing them-as quickly as religious dec0rum ana my
mother would permit and the sound moral 5a P1ncpeS
making the champion executioner OF all tne stray
oats in our neghborho9d Ine GsHg dns % 9a music
TO my childish ears; and much as love animals
the & ohdh2 Rs1s Bed %
mission in those days should have been oftener seen
In the police court than a. suneaysc bR,Iadcnbia
Mrs. Neal, who kept bookstore II. in m S45el
Joe Neal tSs young ahor Of
bketcbes' I was great favorite with her She
black d suH %f very p and
much starohed She was dear oid iaoy' W., WIN -. q
srednious and conhding sort person that boy Of
seven could wind around his little finger; consequently
e S1 msn aeG @as wo a fertile could
Ut the shortest notice get up narrowing tale OF woe
would s Psss eS M ' now fr
about this time that was In state OF insolvency,
pressed by an exacting peanut-m at the corner II
me would dshevel my hair rush through tho
store into the back room, aud, sinking
In an exhausted condition into little
chair by TIE fireplace call for glass OF water The
startled old lady would jump up crying: What's the
matter yoef' Don't ask me-water waterp Yes, |
IN a moment, my dear boy.' Then in feeble voice
Put some raspberry syrup in It, please, Mrs Neal
e Yes my daring And now having been refreshed |
with this stimulsnt ] would IN a temuous voice
little overscted, perhsps-Ielae some dire calamity
that had Just wfne Led. giving the fun particulars
In fact the the fabrication the more minute
was as 70 the de- ais. would perhaps tell her that
had Just seen lovely little girl with blue eyes ard |
severed from her body had rolled from the middle Of
the street into the gutter and lay smiling at my feet
or perhaps had pulled the little girl from under the
wheels tust previous 10 decapltatiOn and saved her
nfe-refusng a large reward from her father The |
Uhock had been so great that nothing short Of IN I'M
mediate supply of peppermint drops would ever Oh
Nterate IL from my midland where was ] 10 get
money. my dear child,7 the old soul would say,
there is penny for vou.' oh. no, couldn't take
itn-knowing very wen that she would force IL upon
me. All, Mrs Neal. do not deserve all your kind
nessp-the only true words had spoken 10 her" IN
feed DON'T Pm not al all sure that she swallowed
all NV romantic Stories and II is quite possible that
she liked draw me out just to enjoy ms eXaggera-
tons. -
was one of those restless, peevish children. who.
no matter what they had, always wanted simething |
else The last new toy always dissectcd 10 |
what made IL go, and the anticipated one kept me |
awake all night. "When will II be sent home" |
Y About O'clock "Well, what time IS It now?"- |
Mother said It was badness, Mary said Affection