The San Francisco call., 1896-08-02
TILE END or roo MucH rEAs1NG.

The END OF TCO MUCH TEASING.
ooh, mother, please mayn't go down to the
hot water pasture to fish James Jantly says
that there are fish down there that long" and
9-year-old Martin Mandle held his hands about
six inches apart 70 indicate how long the
much-desired fish we're.
NO." said his mother, 'T am afraid to have
you go. You know that several boys were
hurt there about year ago.
"But mamma" protested Martin, az go for
the COW every night and I haven't got hurt
yet"
|. 81 know that" his mother answered, as she
was busily peeling potatoes for breakfast.
"But think can trust you T. . for the cow,
for you have promised me tina, you will come
home just as soon as you can"
"Well, 1 could go down about half an hour
ea.lier and fish about a halt an hour-I can
tell abou how long that is-and-"
ooh, yes," broke in his sister Minnie, who
was doing her best at baking hot cakes over q
scorching hot fire. "You said you were only
two or three minutes talking to James Jantly
last evening when you were at least twenty
minutes; wasn't he, mammal
"Never mind, Minnie" was her mothers an
swer, 'and just see how you are burning those
cakes. What q fool you are. Take 'em of,
quiek!''
The hot cakes being now out of danger for
the present she said to Martin; "Its no use
for you to tease, for I'm afraid to have you GO.
When you get with the other boy no one
knows what will happen"
But Martin did tease, and kept teasing until
his father got out of patience and told him ssto
go, and if he got killed not to blame him"
Gas though If his son got killed ne could blame
him after he was dead), and poor Mrs. Man.
die was told to say yes until she finally gave
her consent, although with reluctance.
Martin was on his way to the "fishing hole
as the boys called it, on the fourth night after
the above conversation. James Jantly had
been with him but once, but he found other
boys for company. In four nights he had only
caught one fish. about three inches long.
Tonight he had not caught anything, al
though he stayed quite q while longer than
usual, and he was out OF humor.
He had promised his mother that he would
go around hot-water stream that flowed past
the cold water and joined 1t, by long pa III
But tonight, when he got to the path, be said
to himself: "Now, what is the use of going
clear down to that little board over this
stream having to walk about mile further
than necessary. I'll just jump right across
this water, as mamma should have let me in
the first place. What q fool the old woman is,
anyhow"
So he took a good run and jumped-but
where? Right in the middle OF the stream, as
the girls would guess, but the boys-they
would say six feet the other side. But they
would be mistaken.
Down, down, poor Martin sank into the hot
mud and water, and there was frantic flo ur-
ishing of hands and cow rope (which he
dropped into the water in his strugglesi, after
the first fright of falling into the water had
partly passed away
BUTT was of no use, the poor boy was too
frigh tened ana the mud too sticky TO let him
out, and so he kept sinking. And 1t wasn't
like falling into cold wafer, as of course you
know, for cold water doesn't burn like hot
water, and James was too frightened now to