Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1877-01-25
A OF YOUTH.

MIR. Rattenberry stood at Thacher's
corner watching the merry coasters
and enjoying tho sports as the lads
and lassies glided by, the air ringing
with their shouts and laughter. For
ty years ago Rattenberry had led the
fun on a bleak hillside in New En-.
gland, in company with the prettiest
girl in the village, and his blood stirred
in his veins as the memories of his
boyhood trOoped through his brain.
AS Joe Nelson has it, 1.-THE fires of
youth were rekindled," and he re
solved to take part in the sport, and
show these callow youth how they
done it in the long ago. To be sure,
rheumatism had stiffened his joints
and he was fat and fifty, but like Pick
wick, his heart was young and he
longed to participate in the fun. Civ
ing way to the impulse, he was soon
engaged in negotiations with a small
boy for the use of his sled, the transac-
ton involving the transfer of a bright
half-dollar. Rope is hand Mr.. Rat
tenberry-to use Ned McSorley's IA
vOrite expressiOn-started for the
4" hapex of the ill.," his legs hardly
keeping pace with his new-found am
bition, and by the time he reached
Judge Baily's residence he was puff
ing like a porpoise. "By golly, Bill,
look at old Rattenberry; guess he's
been pressing his tanzy," was the com.
uient of a young hoodlum. go it.,
bald head" yelled another one, as MIR.
Rattenberry, remembering that ''belly-
cutters" was the favorite mode when
he was a boy, seized the sled in both
hands and accomplished the feat of gain
ing an impetus by starting on a run and
throwing himself PROSTATE on the
Away he went down Clark
and before he reached Monroe
he imagined that he was a passenger
on jarrett and Palmer's lightning
train. He was sure of 1t when he tried
to remember the steering part of it.
Forty added years had effaced that
from his memory. The sled ran into
a snowbank, and Mr.. Rattenbefry con-
the Journey without its aid. 1t
have been the fashion forty
years ago to have left the sled half
way down the hill, to go into the cir
Gus business, bat III boys don't do it
way nowadays. Rattenberry's
series of flip flaps would have secured
him an engagement in the sawdust
ring i%nstanter, but he did not seem to
be proud of his agility, for after a half
dozen uneQualed somersaults he sat
1t was the best thing to do
under the circumstances, but he might
done it with less violence, and it
have saved the clerks i'm Clark's
from the trouble Of rushing out
of the building under the impression
that the earthquake season had set in;
and, besides, Cohn had not warranted
those pants only against ordinary wear
and tear. The yawning rent in the
rear was not the fault of the goods;
would not have stood the
1t was a very cold place to Sc
lect, and we wondered at Mr.. Ratten-
berry's choice of location. He was
evidently trying to collect his ileas
sufficiently to reason on he subject,
and no doubt would have lucidly ex-
planned it il a flying coaster had not
come in contact with him and demon
him still further. Mr.. Ratten-
berry takes it as a personal insult il
any n denies that lightning struck
on the 23d OF January, at a poiIt be-
tween Dunkel and Clark's stores, just
after a collision on the narrow gauge.
When Mrs. Rattenberry saw the body
unloaded from the dray at the front
door of the residence. she remarked in
an agony of grief, 81 knew that crazy
cd fool would fall down a shaft and
tear himself all to pieces, and TO- my
prophecy has cohe true" Mr.. Rat
tenberry is out on crutches, and he
confidentislly remarked to Jim KEEL
logg that 'boys would be boys" but
as for him he had passed the rubicon
Of youth. and sedate old age tailed
with his ideas of the fitness of things.