Evening journal., 1912-05-13
The Wayward
Kid
BY MARIAN L. GUERNSEY

you can't most always tell about
children" said Farmer Fowler TO Dea-
con Smith. Some on 'em turns out
well and some doesn't It ailus seemed
to me that all my children had no use
for me except what they could git out
Of me. There's my Oldest boy. John.
Seems to me that boy was born con
I trary.
Il tried all sorts o ways maxim him
obedient. but they fsiled-that is, oil
sorts o. ways except whippin' him.
/ That don't believe In. shut him up
by himself deprived him Of those
little things children most wish for
Then I tried kindness. None o. them
ways worked with Johnnie"
How about your other children"
asked the deacon. when they were
little?"
"rhey didn't any Of em appear to
have much sense o. responsibility. II
/ or their mother was sick and we ex-
pected em to give up anything they
thought O. doin' to help us out they
didn't want TO do II. Nothing must in-
terfere with any pleasure they laid
out for themselves Ny youngest boy
and my second girl was the best O. the
lot They're with US yet. Billy's a
fust rate farm hand. and his sister
Ruth is very useful. helpin' her mother
with the cookin'."
"What became OF Johnnief"
"Oh, John as he grew older he got
a lot OF all fred ridiculous notions In
his head and was worse'n when be
was kid. He got an idee that
he'd like TO be a perfesser in a col
lege. Did y ever hear O. sich non
sense? He wanted me TO spend all
the money l could make on the farm
to edicate him for some useless job.
and when I wouldn't do Il he got mad
and walked away. sayin' I wouldn't
hear anything from him ever agin
onless he'd done somepin woth doin'
After all I'd done for him-keepin'
him in food and clothes-to treat me
that away tell you, parents are TO
be pitied.'
"Then you don't think children
pay?"
"No. they don't in the long run.
When they're little tots they're kind
o. cunnin' and have spasms OF affec-
ton I'm 'em. But I never could make
out whether the spasms Of badness or
of affection was the principal part Of
EN- Anyway. after all the pains
you've had with 'em they're sure about
the time you get 'em to be OF some
use to you to go of, the gals with
some feller and the boys with some
girl, and you never get any return for
your trouble"
"Didn't It pay your father to bring
you up7"
"I dunno as It did I've often
thought that mebbe It didn't"
The gate clicked, and a well dressed
man about thirty came up the walk
The farmer put on his glasses.
"Somepin familiar about him." he re
marked. Seems TO me I've seen hin
before" -
"Hello. dadr said the newcomer
''You don't know me. do you"
"By guml You beant Johnny, b
your"
Certainly I'm Johnny"
gwen. I want to knowl Come bacl
10 see the old man. eh, my boy? Tn
1, powerful glad to see you" And b.
folded his arms about his son.
Eyes, I've come back, dad. Whei
: / went away think / must have bee
a trihe cantankerous was determin
, ed to learn lot Of things that ma
seem useless 10 you But I've learne
e them. I'm professor OF biology 1
W. university"
"Do tell what y learned, Johnny
''Why. I've learned that we are Dor
to nature, and our parents Job Ia TO e
nature out Of us as fast as they car
We are all animals. only we human
are capable Of a higher developmer
than those below u.s. But IN the begiI
ming there's not much difference bl
tween us and them. Look at a new
born kitten and you'll see it clawin
the air. I've seen a newborn baby d.
= ing the same thing But the kitte
grows into a cat, and the baby grow
, into a man or woman While the CT
If ilized child is developing II Is simpl
getting away from its ancestral inhe
itance. II has little sense Of respons
bility. just as the puppy win eat up a
Is the dinner provided for the family
permitted to do So I dare say, fathe
you thought me brutal as a boy, and
was brutal. but was simply obeyir
a natural, not a refined, law. But I
doing pretty well now and have con
back 70 look after those left behir
K me"
by gum, Johnny. how you tai
Does biology pay?"
"Not IN money. though my nublishG
books. my salary and my lectures brir
me in a fair income. I've somethir
10 spare for you. dad. and mum. and
/ there's anything can do for the boz
or the girls I'd be glad to know f."
"well. Johnny boy. I'm powerful gla
20 see you back or all my childre
7 you was the most obstinate, but you'
, got there. John. and .Im glad OF
You've topped the hull lot OF u.s."
And the reason he got there" r
marked the deacon. "was that very ol
stinacy II ned been the obedient chill
you would have liked him 70 be he
been doin' work not much better tina
2 a horse can do"
p But that time is passing away" sal
2 the professor. Farming is now a SC
ence. I've come back 70 look into N
> matter OF taking IL up on the ne
basis"