Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-09-06

OUR E0Y.

ces all these put together, and makes
complete extinction of comfort, security
and peace? You don't? Then | will tell
YOU. 1t is BOY. What. the dear boy who
lies in lis cradle a month or two old, with
ewes of turquoise, lips of coral cheeks OF
rose leaf. hair of golden down, miracles oil
genius in every movement OF his little wax
work lIandS-mGmnaa's first?
Oh. no; not that boy.
sYou surely don't mean our Reginald
at Eaton-that high spirited, noble-hearted
prOgidy of wit anu wisdom in embryo who
IS on the high road to being a leading pa
triot. astonishing the House of Commons,
and raising himself to the peerage?'
Oh. no; not Reginald.
Then what boy do you mean?'
sour boy-simply the thing known by
that denomination. Perhaps You never had
IA bow If SO YOU may be thankful. Take
rheumatism. taxes, rebellions or incompe-
tent maids-of all-wOrk in calm resignation.
You. indeed, know something of domestic
affiiction. but not what they do who keep
boy
aAh. YOU don't like bOys:'
Yes. do. in stories where they are made
clever. agreeable, amusing and good; or
where. if they have faults, they don't affect
NV peace Nay. can admire them when
| see them abroad in every rank Of life; can
smile at their mischief, and applaud their
courage and their openings of spirit; but at
home. that is quite another thing.
We had outstaved our friends in the
town in which we had long lived. Some
had died. some had removed. In an evil
hour we took it into our heads that we'd
70 and i've in the country, and solace our
selves with rural satisfaction y neat little
cottage was soon found, about three miles
from the market town; there we established
ourselves There was n pleasant gartsSn
behind which only wanted culture TO be
profitable. Three miles ont and three
back made too long walk for people who
had never been used to more than town
parade. or the roadside walk to the turn
pike and back; so. as it would be convent
ent for market purchases, and to call on
the few friends left To Us, we resolved 10
keep a pony and a little chaiSe. The
garden. and the pony. and the little chaise
altosether. made formidable demand on
labor: vet in our small house, with our
small family. and our humble style OF doing
things. it seemed monstrous to set up
man.
In another evil hour. our landlord, when
he called to see if we were all right, was
so heartlesS as to advise uS-as If he were
providing Us with an unexceptonal bene-
fit-to keep boy.
~ boy is what you want, he SAID; he
will dig your garden, raise your vegetables
with little looking after,) and manage
YOUR flowers. He will dress the pony clean
the carriage and keep the harness bright.
He will carry water from the well for you;
he will clean your knives. brush your boots
and shoes, and do a hundred jobs for your
maid: and if you provide him with neat
dress for indoors, he will wait at table-in
fact YOU may turn him to account IN
hundred ways
Poor deluded victims that we Were. we
believed him. and Wondered how we could
have lived so long and so comfortably
without "a boy
II was no sooner understood that we
wanted boy, than applicants for the place
were f1atteringIy numerous. The mothers.
in most instances. came with them, anu all
gave such excellent characters to their
hopeful sons. that the difficulty was to
choose the best out of so many perfects.
Our maid, who had. like ourselves, in
dulged in airy castles on the prospect OF.
our aid-de-camp, was rather distrustful OF
our selection. Certainly his aspect was
not brilliant: but then, as his mother sug
gested. good living and our neat livery
would make "a deal of difference in his
looks"
1t is of no use to describe our gradual
awakening from false expectations IN this.
our first experience: suffice 1t To say. that,
having eaten everything that came in his
wav (and gone out of his way to find more
when he was not satisfied.) as if his sole
purpose in coming was to make up for the
hunger of hard winter and bare Harder at
home. we dismissed him with the reasOna-
bic remOnstrance that, though we were
ready to take eating and working together,
we had an objection to the latter alone.
1T was pity We didn't take Thomas,
we remarked to one another; '.he was
sharp looking lad and would be ofseryice.
Perhaps he was at liberty STILL
Yes. and very willing to come; in fact,
our late adjunct was good advertisement
of the place; he had come in and gone out
like the weasel in the fable. who had eaten
himself into so sleek a condition, that egress
from his sack was no easy matter.
Thomas was clever, (and with sorrow
we found that we could say the whole say
inc. with a vengeance, He soon discover
ed that his predecessor had left everything
in dirt and disorder; the harness was well
nigh spoiled; the knives were hacked like
saws; the weeds had only been nudged
little on one side, here and there, instead
of cleared; the pony would never come
clean, He was the boy our landlord had
meant when he told Us we must keep one.
We congratulated one another, we got quite
cheerful-we praised him-we begged the
maid TO make him cOmfOrtable-we smiled
on him, listened to all his sharp sayings
gave him a new dress instead of the old
one, which had cot quite into the shape OF
its acknowledgements. and settled down Sc
renelv satisfied. Now we should have veg
etables, Now we should have flowers
Now the carriage which we had seldom
used with comfort from its being so dirty.
would be at our command and we should
be able to cut our meat instead of saving
it. a great. comfort among small ones.
All went on delightfully."- for a fullmonth;
the maid was the only one who was not
quite satisfied. Well, months peace is
worth having, and ours enabled us to hear
better the information we got from our
neighbOr, that our clever boy was in the
habit OF lending the pony to his friends
whenNye believed it to be safe in the pad
dock we had hired for it to craze in; that
he was intimate with pOachers, to whom
he was very liberal with our beer (having q
second key to our tap for he was very cley-
err; and in fact that he committed other
encrnitieS, which. on the principle of mot
greaShg the cook pattenS, " we wont here
enumerate-
We were greatly moved at this revela-
ton, and consulted as to the best mode of
proceeding
Better charge him with it at once, said
one; he is ingenious; he will confess, be
ashamed, and beg forgiveness: he has fall
len into bad hands. poor fellow; we must
remember he is but boy.
But" returned the other, che may be
better brought back FIVE only hint that we
have heard rumors and suspect him; this