The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-06-10
Being a Boy.

about ten years OF age. AS soon as
got any older, would quit it. The
trouble with a boy is that just as soon
as he begins to enjoy himself he is old,
and has to be set to doing something
else. IF a 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 to work and do the
sschores" for his father and errands for
his mother and sisters rather than enjoy
himself in his own way. never saw
but one such boy. He lived III the town
of Goshen-not the place where the but
ter is made, but much better Goshen
than that And never saw him, but
heard of him; and being about the same
age, as supposed, was taken once
from Zoah, where I lived, to Goshen to
see him. But he was dead. He had
been almost year, so thai 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 Solo
mon, before he died, would rather split
up kindling wood for his mother than go
Admitting consequence was that he
was kept at splitting kindling wood and
such work most of the time, and grew
better and more useful boy day by day.
Solomon would not disobey his parents
and eat green apples-not even when they
we're ripe enough to knock off with a
stick-but he had such longing for
them, probably; SO that his example is
difficult one to follow. In fact, boy is
hard subject to get moral subject
from anyway. All his little playmates
who ate green apples came to Solomon's
funeral, and were very sorry for what
they had done.
John was very different boy from
Solomon, not half so good nor half so
dead. He was a farmers boy, as Solo
mon 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 dol
lars, and 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 geogra-
ply, but were in reality the Guardian
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. [ 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.
IF you had seen John at this time you
might have thought that he was only
shabbily- dressed country lad, and you
never would have guessed what beauti-
full 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 short boy,
barefooted, with trousers at once too big
and too short, held up, perhaps, by one
suspender only, checked 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 If you
use it to catch bulmble-bees and whisk
'em to bail the water from leaky boat
to catch mi0nows in to put over honey
bees nests, and to transport pebbles,
strawberries and hens eggs. John usu-
ally carried sling in his hand, or bow
or a 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, scuffling up
the dust or If he went elsewhere, hewas
likely to be running on top of the fence,
the stone wall, or chasing chipmonks.
John knew the best place to dig sweet
flag on all the farm it was in meadow
by the river, where the bobolinks sang so
gaily. He never liked to hear the bobo-
links sing, however, for he said it always
reminded him of the whetting of ascythe,
and that reminded him of spreading hay;
and if there was anything he hated it
was spreading hay after the mowers. g
! guess you wouldn't like it yourself, : said
John, "with the stubs getting into your
feet, and the hot sun, and the men get
ting ahead of you, all you could do.
Towards evening, once, John was COM
ing along the road home with some stalks
of sweet flag in his hand there is a sue
crllent 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
pull it, and carry home what he did not
eat on the way. AS he was walking along
he met carriage, which stopped oppo-
site to him he also stopped and bowed,
as country boys used to do in Johns
days. A lady leaned from the carriage
and said:
"What have you got, little boyg"
/ She seemed to be the most beautiful
woman John had ever seen, with light
hair, dark, tender eyes, and the sweetest
smile. There was that in her gracious
mien and in her dress which reminded
him of the beautiful castle ladies with
whom he was we'll acquainted in books.
He felt that he knew hel at once, and he
also seemed to be sort of young prince
himself. I fancy he did not look much