Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-04-04
Being a Boy.

~ W as oDliScu 10 DE Doy anu DOy
in the country-the best kind of a boy ia
be in summer would be about ten years
ofage. AS soon as got any older, would
quit it. The trouble with boy is that
ust as soon as he begins to enjoy himself
he. is old, and has to be set to doing some
thing else. If country boy were wise
he would stay at just that age when he
could enjoy himself most and have the
least expected of him in the way of work.
Of course the perfectly good boy will
always prefer towork and do the "chores"
for his father and errands for his mother
and sisters rather than enjoy himself in
his own way. l 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
being about the same age as, supposed,
/ was taken once from Zoah, where /
lived, to Goshen to see him. But he was
dead. He had been almost year, so that
it was almost impossible to see him. He
died of most singular disease; it was
from not eating green apples in the season
of them. This boy, whose name was Sol
ONION, before he died, would rather split
up kindling wood for his mother than go
hunting-the consequence was that he
was kept at splitting kindling wood and
such work most of the time, and grew a
better and more useful boy day by day.
Solomon would not disobey his parents
and eat green apples-not even when they
were ripe enough to knock off with a
stick-but he had such longing for them,
probably; so that his example is diff
cult one to follow. In fact boy is hard
subject to get moral subject from any
way. All his little playmates who ate
green apples came to Solomon's funeral,
and were very sorry for what they had
done. .---,. .r..t
John was very different boy from Sol
onion, not half SO good nor half so dead.
He was farmers boy, as Solomon was,
but he did not take so much interest in
the farm. If John could have had his
way he would have discovered cave full
of diamonds, and lots of nail-kegs full
of gold pieces and Spanish dollars, and a
pretty little girl who lived in the cave,
and two beautifully caparisoned horses,
upon which, taking the jewels and money,
they would have ridden off together, he
did not know where. John had got thus
far in his studies, which were apparently
arithmetic and geography, but were in
reality the s'Arabian Nights" and other
books of high and mighty adventure. He
was simple country boy, and did not
know much about the world as it is, but
he had one Of his own imagination in
which he lived good deal. l dare say
he found out soon enough what the world
is, and he had a lesson ortwo when he was
quite youngin two incidents, which may
as well relate. E
If you had seen Johu at this time you
night have thought he was only. shah
billy dressed country lad, and you never
would have guessed what beautiful
thoughts he sometimes had as he went
stubbing his toes along the dusty road
nor what chivalrous little fellow he was
You would have seen a short hoy, bare
footed, with trowsers at once too big and
too short, held up, perhaps, by one sus
npender only, checked cotton shirt, anG
a hat of braided palm leaf, frayed at th,
edges and bulged up in the crown. 1t i
impossible to keep a hat neat if you us'
it to catch humble bees and whisk EN- t.
bail the water from a lcaky boat; to catcl
minnows in; to put over honey bees nests
and to transport pebbles, strawberries ant
'ens eggs. John usually carried . slim
N his hand, or bow on I timber stick
Fharp At one end, from which he Coul,
bling apples at great distance. If b
walked IN the road he walked in the mid
lie of it, scufiling up tho dust; or if h
vent elsewhere, he was likely to be run
hing on top of the fence or the stone wal
pr chasing chipmonks.
John knew the best place to dig sweet