Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-01-12
How job ny w as
Cured

Johnny was a great brag. A brag is
a boaster. If he heard a playmate tell
of something he had done. no matter
what it was. Johnny would give
snort. and exclaim--
Pooh! That's nothing! VINO
couldn't do that?''
One evening the family sat around
the fire in the sitting room. Father
was reading. grandma and mother
were sewing. Alice and Joe were
studying their lessons, when Johnny
came strutting in. He took char
by the table and began reading Rob-
inson Crusoe.
Presently Joe, who was younger
than Johnny. went up to his brother,
saying: Look at my drawing. I did it
today in school. Isn't it good?'
"Pooh. Call that good! You ought
to see the one l drew 1t beats yours
all hollow"
Joe was rather crestfallen, and lit
tie Alice, who had sympathetic
heart, pitied her brother, and, going
to Joe, asked him to let her see his
drawing.
81 wish could do as well as you do,
joe" she said, hoping to revive her
brothers dropping spirits.
POOH" sneered Johnny. you
needn't try to draw; for girls can't
make even a straight line
1t was not long before Mr.. Boaster
left the room for a few moments.
When he came back, everything
seemed to be going on as when he
left. Father was reading, grandma
and mother were sewing, and Joe and
Alice were busy with their lessons.
cat last I have finished with my
hem" remarked grandma. folding the
napkin she had been hemming so in
dustriously.
"Pooh." said mother contemptuous-
ly, chat is nothing. I have done two
while you are doing one!"
The children looked up quickly; for
who would have believed she would
have spoken so? 1t was not like her
to do so.
Grandma picked up another napkin
and began hemming it, but said moth
ing
Father, look at my examples
please. I have done every one of
them. and haven't made single mis-
take" said Alice, crossing the room
to where her father was sitting before
the open CRATE fire.
"Pooh!" That's nothing replied
her father, not even taking her paper
to look at it. you ought to see the
way used to do examples when was
your age!"
Poor little Alice was greatly as.
tonished to hear such discouragins
and boastful remark from her gener.
ally kind father. and she was about
to turn away when he drew her near
to him and whispered something in
her ear which brought the smiles to
her face.
For a few minutes no one said any
thing, and work went on as before.
Johnny was deeply engrossed in the
history of Robinson Crusoe's adven
lures, and the other children contin.
ued their studies.
"eMy flowers look so well! believe
the geraniums are going to bloom
again." remarked mother.
"Pooh!" They are not half so thrifty
as those used to raise Why. had
flowers all winter long. and you have
only had few blossoms in the whole
winter" said grandma, contemptuous-
ly.
what is the matter with every
body?" thought Johnny. He had never
known them to be in such humor as
they were that evening.
When father remarked presently
that he had stepped into grocer's
and been weighed that afternoon, and
that he tipped the beam" at 1853
pounds, and that was doing pretty
we'll" for him, mother said Grossly
"Pooh! You call that doing pretty
we'll? Old Mr. Benson weighs 225
pounds and no one ever hears him
Dragging about it,"
Everybody laughed Father shouted.
It was such surprise, and grandma
got up and left the room to keep from
choking with laughter
Johnny saw them all look at him,
and after minute or two he began to
think.
Father" said he, what are you all
laughing about? Is it at me?'
'Well, we were not exactly laughing
at you. We thought we would try
your way of boasting of our accom-.
plishments. and see how you thought
it sounded; but mother spoiled our
game before we had finished it,
Johnny looked rather sheepish the
rest of the evening. He wondered if
he was as disagreeable as the older
folk that evening when he boosted of
what he could do or had done. He
was forced to admit that Boosting
sounded very llnnleaSant and he re.