American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-05-03
DICKS COMPOSITION.

He detested writing them, and the Fri
day afternoon of each alternate week was
great bugbear in his school life. "He
didn't know what to say, and, if he did, il
was such a bother getting it onto paperH
he said; so | suppose this one might never
have been written if he had known what
else to do. But he had Il cold that kept
him shut up in the house. His eyes Were
red, his nose was red, he had strip OF
flannel pinned about his neck, and out
door fun wasn't to be thought of: so he
wandered upstairs and downstairs, from
attic to cellar, in search of something tC
do. 1t was like havin' Il tame bear in
the house-an' not so very tame, neither,
NOrah said
Dick was trying not to be troublesome
though. On the way home from school, d
few days before he had stopped, with mum
Der of the boys, at Hal Selby's, for drink
As they all stood around the pump, and
noticed how very cold the water was
somebody said to somebody else: you
don't dare to hold your head under tina,
stream" OF course, every head-black
brown, yellow and flaXen-had to try il
after that Dick stood it the longest; but
he didn't find any great consolation in that
when he reached home, shiverlng, with
his jacket all wet about the shoulders, and
the ends of his hair frozen stiff. He
hadn't been to school since. Staying in
the house wasn't so bad for the first day or
two; but IA week of it was too much. He
complained very little about it, because he
had an idea that boy who had been so
brave as to catch cold the way he did had
better be brave enough not to torment
other people with it any more than he
could help. But he was dreadfully rest
less. He had read all the new books,
made pictures until he was tired, and cut
his fingers whiting out boats that he had
no chance of sailing after they were done.
There had come a splendid snow, and he
hadn't Il bit of fun of it, only just stand
ing by the window and watching the chill
dren across the way slide down the cellar
doors on Il sled; and now it was begin
ming To melt.
oh, dear. | wish l knew what to do
"Why don't you write compositions
asked mamma, laughing a little, for she
knew how he hated it. That isn't fun,
know; but you will be in school again
pretty soon, and il would be a good thing
to havc-on written before you go. You
are always wishing it were done, and not
knowing how to do it; and now you have
plenty of time"
"Oh-o-o,' said Dick dolefully, drawing
his forehead into knots. But he thought
about it, for all that, and that it would be
Il relief to have one done and out of the
way. 90 ny anu-Dy ne Drought IL snttt Oh
paper, a large book to serve for a desk,
and pencil. Then he sat and looked at
the blank white page, and didn't know
what in the world to put on it.
Girls write about spring and 'persever
ance, and put in lots of flowers and
morals and all that sort of stuff; but "A boy
can't do things that way" he remarked to
himself. Il know more about ships and
dogs or"
Just then he thought of a subject, and
wrote il down in desperate hurry-"The
Squirrel" 1t looked very well at the top of
the page, he could only think of anything
10 put under it. He winked, drummed on
his book, and whistled, until finally he
caught an idea.
The squirrel is u very nice little ami
NAL, with great bushy tail and two eyes
Some are red and some are gray. | saw
squirrel once with three ears, but one was
an ear of corn in his mouth. ! wish
had Il squirrel"