River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-01-30
PAPA AND The BOY.
An Early Morning Conversation In the Bed
room of Pater Families.

An Early Morning Conversation in the Bed
room of Pater Familias.
Charming as is the merry prattle of in
nocent childhood, it is not particularly
agreeable at about one o'clock in the
morning, when you are dead for sleep"
and wouldn't give copper TO hear even
Gladstone himself talk. There are
young and talkative children, who have
no more regard for your feelings or for
the proprieties of life than to open their
peppers with a snap at one or two a. m,
and to seek to engage you in enlivening
dialogues of this sort:
Papa
You think you will pay no heed to the
imperative little voice, hoping that
silence on your part will keep the
youngster quiet: but again the boy of
three pipes out sharply:
Papa"
"Well?" you say.
"You wake, papa?"
"Yes."
''So's me-"
''Yes, l hear that you are" you say
with cold sarcasm. ''What do you
want?"
''Oh muffin"
"Well, lie still and go to sleep, then"
81 isn't Sleepy, papa"
'Well, / am, young man."
sis you? i isn't-not bit. Say, pa
pa, papa?"
'sWell?"
eff you was rich what would you buy
me?'
Il don't know-go to sleep"
"Wouldn't you buy nuffin?"
81 guess so-now you"
'What, papa?"
''Well steam engine, may be; now,
you go right to Sleep"
with a bell that would ring, papa?"
"Yes, yes; now you"
sand would the wheels go wound, pa
pap
''oh, yes (yawning). Shut your eyes
now, and"
''And would it go choo, choo, choo, pa
pap"
"Yes, yes; now go to sleep!'
Say, papa"
No answer.
Papa
''Well, what now?"
us you 'f'aid of the dark?"
''No" (drowsily).
81 isn't either, papa"
Well?"
''If was witch, I'd buy you somefn."
"Would your
''Yes; I'd buy you some ice cweam and
some chocolate drops, and toof brush
and panties wiv bwaid on like mine, and
"a candy wooster, and"
THAT will do. You must go to sleep,
low.'
Silence for half second; then
'Papa-papar
"Well, what now?"
'l want iink."
~, yUu don't"
81 do, papa"
Experience has taught you that there
will be no peace until you have brought
the link" and you scurry out to the
bathroom in the dark for it, knocking
your shins against every thing in the
room as you go.
Now, don't want to hear another
word from you tonight" you say, as he
gulps down mouthful of the water he
didn't want. Two minutes later he says:
''Papa?"
''See here, laddie, papa will have to
punish you if"
Il can spell dog, papa"
swell, nobody wants to hear you spell
at two o'clock in the morning"
''B-O-g-dog; is that right?"
mo, it isn't; but nobody cares if"
"Then it's dog, isn't it?''
"Yes, yes; now you lie right down and
go to sleep instantly"
Then I'll be a good boy, won't l, pa
pap
''Yes. you'll be the best boy on earth.
Good night, dearie."
Papa
"Well, we'll, What now?"
''Is your little boy ?"
"Yes, yes; of course"
''Some mans haven't got any little
boys; but you have, haven't you?"
Yes"
'Don't you wish you had two, free,
nine, 'leben, twenty-six, ninety-ten, free
hundred little boys?"
The mere possibility of such a remote
and contingent calamity so paralyzes
you, that you lie speechless for ten min
utes, during which you hear yawn or
two in the little bed by your side,a little
figure rolls over three or four times, a
pair of heels fly into the air once or
twice, a warm moist little hand reaches
out and touches your face to make sure
that you are there and the boy is asleep
with his heels where his head ought to
BEL. l.. Hasbour, in Puck.