THE BAD BOY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3746, 18 July 1883, Page 4

THE BAD BOY.

He and His Pa have some Adventures

in Chicago,

"What is this I hoar about your pa's being arrested in Chicago ?" said tho grocery man to tho bad boy, as he camo in Avith a can for kerosine and a jug for vinegar. '' Well, it avus true *, but the police let him go after they hit him a few licks and took him to the station," said the boy, as he got tho vinegar into ihe kerosine can, and the kerosine into the jug. "You see, pa and mo Avent doAvn there to stay over night and liuac somo fun. Ma said she'd rather wo Avould be away than not when they Avere cleaning house, and pa thought it Avould do mo good to traA*cl, and sort of get tone, and he thought maybe I'd be better, and not play jokes, but I guess it is born in me. Do you Icuoav, I actually think of mean things to do avliou I am in tho most solemn places. They took me to ii funeral once, and 1 got to thinking Avhat a stampede there would be if the corpse would come to life and sit up in tho cotlin, and I snickered right out, and pa took me outdoors and kicked me. I don't think he orter kicked me for it, 'cause I didn't think of it a purpose. Such things have occurred, and I have read about them, and a poor boy ought to be allowed to think, hadn't he r" "Yes; but AA'hat about his being arrested ?" Never mind the funeral," said the grocery man, as be took his knife and picked somo of the lead out of the Avcights on the scales.

" We Avent down on tho cars, and pa had a headache, becauso lie had been out all night elootionocoring for the prohibition ticket, ami ho whs cross and scolded me, and once he pulled my ear 'cause I _ asked him if ho krieAv the girl he Avas winking at in a seat across tho aisle. I didn't enjoy myself much, and some men Avere talking about kidnapping children, and it gave me au ijee, and just before I got to Chicago I went after a drink of Avater nt tho other end of the car, and I saw a man avlio looked as though he Avouldn't stand any fooling, and I whispered to him aud told him that the bald-headed man I Avas sitting Avith ay.is taking mo away from my homo iv Milwaukee, and I mistrusted ho was going to make a thief or a pick-pocket of me. I said ' s-h-h-h', and told him not to say anything or the man Avould maul me. Then I •wont back to pa nnd asked him to buy me a gold watch, and he looked mad and and cuffed mo an tho ear. The man that I

whispered to got talking* with somo other men, sad when Aye got off the cars at Chicago a policeman camo up to pa and took him by tho neck and said, ' Mr Kidnapper, I guess Aye will run you in.' Pa Avas mad and tried to jerk away, and the cop choked him, and another cop came along and helped, and the passengers croAvded around and wanted to lynch pa, and pa wanted to know Avhat they meant, and they asked him where he stole the kid, and he said I avhs his kid, and asked mo if I Avasn't, and I looked scared, as though I was Avas afraid to say no, and I said, ' Y-e-s, s-i-r, I guess so.' Then the police said the poor boy was scart, aud they Avonld take up both to the station, and they made pa Avalk spry, and Avhen he held back they jerked him along. Ho avus offul mad, and said he would make somebody smart for this, and I hoped it Avoukln'tbe me. At tho station thoy charged pa Avith kidnappingaboy from Milwaukee, and he said it Avas a lie, and I Avas his boy, and I said of courso I avus ; and the boss askofl who told the cops pa Avas a kidnapper, and they said, ' Damfino ; ' and then the boss told pa he could go, but not let it occur again, and pa and ni oAvent away. I looked so sorry for pa that he never tumbled to it that I Avas to blame. AYe Avalkcd around toAvn all day and Avent to the stores, and at night pa avus offul tired, and he put mo to bed in the tavern and he Avent out to Avalk around and get rosted. I Avas not tired and I Avalkod all round the hotel. I thought pa had gone to a theatre and that made mo mad, and I thought I Avould play a joke on him. Our room'Avas 210, and the next Avas 212, and there was an old maid with a Scotch terrier occupied 212. I saw her twice, and she called mo names 'cause she thought I wanted to steal her dog. That made me mad at her, and so 1 took my jack-knife and drew the tacks out of tho tin thing that tho numbers were painted on, and put tho old maid's number on our door and our number on her door, and then I Avent to bed. I tried to keep aAvake, so as to help pa if he had any difficulty, but I guess I got asleep, but woke up Avhen the dog barked. If tho dog had not woke me up the Avomnn's scream Avould, and if that hadn't, pa Avould. You see, pa came home from the theatre about 'IcA-en, and he had been drinking. He says everybody drinks when they go to Chicago, eA'cn tho minister. Pa looked a>, tho numbers all along the hall fill he found 210, and Avalkcd right in and pulled off his coat and threw it on the lomifro where the dog* Avas. The old maid Avas asleep, but the dog barked, and pa said, " That cussed boy has bought a dog," and he kicked the dog. and then the old maid said, " What is the matter, pct'r " "Pa biffed, and said: ' Nothiu' themazzer Avith ma, pot,' and then you ought to have heard the yelliiur. The old maid covered her head, and kicked, and yelled, and the dog snarled and bit pa, and pa had git his vest off' already and his suspenders unbuttoned, aud lie got scared, and took his coat find vest aud Avent in the hall, and I opened the door and told pa he Avas in the Avrong room, and I locked the door, and then the bell-boy and tho porter and the clerk came up to sec Avhnt ailed the old maid, and she said a burglar got in the room, and they found pa's hat on the lounge, and thoy took it and told her to be quiet, and they Avould find the burglar. Pa Avas so soared that ho pretended to go to sleep, but he was wondering how ho could get his hut back. In the 'morning I told him it Avould be hard to explain it to ma how he happened to get into the Avrong room, and he said it Avasn't necessary to say anything about it to ma." "Then he gave me five dollars to go out and buy him a iioav hat, and he said I might keep the change, if 1 Avould not mention it AA'hen I got home, and I got him one for ten shillings, and avc took the eight o'clock train in the morning and camo home, and I s'pose the Chicago detectives are trying to fit pa's hat on a burglar. Pa seemed oll'ully relieved Avhen avc got across the State line into AVisconsin. He dasscnt lick mo any more, or I'll tell ma Avhere he left his hat""—Pecks Sun.