Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-09-29
CHAPTER XVIII.
HIG pa GETS MAD

II was down to the drug store this
morning and saw your Ma buying lot
of court plaster, enough to make shirt,
so much court plaster" asked the gro.
Gerry man Of the bad boy as he came in
and pulled off his boots by the stove and
emptied out lot Of snow that had col.
lected as he walked through drift.
"Oh, I guess she is going to patch Pa
up 80 he will hold water. Pas temper
got him into the worst muss you ever see
last night. If that museum was here
now, they would hire Pa and exhibit him
as the tattooed man. tell you I have
got too old to be mauled as though was
a kid, and any man who attacks me
from this out wants to have his peace
made with the insurance companies and
know that his calling and election is
sure, cause am bad man and don't
you forget it." And the boy pulled on
his boots and looked so cross and des-
perate that the grocery man asked him
if he wouldn't try little new cider.
Good heavens!" said the grocery man
as the boy swallowed the cider, and his
face resumed its natural look, and the
piratical frown disappeared with the CT.
der. You have not stabbed your IA
Their, have you? have feared that one
thing would bring on another with you
and that you would yet be hung"
"Naw, l haven't stabbed him. It was
another cat that stabbed him? You see,
Pa wants me to do all the work around
the house. The other day he bought q
load of kindling wood and told me to
carry it into the basement. have not
been educated up to kindling wood, and
l didn't do it. When supper time came
and Pa found that had not carried in
the kindling wood, he had hot box, and
he told me if that wood was not in when
he came back from the lodge that hi
would warm my jacket.
"Well, l tried to hire some one to carry
it in and got man to promise to come
in the morning and carry it in and TAXI
his pay in groceries, and was going t.
buy the groceries here and have then
charged to Pa. But that wouldn't hell
me out that night. l knew when Pr
came home he would search for me, so
slept in the back hall on q cot. But
didn't want Pa to have all his trouble fol
nothing, SO borried an old tom cat tina
my chum's old maid aunt owns and pu
the cat in my bed. Thought if Pa CAM
in my room after me and found that By
his unkindness had changed to tom ca
he would be sorry. That is the biggest ca
you sver see and the worst fighter in oul
ward. It isn't afraid of anything ant
can whip Newfoundland dog quickel
than you could put sand in a barrel O
sugar. Well, about II o'clock heard P'
tumble over the kindling wood, and
knew by the remark he made as the woot
slid around under him that there was go
ing to be a cat fight real quick. He COM
up to Mas room and sounded Ma as II
whether Hennery had retired to his vir
tuous couch. Pals awful sarcastic whe,
he tries to be. could hear him take of
his clothes and hear him say as he picket
up trunk strap: I guess will go up t,
his room and watch the smile on his fac,
as he dreams of angels. Iyearn to pres
him to my aching BOSOM
II thought to myself mebbe you won
yearn SO much directly. He come VI
stairs, and could hear him breathin.
hard. l looked around the corner an(
could see he just had on his shirt anC
pants, and his suspenders were hanging
down, and his bald head shone like
calcium light just before it exSlodes. Pr
went in my room and up to the bed, ani
I could hear him say, Come out her,
and bring in that kindling wood or
will start fire on your base burner will
this strap And then there was a yowl
ing such as never heard before, and P;
said, Helen Blazes, and the furnitur,
in my room began to fall around ani
break. Oh, my! l think Pa took thu
tom cat right by the neck, the way hi
does me, and that left all the cats fee
free to get in their work. By the way
the cat squawled, as though it was being
choked, know Pa had him by the neck
suppose the cat thought Pa was whole
flock of Newfoundland dogs, and the cat
had a record on dogs, and it kicked
awful. Pas shirt was no protection al
all in a cat fight, and the cat just walked
all around Pas stomach, and Pa yelled
Police and Fire and Turn ON the
hose and he called Ma. and the cat
yowled. If Pa had had the presence OF
mind enough to have dropped the cat OF
rolled it up in the mattress, it would
have been all right, but a man always
gets ratified in time of danger, and he
held onto the cat and started down stairs
yelling murder, and he met Ma coming
up.
Il guess Mas nightcap or something
frightened the cat some more, cause he
stabbed Ma on the nightshirt with one
hind foot, and Ma said Mercy on u.s.
and she went back, and Pa stumbled on
q hand sled that was on the stairs, and
they all fell down, and the cat got away
and went down in the coalbin and
yowled all night. Pa and Ma went into
their room, and l guess they anointed
themselves with vaseline and Ponds ex-
tract. and l went and got into bed, cause
1t was cold out in the hall, and the cat
had warmed my bed as we'll as it had
warmed Pa. 1t was all / could do to 20
to sleep with Pa and Ma talking all night,