New-York tribune., 1876-05-30

would-let the little fellows keep pop
ping. For it is only pea, pea-shooter, ana
a small boy after all; hardly worth cuihhg
BOYS ears for. - One boy on fence IN
n populous neighbOrhood, with one pea
shooter and a pocket full of peas All, to
such a picture what vistas Openl what tar-
reaching and widc-spreading oceans OF delight!
What infinite happiness and measureiess con-
tent! Beyond this, foT the small boy there Is
nothing. IL he has one unsatisfled longing !. H
inst this, that he may some day SIT on the
back seat in school and have whole paper Oh
pins ready bent and handy.
pca-shOoting sometimes becomes o habit,
propensity. The man keeps up what the poy
began. Take such boy as Sammy Smart lof
instance. the lad who thought he was hunting
sl,npks. when the rest of the boys were play
inc "Snap the Whip"-such boy almost
inevitably grows up pea-shOoter lie never
does any great harm-except to his friends; Dut
oll bis activities arc devoted to pea-shootlng.
His life is a constant "PiGw "PifP' "Pif|
-pcas-peag. He is always shooting peas. lie
gets mad il he isn't noticed. and he sets up ayeli
if he gets cuifed. There 3 no peace anywhere
in tho world with Sammy Smart ana ms pea
shooter at large. Beginning his pracnce WIN
the purpose partly of annoying the neighDor-
hood and partly OF drawing attention IT, NM
self, he gradually initiates himself wlth the
notion that he is a Reformer, and really De
leves that tho pea-shOoter IS artillery ana pea
shooting is war. The tattle OF sewing soci-
ETY. inspires him for great pea-shootng cru
s,de against a neighb0r who is suspected Oh
stealing poultry because the flavor OF chicken
ME has been detected issuing from his Kitchen
And once started, nothing stops him. II the
pejehbor calls Sammy in, ard shows MN the
butchers receipted bill for the chicken,
Sammy goes back III few minutes 10 the
fence. takes out pea, puts lis mouth TO the
pea-shooter-" PiT"-"I say" says sammy.
90 Il might not have been u chicken-lt smeit
"to me something like duck! All, ha
wasn't it a duck7 Pjfl All, hol twas
"dnckl Pif! Pif. Yes, twas duck! Got
"you now Pif! Piff! Pif You stole ddck!'
Then sometimes Sammy, who Is dlsposed 10
pry into the affairs of his ne'Shoois Drihs9
lis pea-shooter to bear on somebody who
keeps his business to himself There's
grocer over tho way doing a prosperous busi-
moss but Sammy doesn't understand where nc
got his capital IIe hangs around the store
few days, and il friendly with the grocer, but
isn't shown the books. Bac!, he goes TO the
rence-out comes tho pea-shooter. PIN!
Good many grocelies! Where dye get 'em
"Pif! Smugsied? Piff! Piff! Or are you
Sin partnership with pirate7 Ha, ha. Pm!
"Plff! Aprate, pirate. He's in company 81 .fi
"a pirate" And if anybody says, SAMMY,
"wly don't you mind your own business ana
'let other peoples alone r. he replies, The
mission of tho poa-shoOtcr is to put down
"piracy, and so long rs | have the responsi-
"bility of conducting an independent pea
Shooter shall use it in the defense OF honest
" groceries and for tie destruction OF pirates"
Once in while Sammy shoots pea at loafer'
who returns it with stone. On these occa-
sons Sammy stcps softly down and puts away
his pea-sh0oter till things get quiet again.
Wei, pca-shooting, as has been remarked
il not dangerous it doesn't Kill any
body. But the pea-shOotcrs are such
sensitive souls. ION can't tell one Of
riem that his hands need washing without
setting fence full OF them into a yell Of in-
iured innocence, as Though they had sucked
their breath instead OF blowing, and their own
peas had gone tho wrong way. Perhaps some
Of them will get clicked to death tliat way
some day. We hope not, for now that we
have got used TO them life would be'yery dull
without them.