Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-12-10

Pfavin9 At puss-in-the-corner with me-
Patter the prettiest feet DER the floor,
Never seen such a playmate before;
Sly little one, in a way most unfair.
Steals my corner before I'm awarei
Here in our plsy-ground-tbe sunshiny room
Never has fallen q shadow Of glooms
Darling is teaching sweet little games,
Wise little noddie TO know ali their names,
Ciover-bud mouth held to mine to be kissed;
Silver-toned voice-how that voice would be
A corner you've won-did you know this before?
Deep in nv heart TO be kept evermore!
A Haif-D~ ZEN Young RascaIs.
It wasn't such long time ago, and
none of the half dozen young mischief
makers have quite journeyed into the
land of soberness or gained their title
to respect and reverence by gray be ards
or bald heads. Every boy or girl who
may read this true story will know
something about the scene of it. Why,
it used to stare at me from my geOgra-
ply; used to come up to plague me out
of my history; the teachers used to talk
about it almost every day. and we
scholars used to sing about il from our
small. green-covered singing books.
The picture which used to stare at
me always seemed like q mean sort
OF family portrait for could go to
the scene itself, and my young eyes
we're practiced enough to see how
bad the picture was. And yet it looked
enough ike Bunker Hill Monument to
make me feel little proud when 1
thought, Z" live right side of it and
there are lots of fellows and girls who've
never seen it at ALL" The geography
used to read, Chsr,estown is situated
on a peninsula, Immediately north of
Boston, and Is tie seat of the Navy
Yard and the celebrated Bunker Hill
Monument" or something like that, as
well as I can remember it; for / have
not seen the old geography for over ten
years. The history told us about the
battle which had been fought near by,
and we boys used to go and lie down on
the grass behind the breast works, and
shoot imaginary red-coats by the mill
ion with our bows and arrows, and then
hunt for the lost arrows. Often We
would sit down on the stone which bore
the inscription, Here fell Warren"
etc, and conplacently eat apples, un-
mindful of the sacredness of the spot.
My story is about Bunker Hill Monu-
ment and half-dozen boys who went
to school near the tall granite shaft
boys who played ball In the streets
which lun alongside the green grounds
upon which the shaft stands, or played
'three holes with marbles, or trun-
died hoops about the brown paths.
Somehow, at recess one day, it came
out that one of the boys had family
ticket which allowed Linn to climb up as
often IS he wished to the four windows,
which seemed to open a whole world to
our Youthful minds, as we gazed out to
sea, or toward hills and over cities. He
was easily king among us then for all
the rea must pay to go up, and even
"half-pice for children " was heavy
draw upon our pocket money.
Couldn't we he all cousins of his
and go tp on his ticket? He was good
natured in his kirgship, and took
three orfour OF us up che day, and then
increased the number on succeeding
days, unil it became a regular proceed
ing for some ten of US boys to trot up
to the toy of the monument each pleas
ant reces. Sightseeing grew monoto-
nous, ant we must do something to
hold our interest in going up. One day
I droppel my hat out, and it sailed
away so gracefully that other hats, al
most of thor own accord, followed mine
and found quiet rest In the grass be-
low, until We could run down the stone
stairs and rgain Our heaj-gear. After
hats, In few days went jackets, and to
see them spreading cut to the breeze
was lovely, we thought. Possibly some
one of US would have jumped out at
last, if substitute had not suggested
itself to our brilliantly mischievous
minds.
We vert one whole week at work. and
doubtless the one-armed custodian n
recollect used to wonder if he had
les. his arm in the revolutionary war
he certainly looked old enough to me t,
have been a part of those stirring
times) missed our regular tramp through
his little Office and up the stairs. Their
it was ready. 1t was o wonderfully
constructed effigy. Tom had furnished
trousers; Joe had supplied an old coat
Bill had brought a hat; Jack gave th,
straw to stuff out tine creature, and
had promised a pair of square toet
boots and the backyard in which the
uldA WIS W Oc COuSlI uCbtQ. we were
pledged by some fearful pledge, sucl
as boys manufacture on special occa
sions, not to reveal any of our proceed
ings, and / WAS held answerable for tive
small sisters who peered wonderingl,
out from the kitchen windows as W,
labored. Tie man was made, and 10
he was FEARFUL sight to behold.
couldn't go to sleep from thinking O
him down there in the yard, and almos
believed be would come to life an,
would run and tell the monumen
man whatwe wers going to do.
Next day was bright and pleasant
Before school we whispered it abou
that there vould be fun at recess, an
few lessons were we'll learned that day
Ours was boys and girls school. an,
the girls were given the upper hal
which Looked ont on the monumen
grounds. for q play-room at recess:
When tie bell struck which released u
for haf-hour, the girls all ran to tn
hall widows, and the boys all hurrie
to the monument grounds. The chic
consprators were soon dragging tn
effigy tp the green slope, and in les
time than Il takes to tell it, the bod
was ofer the wire fence which bounde
tho rpurmeut's hasa We did not vra,