ake his
place and pass around the sassidge and potatoes, and he looked kind
of scart and went out with his hand on his pistol pocket, as though he
would like to shoot, and Ma she got up and went around and sat in Pa's
chair. The sponge didn't hold more than half a pail full of water, and
I didn't want to play no joke on Ma, cause the cats nearly broke her up,
but she sat down and was just going to help me, when she rung the bell
and called the hired girl, and said she felt as though her neuralgia was
coming on, and she would go to her room, and told the girl to sit down
and help Hennery. The girl sat down and poured me out some coffee, and
then she said. 'Howly Saint Patrick, but I blave those pancakes are
burning,' and she went out in the kitchen. I drank my coffee, and then
took the big sponge out of the chair and put the cushion in the place of
it, and then I put the sponge in the bath room, and I went up to Pa and
Ma's room, and asked them if I should go after the doctor, and Pa had
changed his clothes and got on his Sunday pants, and he said, 'never
mind the doctor, I guess we will pull through,' and for me to get out
and go to the devil, and I came over here. Say, there is no harm in a
little warm water, is there? Well, I'd like to know what Pa and Ma and
the hired girl thought. I am the only real healthy one there is in our
family."

CHAPTER XXIII.

HE BECOMES A DRUGGIST--"I HAVE GONE INTO BUSINESS!"--A NEW
ROSE GERANIUM PERFUME--THE BAD BOY IN A DRUGGIST'S STORE--
PRACTICING ON HIS PA--AN EXPLOSION--THE SEIDLETZ POWDER--HIS
PA'S FREQUENT PAINS--POUNDING INDIA-RUBBER--CURING A WART.

"Whew! What is that smells so about this store? It seems as though
everything had turned frowy," said the grocery man to his clerk, in the
presence of the bad boy, who was standing with his back to the stove,
his coat tails parted with his hands, and a cigarette in his mouth.

"May be it is me that smells frowy," said the boy as he put his thumbs
in the armholes of his vest, and spit at the keyhole in the door. "I
have gone into business."

"By thunder, I believe it is you," said the grocery man, as he went up
to the boy, snuffed a couple of times, and then held his hand to his
nose. "The board of health will kerosene you, if they ever smell that
smell, and send you to the glue factory. What business you gone into to
make you smell so rank?"

"Well, you see Pa began to think it was time I learned a tr