The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1878-10-19
ADAMS LONELY BoYHooD.

From the Cincinnati Saturday Night
In beginning series of sketches con-
corning the youthful days of eminent
people, it seems eminently fitting that
we commence with Adam. 1t is rather
difficult to conceive of Adam as boy,
We admit, owing to the popular super
stition that has painted him coming into
the world full grown whiskers and NOUS
tache complete, and prevailing belief
that there wasn't boy in the world I'M
I'll Eve came and raised the Old Boy with
Adam; yet We prefer to think of our
ancient progenitor as having had some
thing of boyhood, and We suppose we
have as good a right to theorize upon the
subject as any enc else.
Adam was probably as mischievous,
naturally, as boys generally are. In fact,
Darwin says he was "a perfect little
monkey" which, we believe, is q sy-
nonym for mischievousness the world
over. But he had no companions in his
gambols. If he stayed out after dark
and got to cutting up, it was all by him
self. And what sport could he have
ringing door bells without lot of other
boys to scamper away with2 and con.
slider the melancholy fun of fastening
cords across the walk at night with no.
body to trip over them.
We can imagine young Adam, with all
the instincts of boy two inches thick
In his nature, looking about for some
way to divert himself as other boys do,
and whimpering to himself, "Can't have
any fun '' Of course, he couldn't BY
any possibility have any fun. No fun
running away from school, or stealing off
to go in swimming, because there was
no one to lick him when he got home.
No fun sneaking up into the hay-mow
to indulge in a surreptitious game OF
euchre-always had to "play it alone"
He couldn't play "tag," because he
might yell, I've got the tag" all day
and there would be no one to come and
take it away from him. "Hi-spi" had
no charm, for boy soon gets tired of
hiding when he has to go to work and
find himself. And where is there q boy
who likes to work and find himself?"
The more We think about Adam lone
ly boyhood the more we are inclined to
pity him. He never knew what circus
meant, at least not until Eve came and
introduced him to one. But we have
nothing to do with that now, as we are
only treating of Adams boyhood. True,
there was big menagsrie all around
him, but the animals were tame affairs,
lambs and lions lying down together in
the most spiritless concord, and the hip
popotamuses and canary birds playing
with each other like kittens. Little
Adam never sat way up on the highest
seat and gazed awe-stricken while man
in spangled tights sprang, whip in hand,
into cage of savage beasts that rolled
their eyes, CRASHED their teeth and roared
until the canvas overhead tapped for
very fear. No, indeed. He never saw
thin-legged female in short skirts ride
Looping horse around ring and jump
through hoop. while man with his
face painted white and his mouth red
exaggeration tells that convulsive story
about stufipg hay into his shoes to fiji
them out and the calves going down to
eat the hay. Young Adam never saw
"the old clown" though he came very
soon after Adams day, and the jokes he
commenced with he has been getting off
ever since.
While there were so many things that
the boy Adam missed, think not that his
solitary life was not without its compen-
sations. There was no other boy to steal
his marbles, or hide his top, or ieer at
him because he had to wear his big
brothers. cast off clothes, or boiler across
the street that he had "a letter in the
postofice" or fix a big pen for him to sit
down on, or make faces at his sister, or
spell him down, or steal his dinner, or
tell on him when he had been in mis-
chief or beat him out of his sweetheart.
Adam escaped these and thousand an
noyances that boys subject each other
to. He hadn't any brothers and sisters
to tease and worry him, and with whom
he was compelled to divide his play
things and any nice things to eat that
might come that way. he could leave
piece of sweet cake lying around any
where, knowing that none of the rest of
the children would touch it; and at night,
on retiring, could stick his "gum =" on
to the headboard, confident that it would
rest undisturbed until morning.
Whatever trouble and annoyances his
matrimonial life may have brought him,
we find kind of satisfaction in reflect.
ing that Adams boyhood was exception
ally free from care, and on that account
we are bound to conclude that his life
was not an entire failure.