The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-11
HIS oNLF PRACTICAL JOKE.
An Old Mans "Reminiscences of One of His
Boyhood's Experiences.

All w hAdnb ho"In1sCenCe OF One OF Hi
Boyhood's Experiences.
The apples and cider and the genial warmth
Of the glowing coal fire caused the old man tc
grow reminiscent. He placed his slippered
feet up on the fender. and. while a brighter
light came into his faded eyes. he talked OF the
good old times"
"Once." he said, and he smiled at the recol-
lection, " | did a very funny thing when l was
a very small boy. 1 think I must have ex-
hausted all my genius for fun in that one
grand effort, for I have never had the heart to
attempt a funny thing since.
1T happened when / was about 10 years old.
I was then helping father to run the farm. and.
l suspect, we ran it pretty hard. too. for the
first thing l knew it got away from us: but that
is another story. As was saying. it happened
when l lived on a farm. We had n hired man.
a great, raw-boned. overErown Irishman.
as full OF mad pranks as Peck's bad boy. He
was always PLAYING some trick on me. One
night he placed a large thistle in my bed. 1t
was summertime and | had no underclothes
on; and when l lay down on that thistle there
, was a sensation, several million of them. The
Irishman stood and laughed at me until the
great tears rolled down among the red stubbls
on his face. l swore. as we'll as a young fellow
could swear. that l would get even with him.
/ spent all the next day studying out how it
Couiu Dc uOnc, duu ny ulkuU nuu u plan worked
out which l thought so good | had to go out
behind the barn, where nobody could see me,
and have a good laugh over it. Afterward
""That night ! stayed up Until ali in the house
except myself had gone to bed. Then l went
foot Of the stairs, and niiiEedf t With water ;SaS /. S Ssnf
| secured several lengths of stovepipc and scat
tered them at judicious distances upon tho
80 did /. for that matter; but. then. he was al
ways up an hour or more before | was, and So.
fact. | intended that he should come down
heaS first, and then cool off in the tub Of water.
out hvfry yn part co orf 4 PltaG L was wo SaiFSrf %oyk 5hGDR Hs 4
charm. n fancy / could see the look, OF aston
ishment that would Jump all oyerthe big Irish
mans lace when his feet struc; the stOvepipes
on the stairs and his head started for the tub OF
water; Then would have the laugh on him.
stairs to bed, i was some time before I could
about to play on the Irishman. In imagination
i ! say III him q ga g4 down the stairs, yell
h. would look w NisiaI he "T picked sani hims aIT u lp9 ouy
oith s,i tub ETY. Fl UwSttee,r: blowing like a whale and
fiTs + 5rsI BY some one wildly crying; 'Firei
II always had a horror Of being burned alive.
n rSsS ssGp fo sG t the staif 9at S sgrfn ssf s strn q bed : d,d and
pipe and started of on their own hook I fol-
lowed; trying 70 get ahead OF them and sue
ceeded Just In time to land head first In the tub
What a racket I and the stovepipes made
How the water flew In every directionl Ali In
the house rushed to the stairway to see what
the matter was; The big irishman stuck his
head through the open door. and. seeing me
a skinned nose and q .wot shirt. mildly INK
qnired; Did ye liver git left, me darlintY'
Mad Mad is not the name for the state of
with m%aniacal fury" and the old man chucklad
softly to himself, at the picture memory held