Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-05
Johnny and Jack


boy, as boys go, chose for being partic.
ularly troublesome. When Patty had
scrubbed a room so clean that you
could eat off the floor" Ito use her own
phrase) in would come Johnny, his
| boots heavy with mud, and, In spite OF
her circumstances. walk about, leaving
dirty marks and Jumps of clay where
ever he stepped; then just when Mrs.
Horner was giving particular direc-
tons about some important matter ne
would begin shouting at the top of his
voice. When ordered by his mother to
be silent. he went into another room,
where baby was asleep. and amused
himself by alternately blowing a
whistle and drumming with spoon on
biscuit tin. which of course woke
the child At last his mother. finding
words of no avail, put him in the cor
ner, bidding him stand there with his
face to the wall till dinner time.
At dinner the second course consist
ed of rice pudding and little mince
pies. Mrs. Horner served the pudding
first, and then, when the children had
cleared their plates, gave pie to each
child except Johnny. When it came to
his turn, she said: "Mince pies are not
for naughty boys. You may have an
other helping of pudding, if you like,
but nothing else;" whereupon Johnny
set up hideous howl and was taken
upstairs and shut in a room by him
self. There he lay on the floor and
cried; then somehow he didn't want to
cry any more, and he felt quite good
again.
But where was he?
He had never been in this pretty
place before. he was sure, and he mad
never notion how he got there. He
did not know whether it was garden
or a field. There was grass of
brighter green than he had ever seen,
studded with all sorts of flowers (al-
though it had been winter such little
while ago), and the sun was shining,
and the air was soft and cool.
There were people walking about
children chiefly. A boy and a girl
were sauntering along together. each
holding crook. and they were talking
about sheep. The boy was all in blue
and looked rather drowsy.
Presently another girl, with very
startled air, came running up. She
kept looking behind her and saying to
you sure there's no spider?"
But before any one could answer,
grand procession came along headed
by a king and queen Cat least, so
Johnny concluded from the crowns on
their heads), carrying pie from
which blackbirds fitted from time to
time and settled on their shoulders.
Behind them walked girl on whose
face were traces of tears, but who was
smiling now. "
why" exclaimed the girl with the
crook, you've got your nose back!"
yes" was the reply. "The Fairy
Godmother touched me with her wand
and I was all right again.
"Ah, the dear Fairy Godmother" ex-
claimed the shepherdess, and the king
cried Three cheers for her!"
All the party joined heartily in the
shout, and Johnny Joined too. This
made everyone turn to look at him,
and the king asked, What are you,
my boy?" ....
'"Im Johnny Horner, your majesty"
was the answer. ..-
/ A cry of execration arose simultan-
eously from all present.
Are you, indeed?' said Boy Blue,
with frown. your majesty, please
send him back to his corner
i"Oh do" said little girl with a
very dirty pinafore, coming out of the
ranks. Your majesty" she continu-
ed, don't let him march with us. He's
always Haunting his plums in our
faces, and telling us he's good boy"
"And he didn't get the pie because
he was good" put in Bo-Peep. He
took it off the table. His father and
mother let him do whatever he likes,
so he thinks he is always good
Poor Johnny thought all this was
very hard, for he hadn't had any pie,
and he knew he had been naughty, and
his father and mother didn't let him do
just what he liked.
"Please,' he ventured to say" moth
er wouldn't give me any pie, because
1 was naughty Q'm not always good
boy); and if I had a mince pie she
wouldn't let me pull the plums out
She'd tell me to eat properly. And I
didn't come out of the corner till she |
told me to-
Then Polly Flinders, the girl with !
the dirty pinafore, looked at Johnny
again.
ne uOeSu Spedh DIS uc 6cuc1d oily
does" she said.
The king turned to Boy Blue.
''Is this the boy you mean?' he
asked.
1--WE never seen Jack Horner, your
majesty" said Boy Blue. I'm always
asleep when he comes about, and Polly !
has seen him only in the twilight.
Bo-Peep has seen him in the daytime, !
though"
The king turned to Bo-Peep, but she
said she had been thinking about her
lost sheep, when plum was thrust in
her face, and rough voice said,
What a good boy am Il" so she had
seen nothing but finger and thumb.
well" said the king, where's
Jacks corner? If he's in it, this boy
can't be he.'
1--WE can't find his corner, your
majesty" said Boy Blue. "He runs
out at us from the bushes, shouting,
What a good boy am +! and then he
reproaches us with all the naughty |
things we've done. We all are rather |
bad. Pm afraid, | went to sleep under :,