Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-10-21
DAMS TRICK.

dIE ABOUT MIN until he learned CleF-
er trick. This is how it happened:
Dan, for that was his name, had a
father and a mother who let him do
Very much as he pleased He had no
brothers and no sisters. which is gen
orally considered nnfortnna G for a
toy. BY the lime he was lareo enough
to play with other children he was so
unlike them that h. had sQuabb!es
with them every day.
It is true as was said, that his pa
renls usually gave Dan his own waE
hdt they wa very careful to show
him what the consequences were.
When Dams mother saw that there
was danger Of his forming a certain
wrong habis she would have a little
talk with hif9 about IT, aud she started
q list of words on a sheet of paper
al the top of which she wrote "Dans
friends. This list WAS nea ly pasted
on q piece Of cardboard and hung I'D
in the library
When Han.s mother found that Dc
vas becoming careless in his manners
o. in his talk she wrote upon the list
'Christonher Careless. Esq" If she
heard that he had qiarreled with any
o. his plyamates the name of "Johu
Quincy Qnarelsome" Went down Dan
WINGED every time there was an addi
tion Of this kind.
But his good mother was a wise
woman, as mothers are likely to be
Sc she started also another list beside
the first. and headed in the same way,
Dan S friends. One day when Dan
had shown a particular kindness to
boy who needed it. she wrote on list
No. 'Mr. Kenneth Kindness
This was pleasure to Dan, as it
also was to find "Mr. Ignatius Indus
try written down one evening after
he had cheerfully done numerous er-
rands and chores for his mother
Both lists grew gradually, for al
most any lively healthy boy has some
good points and some-not so good.
For time Dan was content to see that
list No did not grow faster than
No .. If "Mr. Finegan Fibber' went
down, Dan was uneasy until he had
enlisted as his friend 'Theophilus
Truth.
Yet it seemed rather easy to encour-
age such fellows as "Ralph Rude
Isaac Ilmanners," "Caleb Crabbid,"
"Cyrus Cruel 'Cornelius Cross
PATCH "Maximilian Meanness,
Marcus Nope Gideon Greedy
''Fnoch Envy" Peter X Pride" Den
ris Discourteous." "Old Mart Med
desome," and the like. Dan thought
his mother must be trying very hard
to lengthen this list of his friends.
Still he never could say that single
friend came that he himself had not
invited.
What troubled Dan was that list
number one continued to grow. Dan
thought he was entitled to have some
Of the names crossed Off. so after
thinking about it he asked his mother
if she would not erase the name OF
Finnegan Fibber ESQ.,. for this friend
was the most unwelcome of them ALL
The request was granted and Dan
was considering which unwelcoma
chap he could discard next, when,
alas. his mother found out that he
had told another untruth and Finne-
gan came back, Dan was nearly
crushed He could easily steer clear
of any one of the disreputable fellows
for day or two at a time, but they
would bob up most unexpectedly. Dan
imagined that he could see them play
ing lnapfrog and turning somersaults,
and doing high jumps everywhere he
went. They annoyed him amazingly.
Then it was that he invented his
trick. When "Dobbns Indolent Doc
little, ESQ., came carelessly along
one morning and invited Dan to join
him in an idle stroll Dan said firmly:
<s1 hank you, no. sir! This is busy
Cav for me. have some work to do
and several errands Tomorrow I NAV
;oin you, but not today. Good-day.'
This fairly took Dobbins' breath. He
sneaked off and did not show his face
again that day. But with persist
ence that did him no credit. consid-
ering how thoroughly lazy he is. he
bobbed serenely up next morning,
looking as attractive as Incidence can,
and reminded Dan of his promise.
Dan looked at him severely and ex-
claimed:
"Whv, Dobbins Doolittle. I told you
t1moroW. Here YOU are coming back