The Worst Boy in Town

e worst bo

of farmers, and when they plied the rod, any memory of the occasion was not likely soon to become dimmed. It was perhaps for this reason that even when Matt or Jack amused himself by whistling, the airs s

, he felt thrice assured was wrong, when a long whistle of peculiar volume and inflection informed him that Jack was outside and had something to communicate. Matt sprang to his feet, for only a matter of extreme importance

"you know what an awful th

att, "Havn't I been to every temp

ou think? There's Hoccamine, the corner s

tt. "If he starts a rum-shop here,

g to sell by the gallon. But what's the difference?—rum is

ctly awful,

suppose they were ashamed—and it is on the sidewalk beside their store, to be put down cellar as soon as the c

hispered Matt

u slip out of the house about twelve o'clock, and so will I; we'll meet at the church steps, and then unchain the demon only

r man,"

sure you'd enjoy helping, and I'm not the sort of fellow that goes back on

es

I'll give you half of my cloves to eat. I've saved them the

nd twelve, Matt ate all the cloves, pinched himself nearly black and blue, pulled his hair, rubbed his ears, and did everything else he had ever heard of as an antidote to sleepiness. Finally he dressed himself and descended, intending to be at the front door when the clock should strike. As he stepped from the last stair his foot fell upon the family cat, who habitually reposed upon a rug lying just there, and the cry which that cat uttered was more appalling to Matt than the roar of a royal Bengal tiger would have been. Matt's parents, however, had clear consciences, so the agonized scream did not seem to awaken them. Then Matt's heart beat so violently that he began to

orefinger by way of warning, but this speedily resolved itself into

ld Constantine says in the

ing barrels; then Matt's heart began pumping again, receiving some

trike the

elf as closely as possible against the wa

the top, to admit air, and the industry of the stream increased suddenly, as Jack learned by a jet which struck his own trowsers and made itself felt on the skin beneath. Matt operated upon the second

t old Hoccamine won't find five empty barrels a very small hint

x. As soon as they had reached the church and cemetery, in neit

make some excuse to come up town in the morning

't need something from some s

shoe soles which had several times been wet with it, as they moved about the sidewalk, so

whiskey come from? I didn't know

or she lived elsewhere, and had not yet come to her daily labor. Mrs. Bolton

can't be that Matt, our only darli

ther fourteen-year old boys in Doveton who had already trifled with liquor, and

scamp's breath is as sweet as it was

lf and went through the house, b

he front do

afe though they had been in plain view in a dining-room closet. Mr. Bolton found no clot

bly in the night. It is plain that the rascal stepped upon her, and then r

roused at breakfast time. As for Jack, he was up long before the lark, and on his way to the market (which was opposite Hoccamine's store) to purchase some scraps of meat for a mythical dog. He meekly stood outside with his package, for what seemed to h

h a million dollars.

usness that life was real, life was ea

r, and everybody that came to market saw the crowd and went over, so I thought 'twas safe to go over myself. All of a sudden over came Hoccamine, who had been to market, and then—well, you never heard such swearing at a fight. He declared that somebody had been stealing it, and Squire Jones told him it was a righteous judgment on him, and then Hoccamine swore some more and called the Squire names, and the Squire said he'd never buy another

pre-occupied air, told the story of the attempted burglary, but exp

t thief, you see—I shouldn't wonder if what you were about at the same time had something to do with h

ally dropped upon the chips and rolled about in a perfect con

—I smell it now. And you were so excited when you went in, that you forgot to latch the door—I've d

he whole affair to Mr. Bolton. That gentleman made a valiant effort at reproof, but he did not love Hoccamine more than business rivals usually love each other, and he was an earnest advocate of total abstinence, so he made some excuse to get a