Judge — February 20, 1909 — page 7: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A SMALL BOY'S ESSAY ON WASHINGTON. "|OME TIME ago George Washington, who was First in Peace, First in War, and First in the hearts of his Country-M-E-N, BOOM! was a little boy, and his kind Papa give him alittle hatchet. Ma says she dont see what ever Mr. Washington was thinking about to give a little boy like that a hatchet for, because if it was good for anything a tall it would cut, and he was likely to cut himself with it first. Ma says if shede been Mrs. Washington it never would of happened. But Ma aint running this story. Mr. Washington give Georgie the hatchet, all right, and Georgie dident cut himself with it her, which shows that Ma dont know it all. But he was bound to cut something with it that he hadent ought to, so he sailed into his Pa’s favorite cherry tree and chopped it a plenty. He dident think he was doing wrong, because he was having such a good time. If boys thought all the time they wouldent have very much fun in this world, I dont think. When Mr. Washington saw his favorite cherry tree DOWN SOUTH. chopped up like that he Cupid as he appears to the pickaninnies. guessed right away who done it, and he called for little Georgie to come his way for a minute or two. Georgie went, very proud, because for a little boy like him to chop a great big cherry tree down with a toy hatchet was hard work, but he g down all the same, “Did you chop down my favorite cherry tree?” says Mr. Washington, looking fierce as bulldogs. I wonder what makes a boy's Pa always ask him a question like that when he knows as well as anything who done it. It's easy enough for a boy to be bad without having temptation put in his path, aint it? Georgie was bad scared when he seen how his Pa took it, but the goods was on him and he couldent get away. So he done the next best thing. ** Yes, Pa,"’ he rep! standing square up, ‘* I done it with my little hatchet." Mr. Washington liked to had a fit when he heard this answer, He had had experi- ence with other little boys, but never none like this one. ‘They had always tried to get out of it some other way. He was paralized speechless for a minute, and Georgie was wondering which way he ought to dodge, when his Pa held out his arms to him very friendly. “Come to my arms, my noble boy," says Mr. Washington. “There's lots of cherry trees in this broad land of freedom, but { dont know of another boy that would ent have lied under the circumstances, Come to my arms.’" Two invitations wasent necessary, for George excepted the first one as soon as he got it, he was so glad it was no worse, | ens recto But he never chopped down no more cherry trees. Telling the truth had “ dee Ee pice saved him once, but he knew it wouldent work twice in the same place, and rather than e : be tempted to try it ugain he give the little hatchet to a darky boy on the farm to chop kindling with. Goodness knows what would of happened if little George Washing- ton had told a lie about chopping that cherry tree, and the moral to this story is that parents should not give their little boys hatchets to play with. WILLIAM J. LAMITON. A PUBLIC CONFESSION. PASTOR of a country church, middle-aged widower, was with having courted every woman in his flock. One Sunday morning the good parson, having, occasion to admonish specially the feminine membership, was amazed at the very audible titter that ran through the congregation when, wave of his arm, ters, I have ad- public and in private!” PIG-PEN. 66.YOU HAVE a fine house and ieee of ground here!" “Yep! Made it all with my “* Writing?” HOW IT WILL BE DONE NEXT SPRING. “ Now steer over the forty-acre corn patch and we'll git it planted afore breakfast.”* comicbooks.com