Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-06-23

| VI course, nave TO eXpOStulate ever ana anon,
| as some new and startling development of boy
nature is manifested, but never had to infiict
| punish ment, and do not often administer re-
| proof. | paid him fifty cents in silver some
years ago, for his promise mot TO shoot off
matches in the house." and keep my powder
horn locked up think he groans inwardly I'M
der the sense of the disability he bought with
that halfdollar The powder-hom was locked
up because found him on the last national an
| niverSary, behind the kitchen, trying pyrotech.
nical experiments. He had distracted a coal
| from the range, and was pouring a steady
stream of powder upon it, The experiment fail
| ed because the coal was extinct. There is GER
tainly special providence hedging about a
boys life, whatever may be the truth of the doc
| trine beyond the adolescent period.
| spent an entire day at home recently, and it
being Saturday, Willie was at home also. 1t &C.
| CURED TO me that a good opportunity was here
| presented to investigate the manners and customs
of the animal boy in his native state. He had
| conquered his lessons on Friday night. 1 over
| heard him reciting to himself his geographical
| studies, which appeared to be a list of provinces
| in Hindostan. He covered the page with his
| hand, while he sung out his Geography" in this
fashion: "Scinde, Agimeer, Delhi Agra, Ala
habad, Dicksloo, Allogoslum, Hulker, Pulker,
| Peelersgum, Francisl In looking over the book
afterward, / could not find all these provinces
set down. He was equally accurate in his task
| in Syntax, making strange confusion with the
rule and the example. He ratified the grammar
| lesson off glibly, thus ga word is a verb which
signifies TO be- to do, or to suffer-as-(e xample)
woman, a duck, hen2" However, he went to
| bed satisfied, and slept the sleep of the just.
| At breakfast on Saturday, the young gentle
man appeared with his ordinary shining morn
| ing face. am not entirely satisfied that the
| rigid adherence to our rule of matutinal ablu-
| tons is according to nature. Willie goes
| through the ceremony every day, but he has
once or twice plaintively wished that he were a
horse, so that he could be Cleaned off with
curry-comb, like pony" Perhaps there is in
boys latent hydrophobia, which is checked
and controlled by those durnal infections.
| Anyhow, the custom is time-honored, and | do
not like to introduce innovations, SO Willie has
to submit to the daily securing. With carefully
| arranged hair, polished face, clean attire, our
boy is pretty well disguised when he appears at
| the morning meal, but he grows into his nor
NAL condition before the day is DID,
He commenced the days regular operations
| by falling, head foremost, down the main stair
| case, starting with pitcher of water, and reach
| ing the bottom with the pitcher-handle in his
grasp. He turned over twice or thrice during
the transit, striking his head against the wall
and balustrades, with violence sufficient to brain
| half a dozen men, and when he got to the bot
| tom howled dismaly. He was dried and COM
| forted Il gave him greenback dollar and prom
| ised him new four-bladed knife) and think
he was a good deal refreshed by the exercise
He felt that the day was begun. The fragments
| of the shattered crockery were gathered up, and
| the innocent little darling was once more turned
loose upon the world. There were two or three
| chronological developments on the surface of
| his Uranium, but no manifestations of charac-
| ter. The organ of beneV0lence was very mate
| rally enlarged by the contact with thick oaken
| baluster, for saw him ten minutes later twist
ing the cats tail till she sneezed and yelled
| hideously. She escaped at last and took refuge
in the cherry tree. OF course, this could only
be temporary relief In half an hour she was
stoned out, and fled across the yard and over the
fence, with her ordinary tail multiplied by three,
| in diameter, and with back that surpassed the
most astounding Grecian bend ever saw on
| Broadway.
