Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-10-20
CHAPTER XVII.


Say, thought you was going to try
to lead different life." said the grocery
man to the bad boy as the youth came
in with his pockets full Of angleworms
and wanted to borrow baking powder
can to put them into while he went fish
ing, and he held long angleworm up
by the tail and let it wiggle so he fright
ened girl that had come in after cents,
worth Of yeast SO she dropped her pitcher
and went out of the grocery as though
she was chased by an anaconda.
Il am going to lead different life,
but boy can't change his whole course
of life in minute, can he? Grown per-
sons have to 60 on probation for six
months before they can lead different
life, and half the time they lose their cud
before the six months expire and have to
commence again. When it is SO all fired
hard for a man that is endowed with
sense to break off being bad, You
shouldn't expect too much from q boy.
But 1 am doing as well as could be ex-
pected. 1 amt half as bad as 1 was.
Gosh, why don't you burn q rag? That
yeast that the girl spilled on the floor
smells like it was sick. I should think
that bread that was raised with that
yeast would smell like this cooking but
ter you sell to hired girls"
"Well, never you mind the cooking
butter. know my business. If people
want to use poor butter when they have
company and then blow up the grocer
before folks, can stand it if they can.
But what is this I hear about your Pa
fighting duel with the minister in your
back yard and wounding him in the leg
and then trying to drown himself in the
cistern? One of your new neighbors was
In here this morning and told me there
was murder in the air at your house last
night, and they were going to have the
police pull your place as q disorderly
house. l think you were at the bottom
of the whole business!'
"Oh, it's all darn lie, and those neigh
bors will find they better keep still about
Us, or we will lie about them q little
You see, since Pa got that blacking on
his face he don't 60 out any, and to make
it pleasant for him Ma invited in q few
friends to spend the evening. Ma has
got up around, and the baby is daisy
only it smells like goat on account Of
drinking the goats milk. Ma invited
the minister among the rest, and afte,
supper the men went up into PAS library
to talk. Oh, you think am bad, don't
| you, but of the nine men at our house
last night am an angel compared with
what they were when they were boys
I got into the bathroom to untangle my
fishline, and it is next to Pas room, and
could hear everything they said, but
went away cause thought the CONVEX.
sation would hurt my morals. They
would all steal when they were boys, but
darned if ever stole.
PA has stolen over q hundred wagon
loads Of watermelons, one deacon used to
rob orchards, another one shot tame
ducks belonging to farmer, and another
tipped over grindstones in front of the
village store at night and broke them
and run, another used to steal eggs and
60 out in the woods and boil them. and
the minister was the worst of the lot,
cause he took a seine, with some other
boys, and went to a stream where q
neighbor was raising brook trout and
cleaned the stream out, and to ward of
| suspicion he went to the man the next
day and paid him 81 to let him fish in
the stream and then kicked cause there
were no trout, and the owner found the
trout were stolen and laid it to some
Dutch boys. wondered when those
men were telling their experience if
they ever thought Of it now when they
were preaching and praying and taking
up collections. l should think they
wouldn't say boy was going to hell
right off cause he was little wild now
days when he has such an example.