The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1874-09-16

peg" or played "leap-trOg, can ac-
count for them to the entire satisfaction
of any impartial inquirer.
What really is puzzliug to the adult
mind is whence the boys originally OBJ
tanned their barbarOus methods of
" counting out" for catcher" fox,
or any of those pleasant juvenile games
requiring feetness Of foot and secre-
tive disposition. For instance: a lot
of boys will get together to play at
some of their games. He will go
through a great rigamarole of words,
applying one word to each rs he desig-
mates him by tap on the breast, and
the last one so honored is sit, as they |
call the catcher" rs thus
." Onery ORGY, Ickory, Ann,
Fillisin, Foilisun, Nicholas, John,
Evy, Quayy.
English Navy,
Stinkilum, Stankulum, Buck!"
Now, there are those who would like
to know what sense there is in all that. |
aud what the mystery connected with |
| these portentous words. And also in |
this, another mode of counting out :
"Ooca, bocca, han.
Bona, crocka,
! Ocea, bocca truce
Or in this, which is considerably less
elegant, though possibly more signifi-
cant than the two preceding
link, pink,
How you do stink"
The future bellies Of the Queen city, |
it must be confessed, use the same say
age methods in making their election,
Of " Who's it ?" etc. The girls have
also q good many incomprehensible
chants and songs of their own. The
starting point is, Of course, "ring
around the rosy spot, /" for it is an utter
impossibility for girls-that is, small
and real girls-to play anything very
long that does not require q clapping
of hands and their circling about with
some outlandish chant. Their favorite
song is m.a- ... esai.
Green gravel,
.-.f Green gravel, Tr
How green the grass grows;
| s And all the creation 't
| Hea Ia ashamed to be soens --gez7
| Dear Annie dear Annie,
/ Your true love is dea5
He sent you letter,
! So turn back your head"
Whereupon the dear Annie in ques-
ton reyerses her top knot to the balance
of the circle and continues to go round
| in that position until the dreadful It'd
ines of the decease Of the true love of
I" Dear Lizzie" g Dear Louie, etc., is
conveyed to them respectively, and
they, in turn, reverse themselves in
honor of the departed. When the
whole list of names in the circle is e1-
hausted, aud the bereaved objects of so
much pure affection are in mourning
together, the game is playel over
again.
If there chance to be any youthful
representatives of the male sex about
with whom the young ladies are on
good terms, the chant is sometimes
varied thus, the oircling performance
never oeasing for an instant: srs
Little Minnie Tun,
sitting in the sun,
A weeping and crying for young man;
Rise Minnie rise, Minnie.
Wipe away your tears;
Look to the East and look to the West,
And look to the one thatyou love the best. !"
And Minnie Immediately casts lam
gushing look upon some young shaver
among the boys who, in response, ag
Iuuickly assumes q melancholy am
breathes hard a couple of times, ard
attempts q simultaneous display OF all
his jewelry. ~
But this is getting off the main SUBJ.
iect-boys. The lives of most Of the
great heroes, philosophers and statesmen
that have figured in the worlds history
have been written, the ''self-mada"
men OF the country have been run
/ through Hoe press several thousand
- E-x4r Es.c aTT1
youths throughout the land has been
/ horoscoped somewhat extensively. But
| who shall write up the youth OF our
distinguished soldiers and statesmen,
and moneyed men? There are many
gentlemen Of celebrity in this vicinity
whose iuyinile experiences would pan
out handsomely, but we are afraid none
Of them would be so frank and outspo.
ken on the subject as Col. Richard Hol-
land. now of Harrodsburg, Kentucky,
bnt CiDcinnatiar born and raised.
The colonel admits having been the
wiekenest boy in Cincinnati. He was q
Lock street boy, and fond of the canal
He was also fond Of ginger cake, and on
one occasion abstracted the grocery
nass-book from beneath the paterual.
rnof and obtained twelve sections OF
that substantial and spicy ereatuTe COM
fort for the benefit OF his "crowd,
who ate fb in d neighborfng oard.yard,
and gave three times three for the at-
thor of the feast. An attempt to alter
the figures in the book failed, however,
and she Youthful fnancier received q
large dose Of strap oil, as curative for
, his smarfnees. The colonel was like
wise fon1'of gun, and as hia father had
one, which the old gentleman priced very
highly, Richard and his brother took it
out on the hill TO shoot" ehippies" on
! an average three times q week. Richard
. taking the weapon apart and ramrning
|, the stock up the back Of his coat, while
! I his brother earried the barrel IN one OF
! his trousers legs, 80 IS 20 get 1t out
of the house unseen. They managed
) the ran1rod by tying string to 1t and
! making q whip of il until they got out
j of sight. They bad lots OF fun with
! fhe gun until the brother tried 10 shoot
the Tarnrod out one day, when It kicked
! him over. and knocked both hammers
to q ful1 cock. Richard didn't see his
brother for over five minutes, and then
had to carry him home. There was
Q no more shooting Of ''chippies.
i The most important transaction Of
r that period Of the colonePs existence
q was the efandestine carrying away and
+ pawning Of tie old gentlamap's watch
"A venerable time-piece which had beer