The Previous Bad Boy.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4886, 6 September 1884, Page 1

The Previous Bad Boy.

" Say, what. has become of jour chutn," asked the grocery man of the bad boy, as -be found him sitting on the front steps untangling a fish-line when he opened the grocery to sweep out. "I haven't heard anything from your chum, for three months' Ain'f dead, is he P" '" No, I guess not," said the bad boy. as he tried to untie a knot in his fish-line with his icetb. He was living at two p.m. last Saturday, when he wrote me from Kalamazoo. You see say chum was always tuffer nor I was, if you would believe it. He didn't show so much tuflness right out plain, but he had it in him bigger'n a wolf. He didn't like the way things wai a running at, home and made up his mind to run away, and he wanted me to go too. He pictured to me how ire could go to .Chicago and join a circus, that was there, and travel, doing some, sort of work for our board at first until we learned how to turn flip-flaps, and then we could get a regular salary, and come home in the fall with our pockets full of money, and the boys would look on us as heroes. I ncrer had much runaway in me, and I didn't take to it very kindly, though my chum tried to show me how I was abused at home, though I don't think I was abused half as much as I abused t)ther people. After he had pictured to me the pic nic we would have I went and asked pa what he thought about it, if it was a good scheme for a boy to run away from home, and I told him the programme itny chum had laid out. I?a was* a boy once, and he ran away from home, and for a week he didn't have enough to eat to keep his shape. He told me about it it. And how the skin in front of him fell so and almost gofc. glued to his backbone, and when.he got home (hey had to run a glove stretcher down his neck and stretch, him before he could drink milk. Pa said it was the foolishest thing a boy could do to run away from home, and told me if my chum wanted to go, let him go, and have him write to me if it was a success and I could go if I wanted to. That seemed to be fair enough, and so I let my chum go, and I just got a letter from him/ and the boy chewed some"more pa thetfsTblirie; — " And you are going to join him," said the groceryman, "going to leave your home and all its hallowed associations, its pancakes and church sdoiables, its cheerful surroundings, and go off with a circus. Well, you are r stair fool.' 1 And the groceryman swept a lot of dirt into the tangled fish line. "There you are wrong," said the boy, as he picked up the line and spread ifc on the clean floor, and began chewing it where he left off. "Head the letter." And the boy handed" lEe grocerymanTr crumpled piece efpaper, which he read as follows j : • Kalltmazoo, Goon 12, Dear Hen:— If. you haint. got no money yerself, to send me, pawn your sox, and sell my dog ta the sassidge mill, and kill my hens and sell "em, and send me.ate dollars, to cum hoam. i am bust flatter nor a pancake, and h«v bin most of the time sins i left. I was the gol darneatfool out of the idjit asylum to run away. Thar is no munny in the sirkis bizniz. I got a job currying off the «ebr«y and feeding the higheyenies, and prodding thekamela, for my bored and lojtin. I bey bin kicked around all the time, bi kanvas men, a zebray bit my pants off, and I.had to have overhauls made of a guniijax. A bigheneigh chawed a coupl& ot mi fingers; a lyon roored at me and made me deef, a sacredox hocked me with .his hump, andakame* walked on me and tried to eat my koat. A bul dog that sleeps with the tllyiunt got mad euus9 I laid down ozj his hay to sleep and he chewed my shoes,.so I have been.barefoot sins we left Michigan Bitty. I don't get notliin to eat cept what the

kanvaafe mrn,Jeave, is not enuff to fat a kanary burd. Yon shodo sense in not going with the sirkus. tlt makes me ' kry when I' stand by the* kages and see the/olks go in the show, looking happy like I was at home.andlhainthad nothin to eat all day but a piece of gingerbread /t knntryman gire to the ellyfunt, and it was go stale the ellyfnnt wouldn't ] eat it, and dropped it in the dirt. The only sustainance I her. had to-day was chewin .a rubber stopper to a pop bottle. Now, Hen. deer friend Hennery, don't let our friends know hovr I am fixed, but send me enodgh mnnnie for to ride in a emmygrant car, and I will dig out of this siriis biznez too quick and you can meet\ me ,ah Bay/View when I get back, with'some of your old close, and I will be darn glad, home. Bring some co*ld ineie and mastred, too, aod some of yer ma's bread. No kake nor nqthin like that,- cause' I ain't eaten kake this year. Bring, balony, and I don't care if it is made of .yello dog, if it is balony. ( I druther be a dog in Milwaukee than ' trarel with a sirkis in Kallymazoo, and her a" nappetite and no balony Baesi^ge. Don't tell noboddy lam bustid. Kinder tell them that I hare made lots of munny, outside by salary, but that I don't kare for style enn> more. If folks think I hare got lots of munney they won't notis that I, don't wear no soz. Send pos toffis prder care hospital for homeless wanderers and it wilt reach me. Don't fale old pard, and when I get home I will harrer up yure sole with pints on the sirkis bizniz that will make yure hare stand. Don't you nerer .run awa. Runnin awe is hel, such as they told us about in Sunday skool. Talk about prodigal sons, I am in a wuss fix than the wun in the, bible, cause he - dida't—bare sebrays gallop on him and hfghenies chew him, and an old man fell on his nex and had fat kaf on toast, and my pa will willup up me for supper, I wish it was bible times now, don't you Hen P ' Well, pen is poor, my ink is pale, butxnylur for you will nerer fale, but don't fotget the bullony sassidge. Yours tilldeth. Your chum Duffy.' "Well, he is.in hard lack," said the groceryman, folding up the letter. " What axe you going to do ? send him money ?" ''Sent it already," said the bad boy, as be wound up the untangled line up on a piece of shingle. '' And my chum ought to strike Bay View on the eyening train, about the day after to-morrow, the Way I 'calculate, and I want you to cut a fresh bologna sausage, and I will fill him up, you - bet. He is the only chum I erer had, except a.girl, and she don't eat bolonga, but she is liteniu' on ice cream. Bay, my chum spells pretty bad, don't he ? Well, he usedv^o r,pn away from school, and he visaed.; hip lessons, bat I guess this circus experience will teach him to pay attention, and. learn something. Now lam going fishing, and I will be around here with a sacjk of> clothes for my chum, day after to-morr,ow at 4 PaBQ.» and you*sia?e that bologna plugged, will you." and the bad bo^ went off singing, " When Duff^ comes marching home." '