George Denton was a bad boy, and was constantly getting himself or others
into trouble. One afternoon, when sent to school, he played truant, and
started for a walk, ready for any mischief that might come to his hand.
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He first went into a grove not far from the school house, where one of the
school boys had showed him a bird's nest, which George promised him he
would not disturb. Not regarding his promise, he now climbed the tree and
got the nest, which contained several young birds; then, not knowing what
to do with the nest, he sat under a tree and held it for a little while,
but getting tired of this, and not knowing what to do with it, he left it
in the bushes where the young birds would perish. He then went to find
James, another bad boy with whom he often played, and with whom he had
many times planned mischief.
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[Illustration]
On his way he passed a field where a number of reapers were engaged in
cutting the grain; coming to a spot where they had left their jackets, he
removed one of them and hid it under a bush thus obliging the owner to
make a long search for it after he had finished his day's work. He found
James, and with him two other boys; they were just starting to rob an
orchard, and James went with them; they got their pockets full of fruit,
and the other boys then left them. George and James sat under a tree by
the brook, eating their fruit, till they saw an old crazy man near them,
trying to cross the brook on a tree that had been laid across it. The boys
jumped on the tree and shook it to frighten him; but James willing to
frighten George as well as the old man, slily tripped him into the water,
and then ran away.
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George was frightened and very angry, but scrambled out of the water, and
wandered about for an hour or two in his wet clothes, fearing to go home,
and wishing he had gone to school. At last he started for home; a carriage
passing him, he jumped up behind it for a ride, but soon received a severe
blow from the driver's whip. He then hurt himself in jumping off the
carriage, but soon reached home, wet, tired, lame and dirty, and received
a severe punishment from his father.
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