From the window of my library is visible the
| larger part of Willie's usual habitat, and du-
| ring the day he furnished me with many oppor-
tunities for investigating his habits. He is
| proprietor of the most extraordinary "dog"
| that have yet encountered, and in the present
condition of the quadruped, it would be difficult
| to assign him his proper place in the canine
| family. His ears have been scalloped on on9
side, and cut into points on the other. His
| caudal appendage has been shortened TO an
inch. His curtailment was effected under Will
lies directions, when Sneak, that is the dorg,
was caught in the act of egg-sucking. Thus
shorn of his fair proportions, Sneak is still
dog of parts. His master has taught him to go
lame in one leg, to sit up on one end and "beg"
and to haul his wagon about the yard. So,
| when heard the CHATTER of Willie's wagon I'M
| der my window, and his stentoiian orders to
| his team" peeped through the blind to
| study his equlpage. To my astonishment he
| was driving double. Sneak was on the off side
of the pole, and pet Berkshire pig on the 9TH
| er. They were harnessed with Irvine, eked out
by bits of old brides for traces 1t was evident,
at the first glance, that the porker was not well
| broken. He was balky and obstinate and Will
| lie had his hands full. The dorg-horse was
| kind and gentle, and wagged his absurd stump
| of tail vigorously, even while sorely perpexed
| by the cratic course of his snatch" fore
| saw the catastrophe, which came in due time.
| Piggy boted, tore himself and the vehicle clear
of Sneak, and galoped off to the stable, scatter
| ing the fragments of the wagon to the right
| and left. twas a regular smashup.
At noon Willie came into luncheon. The reg
ulations at this repast only require clean hands
and face, aud large liberty in the matter of at
| tire is granted. Our boys habiliments were
! somewhat the worse for wear and tear, but his
| digestive powers were unimpaired. The quantity
of bread and butter, cold beef, and cake that he
put out OF sight would have kept small family
| of adults week. / inquired into the results of
the runaway" expecting doeful complaint of
| loss; but Willie assured me that the damage was
| inconSiderable. | got that wagon last Christ
mas, pa" he observed, "and it was most broke
| anyhow" | then asked if he was satisfied with
the result of his attempt to train piggy, and re-
| ceiyed reply in the negative very promptly.
| I'll fix piggy, he remarked, "after lunch"
| The young gentleman did not seem at all dis
concerted, and felt that he might be safely left
| to his own resources.
My neighbor is a very enterprising market
| gardener, and probably valuable member of
| society, but our intercourse is limited TO purely
| business transactions. He is also the possessor
| of boy few years older than Willie, and far
| more advanced in worldly knowledge. | have
had lurking suspicion, for some time, that
this youth, whose name is Dicky, is not precisely
| the associate would select for Willie, and have
| consequently, rather discouraged their inter
| course. D1cky does not trespass on my premises
| very frequently, and the colloquies betwixt the
| boys are usually conducted through the parti-
| ton fence. When | saw them together at the
| stable, after luncheon, / was tempted to call nv
boy into the library, and sacrifice an illustrated
| volume IN his entertainment. Before | acted
| upon this impulse the denouement arrived
An unusual uproar, mixture of yells ,squeals,
| and grunts, drew me to the window, and saw
| Willie astride of piggy, who was goaded into a
| gallop by Dicky and a sharp stick. Piggy had
| been INDUCING in a luxurious wallow and his
coat was not at all nice, but Willie was not par
| ticular He sat his gallant steed with the air of
Centaur, his knees clasping the reeking sides,
| one hand grasping the off ear, and the other
waving in triumph over his head. Dicky faithful
ly performed his duties and poked his stick into
| ham and shoulder industrously and mercilessly
Inc porker doubled at short angles, evidently
trying to unseat his rider, who chung to him with
| the tenacity of death. At last the trio came
| down the path by the garden with the sweep of
tornado. Willie was dashed against the pal
| lngs, and the tortured pig escaped. The last |
saw Of him was the curl in his tail, as he
tore out into the main road, hotly pursued by
| Dicky.
No bones were broken. Our boy was bathed
and dressed for dinner in due time. looked at
him that night, as he lay in his crib, rosy and
| serene in peaceful sumber, and marvelled that
his small body could contain so largej guam
tlty OF what is commonly called the devil
AppletOn's Journal.
THOSE "UNDERLYING BONDS. The claims
upon the Boston, Hartford and Erie railroad,
having precedence of the Berdell bonds, are
these: Norfolk County railroad bonds. $500:
Boston and New York Central railroad bonds,
$4,000; Charles River railroad bonds $4,000;
| New York and Boston railroad bonds lair Incl