The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-03-28
HIS MoTHER WAS MAD.
In an Indignant Frame OF Mind She Told
the superintendent About Her Boy.


In an Indignant Frame OF Mind She Told
the Superintendent About Her Boy.
The woman was ready to fight; there
was no doubt about that. She looked
as if she might have been a mild man.
nered person enough in everyday life,
but she had evidently been broodiEg
over something all the way downtown.
AT all events, when she reached the
outer door of the Office Of the superin-
tendent of schools she was mad clear
through, says the Chicago TimeS-Her-
aid.
The miserable imitation of manhood
who always wants your card and your
business on such occasions was there,
of course. She tried to wither him to
cinder with her scathing chances,
but when she found that she might as
well have been practicing this approved
method of subjugatiOn on a barn door,
she resorted to other tactics.
"You," she said, beating a foot tat
too on the swinging gate. '1'm ad-
dressing my conversation to you, sir, l
believe"
"Well, ma'am," replied the trembling
lackey. You see I'm just doin' my
duty. If you'll be kind enough to tell
me your name and business I'll try and
get you up against his nibs inside. If
you don't it's all off,
you'll try and what?" screamed the
indignant visitor. ''You go straight
and tell this man that mother of one
of the boys he is grindin' down to the
dust and helpin' to shame their honest,
hard workin' parents is here and is 60
ing to stay here till next week if she's
got to, to see him.
That settled the faithful Cerebus
He went inside. Two minutes later the
visitor was ushered into the Presence
She stood and gazed Indignantly at
him for full minute before she trusted
herself to speak.
so you're it are you?" she asked
"Im the superintendent of schools,
madame. l believe you wanted to see
me-"
"Yes-s S." Kissed the indignant fe-
male. II did. | am the lawful mother
of my only child"
The superintendent looked for the
nearest window to jump from, Il as
sure you, madame" he replied, Il don't
doubt it in the least"
! Indeed? So you don't doubt it?
You'd better not. I send my boy to
school to be educated. | pay my dog
tax and my water tax. And what do |
get out of it? You and your under
studies is filling the child's head with a
mass of truck and nonsense, and | want
it to stop right here
Cup till last month this boy was as
good a boy as ever lived Now | can
do nothing with him. His father and
me are handwriting American folks,
q md fl,a a1,i =
tell him to go down Rees street and
where it is; then he turns round and
sings off the names of the streets in
Manila.
''He can reel out a list of the fish they
catch in front of Havana, and | can't
trust him to go across the road to pick
out a perch for fear he'll bring back
halibut. Last Sunday we had chicken
for dinner. The boy didn't know line
of his Sunday school lesson, but he
gave us talk of Is minutes about the
way they work cock fights in Mindoroo,
or some other outlandish place in the
Philippines. A year ago he wanted to
be an engineer or a carpenter; now his
head is filled with all sorts of fool no.
tons. He says when he grows up he'll
be soldier and fight the bolomen,
whatever that is, or start moonlight
bathing place in Honlulum, or run a
cigar plantation on Porto Princeps. -
''We're getting sick and tired of it.
You've got this boys brain full of fight
ing Spaniards and climbing cocoanuts
trees. A few days ago he begged 10
cents, went down and bought green
manglo in a swell fruit store and was
sick all that night. He said it come
from our new possessions in the tropics
He told me the other day me, his
mother-tnat / was off my Pinatubo,
and when | asked him what that was,
he said it was mountain in BuOt Butte
5000 high. To make it worse, he talks
all these gibberish names in his sleep
swell, this mornin' matters come to
climax. At O'Clock his father went
into the cellar and dragged the little
wretch and three of his mates upstairs
with their pockets filled with every
knife in the house. They had all my
spare blankets rolled round their chests
and frying pan wrapped up in pillow
slip. They told us they had made up
their minds to start for Spain and muir
der Gen. Weyler in his bed.
''See here, MI. Professor, or whatever
you call yourself, this thing has got to
stop. l want that boy taught reading
writing and 'rithmetic, and if any more
OF these wheezy notions is put in his
mind I'll sue the city for damages and
horsewhip every teacher in his school,"
The superintendent fell back on a
lounge, and as the lady swung out with
an indignant splutter and swish of her
skirts the husky voiced usher looked at
his boots and said in soliloquy: Say,
de lady's got on to us for sure"