The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-23
HIS ONLY PRACTICAL JOKE.
An Old Mans Rcminiscence OF One o
HIS Boyhood Experiences.

An Old Mans Reminiscence OF One Of
HIS Boyhood Experiences.
The apples and cider and the genial
warmth OF the glowing coal fire cans-
ed the old man 20 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
n recollection. Il did a very funny
thing when I was a very small boy.
1 think I must have exhausted all my
genius for fun in that one grand ef-
fort. for / have never had the heart
to attempt a funny thing since.
ut happened when I was about 20
years old. I was then helping father
to run the farm. and. i suspect. we
ran IL pretty hard. too. for the first
Trims I knew IL got away from us: but
that In another story. As I was say
ing. IL happened when 1 lived on a
farm. We had a hired man. a great.
raw-boned. vergrow Ir.shman. as
full of mad pranks as Peck's bad boy.
He was always playing some trick on
me. One night he placed a large this
tie in my bed. 1t was summer time
and I had no underclothes on: and
when I laid down on that thistle there
was a sensation. several million OF
hiltihs iht EI0to aiid ddkn-
ed at me until the great tears rolled
down among the red stubble on his
face. / swore. as well as a young fell
low could swear. that I would get even
with him. 1 spent all the
next day studying out how
1t could be done. and by
night ] had a plan worked out which
hind the barn. where nobody could
see me. n have a good laugh ove IL.
Afterward / was glad / had the laugh
anyway.
That night I stayed up until all In
the house except myself had gone to
bed. Then 1 went and got mothers
largest wash tub. sat IL at the foot OF
the stairs. and filled It with water.
Next / secured several lengths of
stovepipe and scattered them at judi
clous distances upon the stairs. You
see. the hired nan slept upstairs. SO
did i. for that matter: but, then. he
"a always up an hour or more before
I was, and so, of course. he would come
down stairs first. In fact, i intended
that he should come down head first.
and then cool off in the tub of water.
Every part of the plan was careful
ly thought out. / was confident that
it would work like a charm. In fancy
I could see the look of astonishment
that would jump all over the big IRISH
mans face when his feet struc the
stovepipes on the stairs and his head
started for the tub of water. Then l
would have the laugh on him, and /
thought of the thistle pricks and the
sweetness of revenge as 1 cautiously
crept upstairs to bed. 1t was some
time before / could get to sleep, i felt
so good over the joke i was about 20
play on the Irishman. In imagination
1 saw him go sprawling down the
Gfafra xyallfpo lilo q uilH Tndian md
l fancied how funny he would look
when he picked himself up out of the
tub of water, blowing like a whale and
swearing like himself.
However. / at length fell asleep,
and slept the sleep of a tired boy until
suddenly I vas awakened by some
one wildly crying: Fire, fret! fire:.!
II always had a horror of being
burned alive. The cry frightened me
out of my wits. l did not stop to
think: but sprang out of bed and rush
ed for III stairs. My feet struck a
stovepipe and started off on their own
hook l followed. trying to get ahead
of them and succeeded just in time
to land head first in the tub OF wa
ter.
What a racket / and the stovepipee
madel How the water few in every
direction. all in the house rushed
to the stairway to see what the mat
ter was. The big Irishman stuck his
head through the open door. and, see
ing me standing ~shivering in the tub
of water. wearing a kline nose and
a wet shirt. mildly inquired: Did We
iver get left. me darlintg
Mad? Mad is not the name for
the state of my temper. / was raving.
tearing. boiling with maniacal fury"
and the old man chuckled softly to
himself at the picture memory held
before his eyes of a youth now long.
long dead.-New York Sun