Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-01-25
II SCeIlany.
sOLILOQUY OF A BOY.

sOLILOQUY OF A BOY.
'Ob l would / were boy again 80 [
don see why in the world father wants to
sing that iorlorn ditty 80 much and there S
grandpa says with q sigh, my dear little
boy, you Il never be as happy again as you
are now, aad grandma looks doleful, ard
chimes in with 1.-The golden hoUs Of child
hood i' | wonder where tie gold is2 III
20! penny, sometimes when ! was a little
youngs.er, ! thought was we'll off, and al
ways felt awful sorry when / d spent it
bat j, after the cake was all gone And
then somebody was ready with, "Why, nv
dear boy, you can't eat your cent and keep
1t too, Well, / know that now but
the.c one thing don't know, and that is
where all this great pleasure is in being a
boy.
When / was Eve years old, and mad Just
begun TO enjoy something, must be bundled
of TO the school house, and sit on a high
bench, and nothing for cricket and had
to say 4 tail everything | looked at, even
my mothers face. seemed one big \ ;and to
crown the whole | was big little Ounce, for
= took me q week to get on to B, and good
,.eal longer learning IRON { through the Al
PAabet.
And when was older, had the satisfac-
tion OF being called "a great awkward boy, "
even By my mother, when l tried to do my
best. / vas invariably laughed at. If in
coming into d room. I happen to upset
half "A duzen of chairs, "a litter was raised,
and .'Oh he's a boy 80 was consider ed a
sufficient apology. If / played with the
baby was sure TO make 1t cry, and the
nurse would look around to zee if | had
- Ia, ! f,.1l ~ .,l,
Ticks.
WO be 10 the boy where there's a house
full Of sist Is have known my sisters to
play every sort Of tricks, and JOhn-that's
l-lnyariahly got all the blame. And then
It was, ,;ohl, you are stronger than Mary,
Tut up this clothes line, or, John, you re
great hoy, and must learn to work, just go
down ana split some wood John run up to
the garret and bring down d squash or two
Jotn run out to the wood house and get me
some kindings And on damp days the
gre invariably had a jubilee and poor John
WIS slave to their bidding.
1he fact is. don't believe but it would 90
the giIls good to 60 out on damp days as
well As the boys. But they're always CRYING
out thin shoes and wet feet, and if ask
them why they don't wear thick shoes, as l
d., trey crly laugh at me, and cay such
clumsy things VIII only do for boys.
often tell them IT'S no wonder they get
cold with nothing but bit Of lace on their
shoulders, ard piece Of gauze on theirarms.
Il seems 50 funny, too, to cali Toys harder
than girls. Why, if went with thin socks,
thin slippers, bare arms and bare neck, l
thouldn live a month. Hardy. they are
the hardic.t mortals alive, fer they do get
through such treatment some way, though
they're mighty delicate, and seem proud OF
It In fact, think a good many of them
had rather possess a. fashionable consumption
shqn i vulgar good constitution.
/ wonder how long boy is boy. There's
my sistr Louise came home from boarding
Bchool inished-ss they call it--at sixteen,
while We got to study three years longer to
know as much as she does-that is, provided
she's got her education-and am past egh
teen Louise il going 10 be married next
week who pretends to call her q gIrl2
Nobody. It's Miss Louisa Sands. toat young
lady. Of her; and it's my dear boy, by moth
er, and, we must overlook the freaks of
boy, by father and that's the way they talk
20 me, and OF meme, John Sands, that's
next to the head Of the famiiy.
Srters can do any thing they please, even
to the wearing false hair and every other
false fixing, and nobody says word but
the first time put on dckty Ii WAS almost
IS much as my life was worth to meet with
the family. thought could bear it like
hero, but the oh IS and The abs the pulling
points up over my cheeks. the mock salu-
iatl0us to Mr.. Sands, and the derisive laugh
tI, was more than | could bear; and actu-
ally ran from the house. while all the girls
shouted alter me-" Good by, Mr.. Sands;
ake good care OF your dickey."
brought home nice razor-b box the day |
taeighteen, and for safe keeping hid it in
We garfet between the rafters. Vain pre-
caution When | came back after school,
poI' brushes, strops, soap and razor were all
laf-cei upon the table, and little scrap Of
paper pinned TO the wall, on which was
nfiiten: johnny dear, be careful; little
CJs should not play with edge tools And
81 ny sisters could sing that day was: "A
N9g he would a wOoing 60 ~
never was l so angry in sll my life, but
p9Fe 1t like philosopher, only it did try me,
When Of morning, / fOndly thought myself
ohooseryed, to hear little SIX years-old Sis
'et lisp, instigated by older and more wicked
fpirits: Johnny, here's pussy wants to be
shaved -
And 50 it is in every thing. 1t seems
arrange that men who profess 10 SO much
olghity after they are 81, should have to
sahmrt to so much indgnity up to the very
Uoruers. It's curious and itpuzzles me. It's
Tact IN metaphysics that L cant acenupt
ior, and don't suppose ever sb II. It's a
inartyTdom; and you won tcatch me. alter
boy again -