Year: 1878

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know that his presence is not desired by


young men who come to see his sister


We do not expect this amount of intelli-


gence in the small boy, and it is often


necessary to bribe him with candy or to


persuade him with clubs before he will


consent to treat his sister with common


humanity but the 16-year old boy usu-


ally perceives when an area of courting,


accompanied with gradually increasing


pressure in the region Of the waist and


marked depression Of the parlor gas, is


about to set in, and thereupon discreetly


even sneeringly, withdraws.


Master Henry T. johnson, of War


rens5urg, H., is a boy who has just


reached the period Of boyhood, and who


is remarkably clever in the invention OF


traps. Ifyou were to ask him to make


you any variety Of trap, from a rat-trap


up to man-trap, he would satisfy your


demand with promptness and skill. His


fathers premises, both inside and out,


is invested with traps, and there is no


style Of animal inhabiting Warrensbdrg


that has not been caught in one Of these


traps. One morning, early in January,


it is confidently asserted thatno less than


two cats, tramp, a small dog, six chick
ems and three small boys were found in


Mr.. Johnsons yard in the close embrace
Of a corresponding number of traps. The
truth is the boy has real mechanical gen
ius, and it is a great pity that he is so
totally lacking in modesty and regard
for the rights of others.


Last fall young man, who had met
Master Johnson's sister at picnic and
escorted her home, was seized with a
great admiration of Master Johnson's
traps, and evinced q great fondness for
that ingenious boys society. In fact, be
engaged the boy to give him a series Of
lessons in trap-making, and seemed to
throw his soul INTO rat traps. Gradual
ly this passion began to fade, and the
young man, instead of studying traps in
the back yard, formed the habit Of rest
ing himself-as he called tin the parlor
with Master Johason's sister. The boy,
Of course, could not consent to hurt his
friends feelings by abandoning him to
the society Ola mere girl, and, therefore,
followed hum into the parlor, and monop
olzed the conversation. After time
the young man openly abandoned the
traps, and only visited the house in the
evenings but Master johnson, mindful
of the laws Of hospitality, always spent
the evening in the parlor, and more than
once apologized to his friend for the ST.
lence and general uselessness of his sister.
His astonishment, when one eYcntful
evening the young man, with tho full sp-
probation Of his sister, deliberately told
him to get out" and informed him
that if he bad not sense enough to know
that he was a nuisance, he would try to
knock sense into him with base ball
club, cannot be expressed in words. Not
only did he wonder at the unscientifc
idea that sense can be impaired with a
base ball club, but he could not compre-
bend the young mans sudden dislike Of
mis- once courted society. However, he
withdrew, and devoted himself
TO schemes of swift and deadly venge-
ance.


For the next week Master johnson
spent large part of his time in the par
lor with the doors locked, alleging that
he was perfecting a new invention, and
that his intellect could not work except
in quiet and secusion. Strange as it may
appear, he told the truth. lie was per-
fecting new kind Of trap intended for
the benefit of the rude young man and
bis unnatural sister. The former was
accustomed to sit in large easy-chair,
and the latter iu a small and fragile rock
ing-chair on the opposite side Of the room.
To each Of these chairs be affixed most
ingenious trap, which was concealed un-
derneath the seat, and was so contriyed
as to be sprung by the weight of any
person that might sit in the chair, If
the young man, for example, were to sit
down in his accustomed chair, he would
be instantly clasped around the waist by
q pair Of iron arms, while two other iron
clasps would sieze him by the ankles. A
like result would follow any attempt Of
the sister TO seat herself in the rocking
chair, and it was Master Johnson's in
tention, after having caught his game, to
leave them in close confinement, and to
then read them a severe lecture upon
their rudeness.


The young man was due on the next
evening, and Master Johnson
set his new traps at precisely 1885 P. NJ.
And at 7;I0 the young man arrived, and
Master johnson ostentatiously marched
out Of the front gate just as the young
man rang the front door-bel. An hour
passed, and the revengeful boy returned
and listened at the parlor door, expecting
to hear low walls of agony. On the con
trary, he heard what seemed to him the
expressions Of much content
ment on the part of the young man, and
he thereupon entered the room full of
fear lest his revenge had mscarried.


He found that the trap which be had
set for the rude young man had flied its
and that he was held i'm the firm
embrace Of the iron bands. TO his unut-
terable surprise, his sister was also caught,
although her particular trap was inspiring
and her chair unoccupied. One pair of
iron arms clasped both the victims, and
one male and one female ankle was held
in close confinement. AS the astonished
boy entered his sister family struggled,
but soon resigned herself with Christian