Oscar | Page 5

pays, Oscar," said she; "don't ye be clutterin' up the
clane floor with 'em, that's a good b'y."
"They aint 'pays,' they are peas," replied Oscar; "can't you say peas,
Biddy?"

"I don't care what ye call 'em," said Bridget; "only kape the things in
yer pocket, and don't bother me with 'em."
"Who 's bothering you?" said Oscar; "me 'pays' don't make any
dirt--they 're just as clean as your floor."
"Ye 're a sassy b'y, that's jist what ye are."
"Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"Faith, if it was me that had the doin' of it, I bet I 'd larn ye better
manners, ye great, impudent good-for-nothin', if I had to bate yer tin
times a day."
"You would n't, though, would you?" said Oscar; and he continued the
shower of peas until he had exhausted his stock, and then picked most
of them up again, to serve for some future occasion. He had hardly
finished this last operation, when his mother, who had been out,
returned home. As soon as she entered the kitchen, George began to
pour out his complaints to her.
"Mother," he said, "Oscar 's been plaguing us like everything, all the
evening. He got me down on the floor, and rubbed a hot pepper on my
mouth, and tried to make me eat it. And he's been rummaging all round
the kitchen, trying to find some pie. And then he went to shooting peas
at us, and he got Bridget real mad, and Ralph had to clear out, to study
his lesson. I told him--"
"There, there, George, that will do," replied his mother; "I am sick of
hearing these complaints. Oscar, why is it that I can't stir out of the
house, when you are at home, without your making trouble with
Bridget or the children? I do wish you would try to behave yourself
properly. You are getting the ill-will of everybody in the house, by your
bad conduct. I really believe your brothers and sisters will begin to hate
you, before long, if you keep on in this way. For your own sake, if for
nothing more, I should think you would try to do better. If I were in
your place, I would try to keep on good terms with my brothers and
sisters, if I quarrelled with everybody else."

Oscar made no reply to this, and the subject was soon dropped. His
mother was too much accustomed to such complaints of his misconduct,
to think very seriously of them; and he was himself so used to such
mild rebukes as the foregoing, that they made little impression upon his
mind. The boys, who all slept in one chamber, soon retired for the night;
but Oscar took no further notice of the occurrences of the evening,
except to apply the nickname of "mammy's little tell-tale" to George--a
title of contempt by which he often addressed his little brother.
I am afraid that the title of "tell-tale" was not wholly undeserved by
George. True, he often had just cause of complaint; but he was too
ready to bring whining accusations against his brothers and sisters, for
every trifling thing. He complained so much that his mother could not
always tell when censure was deserved. It had become a habit with him,
and a dozen times a day he would go to her, with the complaint that
Oscar had been plaguing him, or Ella had got something that belonged
to him, or Ralph would not do this or that.
George, who was the youngest of the children, was at this time seven
years old; Ralph was two years and half older, and Oscar, who was the
oldest son, was about half way between thirteen and fourteen. They had
two sisters. Alice, the oldest, was fifteen years of age, and Eleanor, or
Ella, as she was commonly called, was about eleven.
The father of these boys and girls was a shop-keeper in Boston. His
business required so much of his attention, that he was seldom with his
family, except at meal-times and nights. Even in the evening he was
usually at the shop; but when it so happened that he could remain at
home after tea, it was his delight to settle himself comfortably down in
the big rocking chair, in the well-lighted sitting-room, and to muse and
doze, while Alice sang, and played upon the piano-forte. He had so
many other cares, that he did not like to be troubled with bad reports of
his children's conduct, This was so well understood by all the family,
that even George seldom ventured to go to him with a complaint. The
management of domestic affairs was thus left almost entirely with Mrs.
Preston, and she consulted her husband in regard