The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1908-12-11

'ihdHb' Ntur l''t. o. u lHt
Editor of The News: Did YOU ever
read "Pecks Bad Boy" | found an
old copy in seckund hand store on
sixteenth st. last week and bot 1t for
fifteen cents. Sumboddy had rote this
vurse on the furst page:
Read not this book
My youthful friend,
Or fear the gallus
win be your end;
For kddish kussedness
On the level,
Pecks Bad Boy will
Raise the devil"
Ired 1t ennyway and like to a dide
lafng, but don't YOU think them
jokes sound better in a book than in
reel life? | no if I'd ever tride emmy
of them jokes on my Pa before he
dide he'd a tand me till I'd never
wanted anuther.
After I'd red it lent the book to
the mite elevator boy. He reads
"Dimond Dicks" libry all mite be-
tween calls and he's getting awful tut
thot mebbe | cud get him weend
away from that Dimond Dick trash and
get him interested in good literature
if ! went easy like, so | started by
lending him "Peck's Bad Boy"
He got to thinking about them jokes
and yesterday morning he thot he'd
try one on the scrub woman that Gums
every morning at five CLOCK to scrub
l 1 h, hn, no bp
He sed it always give him tired feel
| ing to look at her; he liked to see
| folks with a pleasant look on onct in
while, and he was going to have a
circus and liven her up a bit. | told
/ him he'd better not give the poor old
woman emmy more trubble than she
had. He sed that was all rite, he wud.
ent hurt her emmy and forgot about it
till yesterday morning | was getting
up early and hurd a racket out in the
haul. | went out and found that
scrub woman on the stares with the
mop water running all over her and
a cupple of stove-pipes at the bottom
She was groneing and cudent get up
She sed she thot her back was broke
She sed sumboddy put them pipes on
the stares and it was dark like and
she never saw them and they rolld out
from under her and the water fue all
over her and she fell half way down
stares.
| Remembered that Peck's bad boy
playd that same joke on his Pa anC
n nd | of hn oil t,1
boy had did it, But | dident peect
cos | felt that it was partly my fol-
for lending him that book,
| helpt the woman up but she cud
ent walk without leening on me ant
she sed it hurt her awful to walk.
sed I'd call the nite-clerk and she
sed, "Oh no, don't let him no or he
may get anuther woman to wurl
here
So | helpt her down stares, (they
don't allow scrub wimmen to ride OF
the ellevatOrs,) and when we got t
the side walk l asst her where she live
and she sed over a mile away dowr
towards the river. | sed we cud take
the car pretty neer there and she sec
"Oh no, she cud walk and save car
fare" but l had sum money and W.
got on a car and road within three
blocks of where she lived. Peopl,
stared at me in my good clothes help
ing along that poor woman in fadeC
, dress all sOpe suds but | dident care
She lived in a upstares room of wha
: ulster be a store bilding and | help
her up the steps. She was all shivver
ing for it was a cold morning. A littl'
girl opend the door and sed in thil
voice, Whats the matter Mama?"
ses, She's all wet and cold, you''
best bid big fire"
The girl whose names jimmy an,
: she's ate years old ses, There ain
no coal left and Ernies just gone wit
his little wagon to hunt sum along tn