St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-06-12
A Pneumatic Boy.

"What is that" asked Ned's father,
looking up from the newspaper, "that
you are saying about Tom Roderick's
safety? ~
"Why, you see," answered Ned, edging
up to his father so as to get into short
distance communication with him. at
has pneumatic"
Didn't get you the latest pattern of
tire that was made ?" his father broke in
upon this explanation. 81 cannot afford
to throw away brand-new wheel just
because some inventor has come out with
an improvement on it."
ut is not the tire, papa" broke in Ned,
eagerly. "My tire is all right She is
double-ined with fibre rubber, and l amt
bit afraid of puncturing her; but, you
see, it's pneumatic seat that Tom Rod
erick has on his, and that's ever so much
better than the old-iashioned steel-spring
leather seat"
"a pneumatic seat !" echoed Mr.. Wilson.
"Well | wonder what in the world is
coming next. There is just one thing
more somebody ought to invent" he
unused, with a halfsmile upon his lips;
land that is pneumatic boy to ride the
pneumatic tired safety with pneumatic
seat. think in this age Of the world,
when everybody seems to be trying to
avoid jars and shakes in every other way
that it would be fine thing to have a
boy about the house built on that plan.
I'll see about the pneumatic seat for your
safety after we have some evidences that
there is a pneumatic boy to sit on it.
don't think it's fair that one member of
the family should have all the smooth
riding, and his baby brother, mother and
the rest be continually jolted and Jared
by his i'll temper and poor memory"
Ned knew it was Of no use to argue the
matter, and so went away doubtful as to
whether his appeal had done any good
yet with a half-formed idea in his mind
that his father had meant that he would
swap pneumatic seat for his safety for
pneumatic boy, whatever that meant.
The more he thought about it, the palmer
it became to his mind that this was the
situation of affairs. The figure of speech
in which his father had likened him to a
safety stuck in his fancy.
81 guess am little rough and crusty
sometimes" he admitted to himself in an
undertone. Maybe l do make some
jolts about the house. Iguess papa must
have heard me swapping at baby Dick
this morning for scratching my school
slate. did make it pretty rough riding
for the little fellow, that's fact. And
mamma says | come home from school
every night as cross as a bear"
Ned sat still on the porch settee for five
minutes without even whstling or whit
Ting at stick, and that was something
unusual for him. Presently he heard
steps coming through the library. He
pricked up his earsin aninstant, and then
said to himself
There's mamma coming to remind me
about that errand down street. III slip
right off before she gets chance to tell
me second time. l suppose it does
worry her to have to keep jogging my
memory And with an I'm going
mamma, didn't forget" he scampered
off as fast as his feet could carry him.
His mother thrust her head through
the partly open door, and watched him
disappear in halfsurprsed way, and
then remarked aside to Mr.. Wilson:
That's encouraging. Ididn't suppose
Ned could possibly remember to do any
thing from being told once"
"Ah" responded Ned's father; "mayb,
he's trying to relieve your mind of some
of the jolting his forgetfuluess gives it.
shouldn't be surprised if he'd taken TIL,
hint l gave him, and you had pretty easy
times, for day or two at least"
Mrs. Wilson didn't understand, and sc
she had further occasion to be mvstifec
over Ned's unusual thoughtfulness ant
generosity before the day was gone.
He came home bringing stick of candy
"Here," he said, holding out the larger
half to baby Dick.
This was quite an innovation on hi
usual procedure. Ordinarily, the baby
leased and the mother coaxed, and finally
commanded; and then Ned acquiesced ii
division by grasping three-fourths o
the stick in his hand, and requiring baby
to break the short end OIL
CHATS great deal nicer approved
his mother than letting your brothe
worry and cry over it."
81 guess it does ride smoother than tn