The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1874-12-31


edifcation, or from challenging him to
game of mumble-the-peg on the carpet.
If in a cheerful mood he will almost in
variably appropriate 10 himself whatever
attentions the beau has to spare, to his
sisters utter discontinue Nine out of
ten men in such position, not knowing of
the existence of the skeleton in the
closet, will pet the bad boy under the de-
fusion that mis- friendly notice of the lad
will be q passport to the family's-and
the sister's-favor. Outside, of course,
the sutton mathematics him as fright
full little monster: but il is only when
matters have 50 progressed in his affair
that his lady-lOve is enabled to impart TO
him in confidence that the boy is the tor
ment of her life the. he throws off the
max and brutally invites him to go and
play somewhere else.
The bad boy is most triumphant when
he can manage to come into possession
of some secret of his sister's-secret, of
course, so far as the beau Is concerned.
1t is then that he concocts carefully
planned surprises, and revenges himself
for his expulsion from the parlor by
threats of disastrous revelations. He
treasures up casual remarks and holds
them up before his sister as a warning
and a terror So long as, overcoming his
natural tendency to proclaim his knowl-
edge of things, the bad boy can refrain
from telling what he knows, he possesses
in his sisters secret powerful talisman
Wherewith to eytort her obedience to his
eXactions. He is even permitted 10 en-
ter the parlOr freely on his promise,
which he ratifies with an honest VOW, -
| that he will not stay very long, and that
l. - H. -
tickle his ear, making believe ii is bugs,
| or offer to walk off on his own.
If on such occasions the caller be the
one concerning whom the sister may have
made the remark which forms the great
secret, the bad boy will not resist the
temptation to swing his legs under his
chair and clap his hands together softly,
with an "Oh, know something, know
something" and a glance at the beau
which says, as plainly as words,
Wouldn't you like to know what it is,
now"
| If the beau be title uncertain re-
/ garding the opinion entertained of him
| by the sister-although his vanity nat
urally infers that the opinion is favor
| able one-he will probably be urgent to
| know what the bad boy knows.
| Come now, Joey, out with it! What
| do you know he will eXClaim.
Now, joe" will the sister say, coax
| ingly, but trembling in her boots.
Beau, more confident than ever, and
vastly pleased with himself, continues to
! play with fire by questioning the boy.
Never mind Sis" with an arch and
/. significant glance at that young lady
what is it, .Joey?"
Don't question him, please" from
sister. impioringly.
Well, I'll let you off this time,
magnanimously, and with fine sense OF
proprietorship in his tone" I'll let you
off this time, but some other day, when
you are not here, I'll get Joey to tell
me"
And so passes away the danger for the
moment.
The time comes, however-as it must
| inevitably cOme-when the bad boy
smarting under some fresh injury to his
feelings, makes the revelation.
The war between himself and his sis
ter, which has been temporarily inter
rupted by the arrival of the beau, is re
sumed in his presence.
the sister imprudently informs him
that he is worrying the visitor, and re
quests him to let the latter's ear alone.
" Don't encourage him, Mr.. Bodkin
she says, raspingly He ought to be in
bed and asleep, instead of troubling
people at this hour"
Oh, says the beau, kindly, "he doesn't
disturb me | rather like Joey's ways
he's got so much lite in him. has Joeyr
suppose" remarks the bad boy tC
his sister, you'd like him to encourage
you-wouldnt you? You know what
you said the other day"
" You, joel If you dare, now"
" Let's have it, joey! What tods il
that Sis said2"
She said something about you; and
She needn't look at me in that way. !
amt afeard of her"
" Go out of the paror this instant, sir
Do let him alone, Mr.. Bodkin. | have
no patience with him"
" want to hear first what Joey has &c
say"
Well, | think it's very mean of you tc
say that, especially when Joe would just
as soon make up a story as not. Here,
| you, Joe, come OUT"
| Dragged to the door, kicking and
scratching with all his strength, the BAG
hoy turns at the threshold, and suddenly
checks the beaus laughter with the fol
| lowing crushing revelation, which he
shrieks back at him, as the door closos
on him:
d" Sis told ma you was the biggest foo
she ever saw, and she just wished you
wouldn't keep ON coming here!"
1t is well for society perhaps that this
type of child rarely carries with him into
the arena of mature manhood the traits
and the disposition that made his child
hood terrible If he should progress
I frat I,. g. 2
into that of the bad boy he seldom add.
more to it than the closing dangerou,
stage of wild young man.
As h" grows into maturity the memory
of what he once was fades away, aud he
drops quietly into the ways of the order
ly citizen and the man of family. No
body is more astonished than he at the
extraordinary forwardness of some chill
dren, when stories of the performances
and savings of the eHtdRt terrible and the
| bad boy reach his ear.
Indeed, he himself may have an e,tani
! terrible at home-his dest-born-and, il
| this second edition of his own earlier
years should at any time violate tie pro,
| prieties and throw everybody, parents.
guests, and all, into confusion by some
artless inquiry or embarrassing remark
he will be the first, probably, to express
wonder at the circumstance.
Wife I'VE can imagine him as say
| ing), that Tom of ours is a most singu
lar child. Did you hear him to might
when he asked my old friend Jarnagin
whether he had two boards, and what he
| had done with that black beard he wore
| here last Wednesday to dinner? Who
| ever would have thought that so Young a
| child would have noticed that Jarnagin
/ sometimes tOrgets to dye his whiskers ?
| Where in the world could our Tom have
| acquired this trait of hiSy"
| And then the reformed entil1t terrible
| looks Curiously at his wife, who shakes
her head, and looks Curiously, in her
turn, at the little monster in the trundle-
bed, who sleeps the peaceful sleep of the
| innocent.
"Oh," exclaims the wife, look, Is
| anything the matter with him? See how
! hard-set his mouth is, and his lips are
moving"
Nothing is the matter with him
| nothing, except, perhaps, that he is
dreaming about Jarnagin.n
All, child of shadowy youth. are YOU
| looking forward to the future to see
| yourself, changing with the changing
years, climbing that ascent wherein the
rare violets and roses that bloom at its
foot are misplaced, after a while bv I'M
slightly flowers and by singing thistlesg
Do you see your face, from winch the
light of childhood has passed away, with
the shade of later knowledg, upon it
the shade which shall gradually deepen
as the wears of adolescence Gather Fa