The Worst Boy in Town

thing that a fastidious taste might desire, were well lighted and ventilated. But as the constable led Jack to jail, he thought upon his own despo

ts, each one of which seemed to give Jack's heart a mighty thump as it grated and groaned into its proper place. Jack turned to look at the window. It was of rough glass, so that a prisoner could not look out; it was only six inches high, though its length was about two feet, and it was crossed both inside and outside by stout bars of iron let into the stone. The furniture, when Jack's eyes became sufficiently accustomed to the dim light to see it all, consisted of a dingy cot of canvas and

y for a year or two, for now that the proper occasion for recalling the fact had passed, he remembered to have heard that disturbing religious assemblages was a great crime in the eyes of the law. Perhaps they would send him to the reform school, which would be a thousand times worse than the penitentiary, for the word "reform" suggested as dreadful possibilities to Jack as it ever did to a self-made politician. When he came out again what would happen to h

n prison? As Jack thought of it he wished the prison bed had a cover under which he could hide; but as it had not, he squeezed his face and flattened his nose upon the rough, dirty canvas. The thought of his parents recalled the wish, frequently felt by Jack, that somebody would understand him, know how earnestly he longed to be good—some one to whom he could tell some of the splendid thoughts he sometimes had—th

k began to search his pockets for something that might assist him in consuming time

young

the Pacific Ocean, which, by careful investigation, Jack had determined was the geographical antipode of Doveton. Then the door opened, and Jack's father entered, and, oh, hor

the doctor, "what have yo

determined that he never before

Jack and putting his arm around him, "Satan has indeed

upon somebody else, and determining that if he ever did become a minister, he would ma

ssful job Satan has made of it. I wish he would give

ed it from present company, but as the doctor paid a large pew rent in Mr. Daybright's church, that divine thought it inadvisab

g friend; you still live and

lamp holds

sinner ma

avory place, eschew finally an

, I will!"

eard it from this young scamp himself, and, Mr. Daybright, you and I ha

, why don't you determine to say, hereafter and always, 'Get thee behi

with the pin in the German Methodist meeting, "but it

nd the minister himself was temporarily silenced; then t

repairing their broken window, giving them a new Bible, changing my custom from the market to Shantz the butcher, who doesn't sell the best of me

to any of these peop

atever it was, to disturb that meeting; those men were all there, they are all among the c

Trinkelspiel want anythin

you who made him sit upon that cro

ch led to Nuderkopf's spasmodic loquacity, both visitors holding their mouths as h

you propo

reach to bad boys all my life, if you will only get me out of

what sort of a living do you supp

ardly acknowledged the justice of the rebuke, though he hypocritic

lone—keep away from them e

trition and apprehension, so he dropped his head again, and realized anew

r me?" aske

rong, unless I put him up to it, and I'll promise never to t

of repentance do you call that, dominie, when ou

ok his head grav

ings are really bad things. Until you fully understand this, there

" said Jack; "blackberrying, fi

inister. "None of these t

, "for I like them all, and it se

he is liable to believe that things have always been as they are at that particular moment; hence the unhealthy poems, novels and dramas which certain disordered minds spr

nts, but Jack was not in a condition just then to question the character of any one who cared to befriend him, so he hid his face in his fathe

r you than you ever can for yourself, and she is dreadfully feeble and ner

ndeed I will. I'll darn

ne decently and in order as established by Provide

id Jack, "but it

ur prayer was in earnest. No amount of praying will keep you

water melons; but Jack, instead of repaying the scowl in kind, which he could have done with entire success from his own incomparable collection of faces, inwardly determined that at some appropriate time he would privately apologize to the official and repay his water melon in kind. As his father and the minister turned toward the main street, Jack exhibited strong manifestations of reluctance, so both gentlemen concluded it would be only merciful to lead the boy homeward throu

to been an utter stranger. It was not love, as that sentiment is conventionally defined, for it was entirely devoid of passion and selfishness, but it is not surprising that Jack, having never heard love talked of but in one way—to wit, a strong regard for one person by another person of the opposite sex—should go home with the firm conviction that he was oceans deep in love with nice little Mattie Barker. To get a kind look from a person of whom you have nev