The morning times., 1896-10-04
MA HAD HER WAY, II SEEMS.
And Pa and the DOwn-TrOdden Boy
Took a Day Off to Cele ebrate.


Me and pa" Dragged little Clarence
llennypeek TO his chum, another village
.ad, have been having 4 h OF time.
We"
Gee" interrupted the other boy in as
toDishment. Il never heard you swea.
before, and you'd better not let your pa
hear you, either! He'd strap you good.
Hoo! No lie wouldn't! He wouldn't
even tell me to stop; he'd encourage me.
Tell YOU what we've been adding; me
and pa have been up in the woods ever
since yesterday forenoon, fishing, sleep
ing in an old tumbledown cabin, and doing
just as We pleased. Pa told me could say
anything and do anything l wanted to;
go in swim ming as often as l liked, and
stay In as long as l pleased; rob birds
nests, and act just as bad and mean as
l had mind to. He gimme Some chew
ing tobacco and told me to go ahead and
learn the filthy habit II l wanted to;
and he said I could sass him and talk
back all liked. He gimme an old pistol,
too, and some powder, and told me could
fire 1t off at the risk Of my life just as
often as l blamed pleased, and blow my
head offif wanted to, and nobody should
stop me. He had a bottle with something
red In it, and he drank out OF 1t pretty
often, and hollered and whooped and sung
and cussed and said he was a big Intun
and don't YOU forget 1t! Oh! you bet your
neck. me and pa had big time and
didn't give rip for nothing"'
"whnikins! Your pa is good man aud
wouldn't do anything of the kind; why, he
takes up the collections at church! 1 be-
lieve you are lyiI-G."
NO, amt neither. My pa is good mau,
all right enough, but he just had to bust
loose, He said he was obliged TO assert
himself or become a nopeutity, if you know
what that is?
"Aw, yes. 1t meant some kind of mar
ried man; l know by the way pa used the
word. But I'll tell YOU how it all hap
pened: We named the baby yesterday. AT
breakfast time ma said we'd name the baby
without the usual fuss and worry; and pa
said all right, we'd name her Alma. Aunt
Furby said there was no use in having
any bother about it, because she had a.
ready selected the name OF Dorcas for the
baby. Uncle Ricketts, said certainly there
was no use of having a discussion when
Mary Ann was the ouly decent name for
girl baby. l said Mamie would be bully
name for her.
Ma simply snapped her jaws and said
she had selected Gwendolin for the baSy's
name. And said HUH and Aunt Furby
said .Nonsense.' and Uncle Ricketts, said
'Pish! and pa said If he had daughter
who was disfigured with the name Of
Gwendolln he'd bore her head for the sim
pies Ma called pa brute and pa called
ma woman. Aunt Furby called Uncie
Ricketts, a doddering old bachelor and he
called her a mummy. Pa said Something
about running his own house yet awhile.
and ma said he was a tyrant. aud kicked
the dog. The table got knocked over
somehow. and the next thing knew We
We're all out in the yard, and 1 was up
in tree watching the fun. Uncle Ricketts,
dropped his cane. and Aunt Furby picked it
UP and waved it around in the air. and
pa lodged and fell down with his head in
4 flowerpot. laughed, and Uncle Ricketts,
shook me down out OF the tree and kicked
Inc when lit. and Aunt Furby tanned my
jacket with the cane.
II ran away and pretty soon pa came
after me. We had a talk around the corner
and pa said me and him was no better than
a couple of serfs, and we'd just go off
somewhere where we could assert our
selves. So we went to the woods. Pa
is home again now, but I haven't been
back yet"
And SO the baby didn't get named
after alp"
Jaw, yes she did! Just as soon an ma
mentioned it, we all knew that the baby's
name was Gwcndolin.''