West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1894-04-12
CHAPTER XIV.
THE OLD NAN MAKES a SPEECH.

THE OLD NAN MAKES A SPEECH.
There. You drop thati' said the gro
Gerry man to the bad boy as he came
lmping into the store and began to
tumble around box of Strawberries
81 have nevor kicked at your eating my
Goldfish and crackers and cheese and
herring and apples. but there has got
to be dividing line somewhere, and |
make it mt strawberries at q shillings
box and only two layers in box.
only bought one box. hoping some
plumber or gas man would come along
and buy it. and, by gum. everybody that
has been in the store has sampled a
strawberry out of that box, shivered rs
though 1t was sour and gone of with
out asking the price" and the grocery
man looked mad, took a hatchet and
knocked in tho head of barrel of APP
Piles and said, There. help yourself to
dried applesl"
"Oh, don't want your Strawberries or
dried applesl'' said the boy as he leaned
against showcase and looked at n bar
of red, transparent soap Il was only
trying to fool you. Say. that bar of soap
is old enough to vote. ! remember see
ing it in your showcase when was
about year old, and PA came in here
with me and held me up to the showcase
TO look at that tin tobacco box, and that
round zinc looking glass, and the yellow
wooden pocket comb, and the soap looks
just the same. only little faded. If
you would wash yourself once in awhile.
your soap wouldn't dry up on your
hands, and the boy sat down on the
chair without any back, feeling that he
was even with the grocery man.
You never mind the soap Ii is paid
for, and that is more than your father
can say about the soap that has been
used in his house the past month";" said
the grocery man as he split up box to
kindle the fire. But we won't quarrel.
What was IL heard about band sere-
nading your father and his inviting them
in to lunch?"
Don't let that get out or Pa will kill
me dead. 1t was a joke. One of those
Bohemian bands that goes about town
playing tunes for pennies was over on
the next street, and told Pa guessed
some of his friends who had heard we
had baby at the house had hired a
band and was coming in few minutes
to serenade him. and he better prepare
TO make speech. Pa is proud of being
g father at his age. and he thought it no
more than right for the neighbors to
serenade him, and he went to loading
himself for speech in the library, and
me and my chum went out and told the
leader of the band there was family up
there that wanted to have some music.
and they didn't care for expense. so they
Quit blowing where they was and came
right along. None of them could under
stand English except the leader and he
only understood enough to 20 and take
drink when he is invited.
MY chum steered the band ND TO our
house and got them to play Babies on
Our Block and Baby Nine and 1
stopped all the men who were going
homo and told them to wait n minute
and they would see some fun; so when
the band got through the second tune
and the Prussians were emptying the
beer out of the horns and Pa stepped ont
on the porch there was more nor hum
ored people in front Of the house. You'd
"a died tosee Pa when he put his hand in
the breast of his coat and struck an atti-
fude He looked like q congressman or
tramp. The band was scared, cause
they thought he was mad. aud some Of
them were going 20 run, thinking no was
going TO throw pieces of brick house at
them, but my chum and the loader kept
Them Then Pa sailed in. EIo com
mencod, Fellow citizens, and then went
way back TO Adam and Eve and worked
up TO the present day. givinga history OF
the notable people who had acquired
children and kept the crowd interested.
felt sorry for Pa. cause knew how he
would feel when he came to find out how
be had been sold