Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-01-16

Being - boy.
If was Obliged to be boy, and boy
in the country--thc best kind Of boy TO be,
in the summer-I would be about ten years
of age. As soon as | got any older, would
quit it. The trouble with boy is that Just
as he begins to enjoy himself he is too old,
and has to be set to doing something else.
If a country boy were wise he would stay
at just that age when be could enjoy him
self most, and have the least expected of
him in the way of work.
OF course the perfectly good boy will al
ways prefer to work and do 'chores" for
himself in his own way. / never saw but
one such boy. He lived in the town Of
Goshen-not the place where the butter Is
made, but much better Goshen than that
And never saw him, but | heard of him
and being about the same age, as l suppos-
ed, was taken once from IOah, where |
lived, TO Goshen to see him. But he was
dead lie had been dead almost year, 50
that il was impossible to see him. He died
of the most singular disease it was from
not eating green apples in the season cf
them. This boy, whose name was Solo
mon, before he died, would rather split up
kindling- wood for his mother than 90 a
fishing consequence was that he was
kept at splitting kindlingwood and such
work most Of the time, and grew better
and more useful boy day after day. Solo
mon would not disobey his parents and cat
green app,es--not even when they were
f,H ttsith IA u t',l mi
hc had such longing for them that he
pined and passed away. If he had eaten
the green apples he would have died Of
them, probably; so that his example is a
difficult one 10 follow. In fact, boy is a
hard subject 10 get a moral from, any way.
All his little playmates who ate green ap-
pies came to SJlomons funeral and were
very sorry fer what they had done.
John was - very different boy flom Soi-
omun, not half so good, nor half so dead.
lie was a farmers boy, as solomon was,
but he did not take such an interest in the
farm. If John could have had his way he
would have disc c1vered a cave fnll OF da-
monds, and lots Of nail kegs full Of gold
pieces and Spanish dollars, with a petty
little girl living in the cave, and two bean
tifuliy caparisoned horses, upon which,
taking tho jewels and money, they would
have ridden oil together, lie did rot know
where. John had got thus far in his stud
ics, which were apparently arithmetic and
geography, but were in reality THE Ara
biln Nights" and other books Of high and
mighty adventure. lie was a simple coun.
try boy, aud did not know much about the
world a. il i, but he had one of his own
Imagination, in which be lived a good deal.
l dare say he found out soon enough what
the world is, and he had lesson or two
when he was quite young, in Two incidents,
which | may as well relate.
II you had seen John at this time you
might have thought he was only a shabbi-
ly dressed country lad, and you never
would have guessed " hat beautiful thoughts
he sometimes had a he went stubLing his
toes along the dusty road, nor what n chv-
alruus little fellow he was. You would
have seeu short boy, barerootcd, with
trowsers at once too big and too short, held
up, perhaps, by one suspender only, q
chec ed cotton shirt and hat of Braided
palm leaf, frayed at the edges and bulged
up in the crown. 1t is impossible to keep
hat neat IL you use it 10 catch humble
bee, and whisk 'em; to bail the water from
a leaky boat; to catch minnows in; TO put
over honey bees nests and to transport
pebbles, strawberries and hens eggs. John
usually carried a sling in his hand or 4
bow, or Timber stick, sharp at one end,
from which he could sling apples at a great
distance. If he walked in the road, he
walked in the middle of it, scufiing up the
| dust or if he went elsewhere, he was like
| ly 10 be running on the top of the fence or
stone wall, and chasing chpmucks.
John knew the best place to dig sweet
flag in all the farm; it was in the meadow
| by the river, where the bob1links sung so
| gayly. He never liked to hear the bobo-
link sing, however, for he said it always
reminded him of the whetting of scytEe
and that reminded linn of spreading hay
and if there was anything he hated it was
spreading hay aller the mowers. 81 guess
you wouldn't like it yourself" said John
"with the stubs getting into your feet, and
the men getting ahead Of you, all you can
| do
AbNaihH NNNllHFi pilNNt "'Aii was N''i'
ing along the road home with some stalks
Of tho sweet-hag in his hand there is
succulent pith in the end of the stalk which
is very good TO eat, tender, and not so
strong as the root and John liked TO pul
it, and carry home what he did not eat oI
the way. As Inc was walking along he me
a carriage, which stopp6d d opposite 10 him
he also stopped and bowed, as countr,
boys used to do in Johns day. A lad!
leaned from the carriage, and said:
"What have you got, little boy?"
She seemed tn be the most beautiful wo
man John had ever seen; with light hair
Cark, tender eyes, and the sweetest smile
There was that Ia her gracious men an,
in her dress which reminded John @
the beautiful castle ladies', with whom h
was well acquainted in books. lie felt tina
he knew her at once, and he also seeme
to be a sort of young prince himself. fan
cy he didn't look much like one. But c
his own appearance he thought not at all
as he replied 10 the lady's question, with
out the least embarrassment.
cts swcet-nag stalk; would you lik
some?
"Indeed, should like to taste Of it," sal
the lady with most winning smile. "
used TO be ever so fond of II when was
little girl"
John was delighted that the lady shoul
like sweet-ffag, aud that she was pleased
accept il from him. lie thought himse
that il was about the best thing to eat h
knew. He handed up large bunch of i
The lady took two or three stalks, and wa
T about to return the rest, when John said:
, "Please keep it all, ma'am. I can g
lots more. l know where it's ever s