The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-28
CHAPTER XXI.
DRINKING CIDER IN THE CELLAR.


DRINKING CIDER IN THE CELLAR.
swell, swow, here comes walking
hospital" said the grocery man as the
bad boys shadow came in the store, fol-
lowed by the boy, who looked sick and
yellow and tired, and he had lost half
his flesh. whats the matter with you?
Haven't got the yellow fever. have your
and the grocery man placed q chair
where the invalid could fall into it.
mo, got the ager," said the boy as he
wiped the preparation of his upper lip
and looked around the store to see if
there was anything in sight that would
take the taste OF quinine out of his
mouth. "Had too much dreamy life of
ease on the farm and been shaking ever
since. Darn farm anyway"
"What, you haven't been to work for
the deacon any more, have you? /
thought you sent in your resignation"
and the grocery man offered the boy
some limberger cheese to strengthen him.
'Oh, take that cheese away" said the
boy as he turned pale and gagged.
"You don't know what person needs
any more than professional nurse.
What / want Is to be petted. You
see, went out to the farm with my
chum, and took the fish poles and re-
manned in the woods while he drove the
horse to the deacon's, and he gave the
deacon my resignation, and the deacon
wouldn't accept it. He said he would
hold my resignation until after harvest
and then act on it. He said he could put
me in Jail for breach of promise if quit
work and left him without giving proper
notice, and my chum came and told me,
and SO concluded to go to work rather
than have any trouble, and the deacon
SAID my chum could work few days for
his board if he wanted to. 1t was pretty
darn poor board for boy to work for,
but my chum wanted to be with me, so
he staid.
"Pa and Ma came out to the farm to
stay day or two to help. Pa was go
ing to help harvest, and Ma was going
TO help the deacon's wife, but Pa wanted
to carry the jug to the field and lay un-
der tree while the rest Of us worked,
and Ma just talked the arm off the dea-
cons wife. The deacon and Pa laid in
the shade and sec my chum and me
work, and Ma and the deacon's wife gos-
Gped 80 they forgot to get dinner, and
my chum and mo organized strike, but
we were beaten by monopoly. Pa took
me by the neck and thrashed out shock
Of wheat with my heels, and the deacon
took my chnm and sat down on him, and
we begged, and they gave US our old
situations back. But we got even with
them that night. Itell you, when boy
tries to be good and quit playing jokes
ON people, and then has everybody down
ON him and has his Pa hire him out on a
farm to work for q deacon that hasn't
got any soul exceptwhen he is in church,
and boy has to get up in the night to
get breakfast and 60 to work and has to
work until late at night, and they kick
because he wants to put butter on his
pancakes and feed him skimmilk and
rusty fat pork, it makes him tough, and
be would play joke on his aged grand
mother.
after my chum and me had got all
the chores dcne that night we sat out ON
fence back Of the housein the orchard,
eating green apples in the moonlight and
trying to think of plan Of revenge.
Just then saw skunk back of the
house, right by the outside cellar door,
and told my chum that 1t would serve
them right to drive the skunk down cell
lar and shut the door, but my chum said
that would be too mean. asked him if
1t would be any meaner than for the dea-
con to snatch us baldheaded cause we
couldn't NOW hay away fast enough for
two men to pitch it, and he said it
wouldn't, and 80 we got on each side of
the skunk and sostof scared it down eel
lar, and then we crept softly and closed
the cellar doors. Then we went in the
house, and whispered to Ma and asked
her If she DIDN'T think the deacon had
some cider. and Ma she began to hint
that she hadn't had good drink of cider
since last winter, and the deacon's wife
said us boys could take pitcher and 20
down cellar and draw some.
'sThat was too much. didn't want
any cider anyway, so told them that /
belonged to a temperance society, and I
should break my pledge il ! drawed
cider, and she said was good boy, for
me never to touch drop Of cider. Then
she told my chum where the cider barrel
was, down cellar, but he amt no slouch.
He said he was afraid to go down cellar
tn the dark, and so Pa said he and the
deacon would go down and draw the
cider, and the deacon's wife asked Ma TO
20 down, too, and look at the fruit and
berries she had canned for winter, and
they all went down cellar. Pa carried
an old tin lantern with holes in it to light
the deacon TO the cider barrel, and the
deacon's wife had taller candle to show
Ma the canned fruit. ] tried to get Ma
not to 60, cause Ma is friend of mine,
and didn't want her to have ANYTHING
q, do with the circus, but she said she
guessed she knew her business. When
anybody says they guess they know their
own business, that settles 1t with me,
and / don't try TO argue with them.
"Well, my chum and me sat there in
the kitchen. and stuffed piece of red
fab1eclofh in my month 10 keen from