Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-09-22
iLt1trlCaN FE-t55 ass0CllTlCNl

make II al right with You. We hcId
another consultation, and then | told
Pa that we did not feel that it was do
ing justice to sncictyt t. give up the body
Of a notorious drunkard after We had
paid so for the corpse. If there WAS
any hopes that lie would reform AMI try
and lead different life. ii would he diff
frrent. and said 10 the boys: Gentle
men. we must do our duty. Doc. You
Cismelnber that leg, and | will attend to
the stomach and the upper part of the
body. He will he dead before we are
done with him. We must remember
not Let our better natures be worked
upon by the post mortem promises of a
dead drunkard' Then l took my icicle
and began fumbling around the abdo-
men portion of Pas remains, and my
chum took rough piece of ice and be-
gan to saw his leg off, while the other
boy took hold of the leg and said he
would catch it when it dropped off.
Well. Pa kicked like a steer. He said
lie wanted to make one more appeal to
us. and we acted sort of impatient, but
we let up to hear what he had to say.
He said if we would turn him loose he
would give us $40 than we paid for
his body and that he would never drink
another drop as long as he lived. Then
we whispered some more and then told
him we thought favorably of his last
proposition, but he must swear with his
hand on the leg of a corpse we were
then dissecting that he would never
drink again. and then he must be blind
folded and be conducted several blocks
away from the dissecting room before
we could turn him loose. He said that
was all right, and SO we blindfolded
him and made him take bloody oath
with his hand on piece of ice that we
told him was a piece of another corpse,
and then we took him out of the house
and walked him around the block four
times and left him on a corner after he
had promised to send the money to an
address that gave him.
I'VE told him to stand still five min
utes after we left him, then remove the
blindfold and go home. We watched
him from behind board fence, and he
took off the handkerchief, looked at the
name on street lamp and found he
was not far from home. He started off
saying: That's a pretty narrow escape,
old man. No more whisky for you l
did not see him again until this morn
ing, and when l asked him where he
was last night he shuddered and said:
None Of your darn business. But l
never drink any more, you remember
that Ma was tickled and she told me
was worth my weight in gold. Well,
good day. That cheese is musty" And
the boy went an6 caught ON passing
sleigh.
CHAPTER XIV.
HIS PA JOINS TEMPERANCE SOCIETY.
Don't you think my Pa is showing
his agea good deal more than usual:"
asked the bad boy of the grocery man
as he took smoked herring out of box
and peeled off the skin with q broken
bladed jackknife and split it open and
ripped off the bone, threw the head at a
cat and took some crackers and began to
| eat.
"Well, I don't know but he does look
as though he was getting DID," said the
| grocery man as he took a piece of yell
low wrapping paper and charged the
boys poor old father with dozen her.
rings and a pound of crackers. "But
there is no wonder he is getting old. ]
wouldn't go through what your father
has the last year for million dollars. !
tell you, boy, when your father is dead,
and you get a stepfather, and he makes
you walk the chalk mark, you will real
ize what bonanza you have fooled
yourself out of by killing off your ia
Their. The way figure it your father
will last about six months, and you
ought to treat him right the little time
he has to live"
well, am going to-" said the boy as
he picked the herring bones out of his
teeth with a piece of a match that he
sharpened with his knife. But don't
believe in borrowing trouble about a
stepfather so long beforehand. don't
think Ma could get man to step into
Pas shoes as long as lived-not if she
was inlaid with diamonds and owned q
brewery. There are brave men, know,
that are on the marry, but none Of them
would want to be brevet father to q
cherubin like me except he got pretty
good wages. And then since Pa was
dissected he is going to lead different
life, and guess will make man of
him if he holds out. We got him to join
the Good Templars last night"
mo, you don't tell me-" said the gro
Gerry man as he thought that his trade
in cider for mince pies would be cut off.
80 you got him into the Good Tenn
plars, eh:'
Good Templars, so it is all the same.
You see, my chum and me have been 60
ing to a private gymnasium on the west
side kept by Dutchman, and in back
room he has all the tools for getting up
muscle. There, look at my ARM" said
the boy as he rolled up his sleeve and
showed a muscle about as big as an oys.
ter. That is the result of training at
the gymnasium. Before took lessons
hadn't any more muscle than you have
got. Well, the Dutchman was going to
dance on the south side the other night
and he asked my chum to tend the
gymnasium, and told Pa if he would
join the Good Templars that night there
wouldn't be many at the lodge, and he
wouldn't be so embarrassed, and as was
one of the officers of the lodge would
put it to him light, and he said he would
go, SO my chum got five other boys to
help us put him through. Sowe steered
him down to the gymnasium and made
him rap on the storm door outside, and
said who comes there, and he said il
was a pilgrim who wanted to jine our
sublime order.
Z,
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