Puck — April 1877 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

ete i PUCK. 13 TOO GOOD-NATURED. o QEGHEY had a fearful time over at Gadfl & one day last summer. “Old man Chir- rup” came sauntering along, when he ob- served that Gadfly’s front-gate was wide open to the street. In fact it was set to its farthest backward limits by the aid of a piece of stick, Now Chirrup is one of those good-natured benevolent souls, who are never at rest unless giving assistance to something or somebody. Several of his acquaintances say this is busy- «body meddling, and that it would be very much better if he would attend to his own affairs, and let those of other people alone. On this special occasion the old gentleman was bubbling all over, so to speak, with a con- suming desire to render h and he exclaimed “Ah the gate into its rightful position; “some wicked. boy has done this. - What ashame! Such mis- chievous boys ought to be severely punished. astening to replace ‘There! it is all right now, and a mighty lucky thing I happened along just when I did, or neighbor Gadfly’s cabbages and flowers, like as not, would have been all tramped to destruction. by some stray cow or another, Just here Chirrup lifted his eyes towards the house in anticipation of grateful approval, when his ears were assailed by a tremendous uproar coming up from the rear, which seemed to be aluable assistance, | collect his scattered senses, when he was horri- fied by the sudden appearance of a maddened cow, with head lowered and tail brandished up | aloft, galloping through the shrubs and flowers directly towards him. He had but just time to spring aside, when the desperate animal took a short veer round and plunged like a-resistless avalanche over a_new route into the mellowest garden beds back to the. rear. Chirrup had barely time to gaze wildly down the yard and | ejaculate “Bless my soul!” ere there sounded a piercing shriek, in a female voice, followed by a second furious plunge of the cow along the shrubs and flowers, and out with a crash through the centre panel of the new picket fence! Chirrup wrung his hands in a frightened tremor, and gasped, “Dear, dear!” at the mo- ment Gadfly, literally purple from over-exertion and the exasperated state of his feelings, tore into view. In his hand he brandished a broken clothes-prop which had been battered to pieces in his infuriated chase after the cow. When his eye fell on Chirrup and the closed gate, and in one swift glance he had taken in the fearful wreck of his new fence, stood for a brief | second ‘or two fairly gasping at his throat in the a commingling of infuriated yells and fright- | ened screams, added to the bang and thud of sticks and flying missles and the shrill snaps of of ayelping cur. Chirrup became so startled, he stood with mouth agape vainly trying to vain effort to unburden himself of the pent-up fury boiling within, n he screamed: “Did you shut that gate?” Ye » yes!” Chirrup faltered. thought——” “You thought!” Gadfly yelled in a voice of such concentrated rage and contempt as no mere words can begin to do justice to, and with a savage snap to his teeth as if grinding the wretched Chireup to powder. “Doggon you! «y you everlasting idiot, couldn't you see the gate was propped open on purpose? For two pins I'd mash your meddling fool's head. Yah! You did it to keep the cows out? You blunder- ing jackass! You shut the cow in?’ Dy'e hear? | You shut the gate when I had that infernal critter tearing up and down the yard, and I'd set it wide open to get it out! Dern your blamed busy-body hide, all through your med- dling the garden is twice as badly torn up, ten dollars’ worth of front fence is smashed into eternal smash, and Mrs, Gadfly hunted into. the chicken-coop!”” PICKLEBURG. * A SAD MISTAKE. GET OW often the peaceful serenity of a life- ial o' ¢ peaceful serenity of a life time may be broken by the mistake of a day! It was thus with unfortunate Dame Quigley, Inasad moment she secretly covenanted to have her likeness transferred to the imperish- able canvas by one of those traveling daubers who produce such fearful oil-portraits as may be found in remote farm-dwellings and outlying villages, Not a word was breathed to her man, Jacob, until the wonderful production, resplend- ent in a showy gilt frame, had been hung up in the most striking position on one of the Best parlor-walls, Then the good dame sat in a fever of trembling expectancy for the appear-* ance and commendation of her husband. Alas, for the blunt farmer’s approval. Tak- ing a steady look at the picture, and anon scanning the features of his wife, as if to take critical note of the points of resemblance, he MANUFACTURERS RIAN BENT Woop, wt? FFT WIS (URN, ==comicbooks.com | |