Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 January 1884 — THE BAD BOY. [ARTICLE]

THE BAD BOY.

“There, now, I have got you,” said the groceryman to the bad boy, as he came in with his lip cut, and looked in the glass to see if it was growing together. “Now you sit down here while I call a policeman. I saw you going down an alley this morning with a tin pail and a bundle, and I believe that you are one of these fire-bugs, and that you had a pail of kerosene and some kindling, and thdt you have set a fire with a slow match that will break out pretty soon. Oh, lamon to you, ’’ and the groceryman looked sassy. “Well, I have kindled a fire,” said the bad boy, as he rubbed Some vase line on hie lip, “and when it breaks out and becomes warm, instead of calling out the fire department it will call forth prayers fiom a poor, heart-broken woman, and make the smiles of joy light up her face, and don’t you forget it.” “Where did yon set that fire?” asked the groceryman, as he began to relent. “Tell me about this incendiarv performance.” “Well, you know that girl that run away from our ward last year, and married that dude who thought she was rich ? He deserted her, and she came back here about a month ago, but she was not well enough to get work in the store, and she has had a hard time. I used to go to school with her, and the other day I met her ona back street, and she asked me for 2 stillings to buy some bread and milk, and I gave it to her, and then I followed her to her home. She lives in a room over a meat market, and all the furniture she has got wouldn’t fill a play-house for your little baby girl. I guess half the time all the meat she has is the smell she gets from the meat down stairs, but when they are trying lard in the butcher shop the smell is real strengthening. Well, sir, when I went in the room she was feeding a leetle bit of a baby some bread and milk, and crying and laughing all at once. By gosh, it broke me all up. She had pawned everything she had for something for the baby to eat, and she was in pretty bad shape. The baby eat and laughed, and went to sleep, and then she told me all her troubles, how the dude had gone back on her, and how she had worked making shirts at 10 cents apiece to support herself and baby, I was darn glad that baby did not look dike the dude. Well, sir, that poor pale girl, crying there in that old bareroom, was too much for Hennery, and I went out and called our gang of boys together, us boys that I told you had been sawing wood for widders. I told them about this girl, and being the boss of the gang I gave them fifteen minutes to raise $2 apiece, and before the time was up they all came down with the money. Then I divided it up and told one boy to go and get $2 worth of coal, and another one, he was a committee on biscuit and tea and fsugar, and I. was lightning, on baby clothes and milk, and the bundle you saw me carry down the alley was flanpel clothes our baby has kicked herself out of, and it wanj no kindling wood for incendiary fires, and the kerosene you thought I had was milk, and none of your milk wagon stuff. Well, you’d a dide to see us fellows get things up stairs, and surprise that poor little woman. My chum built a, fire, and you ought to have seen me dress that baby. I, used to be mad when ma made me put clothes on the baby, at home, when she wanted to do up her hair, but now I am glad of it, ’cause I can get in my work on little, cold, poor babies, and make them think I ,am an old nurse from Nurseville. The tired little mother just sat right down on the floor and cried to see us boys take hold of running the house, and I was afraid she would flood the butcher shop below, so I took the baby, when I had got the warm flannels on it, and it looked surprised at being so warm, as though something had happened to it, and I put it in the mamma’s lap, and she hugged it till I thought she would bust it, sure; but mothers know just how tight to hug, don’t they? We fixed her up in good shape, and each of us borrowed a blanket off our own beds at home and took them to her, and I guess she is the happiest little woman in this town, but I wish she would not cry so. Jt breaks something inside my vest when I see a woman cry, and I feel as though my gall was all running out. Well, us boys has took a solemn oath to be that woman’s gardeene— how do you spell that ? Anyway, we are going to be her pertector, or boss, this winter, until she gets able to work and earn her living, and that woman is going to hkve all she can lay her jaws to, and the baby is going -to be dressed just as well as any baby in this town, as long as ma’s baby’s clothes hold out. I tell you, a baby with four bad boys laying for it, to watch that it don’t suffer, isn’t in danger of freezing; and after this, if you see me going down that alley at night, loaded with anything, from a nursing bottle to a barrel of flour, don’t you give me away. And if you bear of any babies ; that’s lost their cud, and don’t know where the next meal is coming from, you just inform us boys, and we will fill the baby so full of cut feed that it can’t yip. Say, how would some of them dried apples do for our baby?” “Oh, get out,” said the groceryman, “you ought to know that dried applea would split a baby wide open. Whatever you do, don’t ever give a/baby dried apples. Now, here axe some nice prunes that would be splendid for a baby. They are a little wormy, but prunes open the pores and develop the voice. Have a couple of pounds?” “Naw, I don’t want any prunes. This isn’t a prune baby. Ma’s baby is a prune baby, I guess, cause its pores are open all the time, and it has got the best developed voice in this town. But this baby with a dude father is going to live on something better than boarding house sauoe. Say, don’t you think there ought to be a law to kill dudes when they are out of season ?” “Dudes ought to be protected the any other game,” said-the grocery man. “They are harmless except in August, when they ought to be muzzled. But what ails your lip ?” “A calf kicked it I don’t think a calf has got any more sense than a dude.

The Humane society man told me to keep watch, and when I saw any of these fellows that bring calves in town in a wagon abusing the calves, to make them« stop it, or have them arrested. ; Yesterday I saw a calf all tied up by the ! legs in a wagon, bellowing, and I | sneaked up behind and cut the rope,- : around its legs, to relieve the pain. , How do you suppose the calf thanked ime ? Kicked me in the lip with both I hoofs, and the driver chased me two blocks with a blacksnake whip. There has got to be a better understanding between calves and us Humane society fellows, or I shall resign. Wait till I go and carry these red socks to the baby and I will play you a game of dominoes,” and the bad” boy went out whistling, “I’m Denny McGonigle’s Daughter, Mary Ann,” and the grocery man cut off a piece of cheese to send the baby.— Peck's Sun.