Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-05-10

Those who were sc unfortunate Us to
have been born and brought up in the city
know nothing about that chapter in a boys
history of which | speak
About month before Easter, there
comes to the farm house a scarcity Of
eggs The farmers wife begins to abuse
the weasels and the cats as the probable
cause of the paucity. The feline tribe are
assaulted with many harsh seat, on the
suspicion of their tondness for omeets in
the raw Custards fail from the table,
The Dominlck hens are denounced as not
worth their mush Meanwhile, the boys
stand round the corner IN a broad grin at
what is the discontinue Of the rest Of
the family.
The truth must be told that the boys in
anticipation of Easter, have, in some hole
in the NOW, or some barrel in the wagon
house, been hiding eggs If the youngsters
understand the business, they will COM
promise the matter, and see that at least
small supply goes to the house every day.
Too great greed on the part Of the boy Will
discover the whole plot, and the charge
will be made " De Witt, | believe you
are hiding the eggs !' Forthwith, the
boy is collared, and compelled TO disgorge
his possessions. Now, there Is nothing
more trying to 4 boy than, after great
care in accumulating these shelly resoUr-
ces, to have to place them in a basket and
bring them forth to the light two weeks
before Easter. Boys. therefore, manage
with skill and dexterity. At this season
of the year. you see them lurking much
about the barrack aud the hay-lott. You
see them crawling out from stacks Of
straw and walking away rapidly with
their hands behind them. They look very
innocent, for | have noticed that the look
of innocence in boys Is proportional TO the
amount Of mischief with which they are
stuffed. They seem 10 be determined to
risk their lives on mow-poles where the
hay lies thin. They come out from under
the stable floor in despicable state Of
toilet, and cannot give any excuse for
their depreciation OF apparel Hens fut-
ter off the nest with an unusual squawk
for the boys cannot wait any longer for the
slow process of laying, and hens have no
business to stand in the way OF Easter
The most tedious hours Of my boyhOod
were spent in waiting for 4 hen to get off
her nest. No use to scare her off, for then
she will get mad, and Just as like as not
take the egg with her. Indeed, think
the boy Is excusable for his haste if his
brother has a dozen eggs and he has only
eleven.
At this season Of the year the hen, are
They want to hatch, but how
can they? They have the requisite dis
position, and the capacity, and the fcath-
ers. and the nest, and everything bur the
eggs. With that deficit, they sometimes
sit obstinately and defy the hoy'- APP
proaches. Many boy has felt the sharp
bill Of old Dominick strike the back of his
hand, inficting a wound that would have
reused up the whole farmhouse TO see
what was the matter had it not been that
the boy wanted to excite no suspicion as
to the nature Of his expedition. lmmedi-
ately over the hens head comes the boys
cap, and there is a scatteratiOn OF feathers
all over the hay-mow, and the boy Is VIC
tor.
But at last the evening before Easter
comes While the old people are on the
piazza, the children come in with the ac-
treasures of many weeks, and
put down the baskets Eggs large and
small, white-shelled and brown, Cochin
Chinas and Burrampooters. The charac-
ter of the hens is indicated The eat
may now lie in the sun without being
kicked by false suspicious. The surprised
exclamation of parents more than compen-
safes the boys for the strategy Of long con-
cealment. The meanest thing IN the world
is for father and mother not TO look sur
prised in such circumstance
1t sometimes happens that. IN the agita-
ton of bringing the eggs into the house
hold harbor, the boy drop the hat or the
basket, and the whole enterprise is ship
wrecked From our own experience, it is 4
very difficult to pick up eggs after you
have once dropped them. You have found
the same experience, in after life. Your
hens laid a whole nestful Of golden eggs
Oh Wall street. You had gathered them
up. You were bringing them in. You
world Of congratulation, but
Just the day before the contamination
adverse ran against you, and
you dropped the basket, and the eggs
broke. Wise man were you if, instead Of
sitting down to cry or attempting to gath
er up the spilled yoks, you built new
nests and invited new laying
1t is sometimes found on Easter morning
that the eggs have been kept too long. I
The boys intentions were good enough. but .
The enterprise had been too protracted.
and the casting out of the dozen was sud
len and precipitate. Indeed, that is the
rouble with some older boys | wet of.
They keep their money, or their brain, or