, 1874-01-11
BEING A BOY.
Ju-cni1o -adT1:1cagrn and Disnd-nn-
tares-..Elc Difference Between John

! 6nmlncr,-l ToulI be about 10 years OF age,
coon as got any older I would quit il. I'll
| trouble with boy is. just as he bogiua to enjo
himself he is too old. and has to bo set to doin
something else. II country boy we're wise b
would stop just at that age when he could enjo
himself most, and have tho least expected q
him ii the ay:of work.
OF couree the perfectly good boy will prefe
| to work and do '' chores" for his father, aaf
errands for his mother and sisters, rather thar
enjoy himself IN his own way. I never saw btl
one such boy. He lived in the town Of Goshen
! not the pllce where the butter ia made, but ,
much better Goshen than TINT. And l neyo
saw him, but heard OF him and being abou
| the same age, as supposed, WIS taken once
from Zoah, where I lived, to Goshen to Set
! him. But he WAS dead. He had bcea deat
aim"ar year, 60 thu: it was impossible to sce
him. He died Of tho most singular disease; il
WAS from not eating green apples in the seaeo1
OF them. The boy, whose name WAS Solomon
before lie died. would rather split up kiud1ins-
wood for his mother than 70 afshing,-.he Coa.
sequence was TINT he VAS kert at splitting kin
dllnG-wood aud such work most Of the timo and
grew better and moro useful boy day by day.
Solomon would nos disoboy his parents aud eat
green applcs,-not even when they we're ripe
enough to knock off with stick,-but no had
such longing for them that he, had pinol and
passed away II ho had eaten the green apples
bis example IL difficult one to follow. In fac!,
boy is hard subject to get moral frpm, any
way. ALI his little playmatea who ate green ap-
pies came to Solomon's funeral, and weco very
sorry for What he had done.
John was very dlfTer3nt boy from Solomon, not
half so good. nor half 80 dead. He was . farm
ers boy. as Solomon Tas, but he did NOT take
so much interest in the fnrtn. Il john could
have had lis way he would have discovered q
cave full OF diamonds, and lots of nail kegs full
OF gold pieces ana Spauish dollars, with d
protty little girl living in the care, ard two
beautifully -caparisoucd horses upon which, tax
ing tic jewels aud money, they would hive
ridden off, h6 did not know where. JOHN had
got thus far in his studies, Which we're appa-
rentiy arithmetic and geography, but were in
OF high and mighty adventure. He Was simple
country boy. aud did not know much about the
world as it is, but he had one Of bis. own
imagination, in which be lived good daal
dare say be found out soon enough what the
world is. and ho had lesson OF two when he
was quite young, in two Incidents, which may
es we'll reIate.
II you had seen John ut this time YOU might
have thought he Was only q shabbily-dre ssed
country-iad and you never would have gue,seu
what beautiful thoughts he sometimes had. "a
he went stubbing his toes along the dusty road,
nor what a chivGlrous little fellow he was. You
would have seen q short boy barefooted, 1rith
trowsers at once too big and too short, hel,i up
perhaps By ono suspes,der only, a checked cot
tea shirt. and hat of braided pal1-lcaf. frassd
at tho edges, end bulged up in the c1own. Il is
impossible to keep 4 hat neat il you use it to
catch bu1ble-bees and whs.a EN- to bail tho
water from leaky boat; to catch minnows III
to pnt over honey y-becs' ne6ts and to trausport
pohblcs, Strawberries, and hens eggs: John
usually carried . sling in his hand, or bow, or
timber stick, sharp at one end. from which he
could cling apples great distance. II ha
walked in the road, he walked tho middle Of it,
Ee11i11lug up the dust or, it he Tcnt elsewhere,
lie VAS likely to be running on the top a.
the fence or tbs stone-"all and chasing chip
munke.
John knew the best place to dig sweet-hag in
all ths farm j; it was in meadow near the river,
where the boboiink sang SO gavly. He never
likca to hear the bobolink cling, however, for he
said it always remin led him ct the whotting Of
ecythe, mad that reminded him Of spreading hay;
ard if there was anything he hated it spread
ing Lay after the mowers. II guess you
wouldn't like it yourself,'' said John: With
the stubbs getting into your feet, and tue hot
SUI: and the men getting ahead Of you, all you
could do"
Toward evening once, John WAS coming along
home with Borae stocks OF sweet-hag in his hand.
There is q eucculeat pith III the end Of the stalk
which il very good to eat, tender, and not SO
Et1cos as the root 40 John liked to pull it,
As be "as wal.1E s~:sas he met carriage.
which stopped uIp....a to him; he also stopped
and bowed is country boys used to do in Johns
lays. : lady leaned from the carriage and
asked:
What have you got, little boy:"
She seemed to te the most beautiful woman
John had ever seen with light hair, dark, ten
der eyes, and the sweetest smiles. There WIS
bat in her gracious nlein and dress that remind
q John OF the beautiful castle ladies', with
1a teE i,,h he Ha ntt
hat ho knew her a: once, and he also seemed to
20 sort OF young nlince himself. fancy he |
lid not ool; Ianch lllsa one. But OF his own ap-
9ca.ancc he thought not at all, as he replied to
&c Iady's Question without the least embarrass~ I
..ont.
Its sweet fiag stalk; would you'll some:" |
"Iuieed. sLould like to tsste OF it, said the |
ads', With 3 most winning smile. IS used to bo |
'vcr SO fond Of it when Was little girl"
john was delighted that the lady should like |
iom him. He thought himself that it was the |
oest thing to eat lie knew. He handed up |
ergo bunch Of it. Ths lady took two or tarce |
talas, and Was about to rerurn the rest, when |
ohm said:
'.pleaso keep it all, ma'am; can get lots
more. know where it's ever SO thick"
Tlark you, thank you, eaid the lady and |
IS the carriage started size reached out her hand I
. John. He did not understand the motion un- |
il Lie saw cent drop in the road 4. his feet.
Dets-Otly all Ills 1llu6loN auQ his pleasure van
shed. Something Ike tears were in his eyes as
e shouted:
II don't want your cent. I don't sell flag"
John vas intensely mortified. II suppose"
le said. - she thought was SORT OF beg5ar
10Y. To think Of selling flag"
At any rate, lie ::aiked away and left the cent |
n the road, a humiiated boy. The next day he
old jim Gates apaut it. Jim sed he WAS green |
lot to take the money he'd go and look Tor it
low, if be would tell him where it dropped
md Jim did spend an hour polling about in the
irt, but he did not find the cent. Jitn however,
ad all idea !; he said he was going to dig sweet
lag, aud zee If another carriage wouldn't como
long.
Johns next rebuff and knowledge OF tho
7orlI was Of another sort. Ho was again walk
ng the road ut twilight, when he WAS overtaken
y wagon with one seat, upon which we're two
retty girls, and yolag gentleman sat besween
i,cm, driving. Il WAS q merry party, and John
ould hear them laughing and singing as they
pproaclled him. Tie wagon stopped when it |
scrtook him. and one Of the sweet faced girls
eaucl from the sent ana said. quite seriously
i,d plsasanily:
u Little boy. hon, = your nar?"
John was surprised and puzzled for \ mo-
aent. He Ind never teoa The young lady, but
10 thought tue. she perhaps knew his mother;
h;u instinct of