The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-07-30
A Boys Experience WITH Tar Mar
DIeS.

dS keeping goa CUntpdHy. ----
A Boys Experience WITH Tar Mar
bles.
Almost all boys, at some period of
their lives, devote their spare time to
playing with marbles, and | certainly
was not unlike other boys in this respect.
My fondness for marbles began very
early, and when | was about seven years
old led me into a curious experience,
which ] am about to relate. A great
rivalry for acquiring marbles had sud-
penly arisen at that time among the boys
of the town, and to possess as many of
the little round beauties as my Oldest
brother owned, soon became the desire
of my heart and the height of my am
bition.
I had already obtained large number,
When " hen enc ere day day I overheard nv Oldest
brother telling one of his schoolmates
that he had made the important discov-
cry that marbles could be formed from
coal-tar, of which there was large guam
tity on a certain street in distant part
of the town. He did not condescend to
explain the process of manufacture, but
he showed the marbles he had made
black, round and glossy. The sight in
spired me with an ardent desire to pos
sess an unlimited quantity.
My brother told me just where the
coveted treasure was to be found, and,
in the afternoon, | started off, without
contiding to any one my intention, to
find the spot and lay in supply of the
raw material, which | could convert into
marbles when | had leisure. 1t was a
very hot July afternoon, and l was in a
violent heat; but the sight of the heaps
of coal-tar put all thong hts of anything
unpleasant quite out of my head: it
caused me to forget also that had on a
suit of new clothes, of which | had been
cautioned by my mother to be extremely
careful.
| need hardly remark that | was not
very we'll acquainted with the substance
l was handling, andsmy only ideas of its
qualities was, that it could be nodded
into any shape l pleased. I was not
aware that it has all the qualities of Or
binary tar,-melts with heat, and be-
comes the toughest, stickiest, most un-
manageable of substances with which a
small boy can come into contact
I fell to work to collect what | wanted
to carry home. | filled the pockets of
my pantaloons, and Of my jacket, and
lastly, when these were stuffed to their
utmost capacity. | filled the crown of
my hat so full that it would hardly 90
on my head. The place was at some
distance from my home, and I did not
wish to have to return Immediately for
more.
With a heart filled with triumph,
started off toward home. By this time
| began to realize that the weather was
not cool. 1t had been long walk, and
I was pretty tired, but l was also in a
great hurry to begin making marbles, so
l walked as fast as l could. After lit
tie time l began to be sensible of a disa-
greeable feeling of sickness about my
waist, and a slight trickling sensation in
the region of the knees.
A cloud not bigger than mans hand
fitted across my horizon, perhaps coal
tar might melt?
A very slight inspection of my two
pockets satisfied me that coal-tar was
capable Of becoming liquid: and, if
needed further evidence, the sable rivu-
lets that began to meander down the
sides of my face gave ample corrobora-
ton of the fact. | tried to take off my
hat, but it would not come.
1 looked down at my new trousers
with feelings of dismay. Ominous spots
vf :. l a;sii:sa hue wern certainly growing
larger. tried to get the tar out of my
pockets. but only succeeded in covering
my hands with the black, unmanageable
stuff.
That I should get a whipping for spoil
ing my new silt, if I could not manage
to get the tar off, I was quite certain,
and / had had no permission to 60 from
home, and on the whole the outlook was
not cheerful in that direction. Quite
driven to desperation, l seated myself
on the ground, and tried to scrape of
the black spots, which had now ex-
tended to formidable dimensions; while
l could feel small streams coming down
inside of the collar of my shirt, and
causing rather singular suggestions of a
rope around my neck. My labor was all
in vain. I got agood deal off, but there
seemed to be an inexhaustible quantity
on. l gave it up in despair, and burst
into uncomfortable sobs. The flow OF
tears thinned the lava-like fluid, and il
now resembled ink, which covered
my face like a veil; but in the extrem.
ity of my anguish a hope dawned
upon me. I found that l could wipe of
with my hand this thinner solution, and
if water would do it, water was plenty
and would wash it of. A cousin Of
mine lived not very far off, and l knew
that in the yard of her house there was 6
pump. Inspired by this idea, set off al
run, and did not slacken my pace unit
reached the spot. Here another diff
Guilty met me. l could not reach thu
handle of the pump SO as to get the ben
eft of the stream from its mouth, and i
was only complete shower bath tina
would restore me to responsibility. | Sc
to work to find a rope, and fastened to
gether quite a complicated piece Of ma
chinery, as thought, by which l man
aged to pump the ice-cold water upoi
my devoted head. The effect was not g
immediate as / had hoped. But / hat
faith if little was good, more must b
better. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES tn
pump handle, which did more work tn a
afternoon than in half a dozeu days
washing.
Creak-creak-creak! But the ia
only became harder and harder, until
was encased in sheet-armor, like tn
famous Black knight. Presently, m,
cousin Jenny, an especial friend of mine
hearing such continual pumping, an
becoming anxious for the family suppl
of water, came out to see what was tn
matter. Seeing small figure curled u
under the spout of the pump. drenche