Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-02-19
Three Chapters in a Boys Life.


strong sentence Just quoted. No matter
what hopes have been INDUCED concerning
girl babies, there is something in the pithy
announcement " It's boy" which dispels
all fanciful dreams and sets everybody
squarely on a prose basis. His very voice,
as il utters defiant warwhoop to the grand
army of humanity, tells the story to expert
enced years. The visions of dainty girl
darling very soon vanish before this positive
piece of prose, who kicks his sturdy heels
through his delicate pink socks intended for
his sister, and who grows red as turkey
cocks head at Thanksgiving times when he
is expected to show off TO good advantage
before callers. He persists in an abnormal
development of nose and pufiiness about
the eyes, along with several other little
tricks known only to the interested parties.
Parents and nurses become reconciled and
accept him on trust, seeing no other alterna-
tive. He energies from his puffy and rosy
obstinacy to a roly-poly, wide-awake thing
of beauty, which is a JOY fully one-half of
the time. There is process from infancy
to little boyhood, sweet time, when the
man-chld is half baby, half angel. In the
clear depths of his innocent eyes is world
of trust and hope and love. His white brow
is fair as freshly-opened lily, and his lips
as sweet as hermosa roses. He is most
witching at this age, for the peculiarities
which mark the enfdnt terrible are yet unde
veloped. He is an earnest armful of love
and beauty aud promise and dread and hope.
Love him while yet there is no guile on the
tender lips, no sin in the unwritten soul, no
touch of the worlds breath upon Gods fin
ished work
CHAPTER II.-"GIT UP, OLD HoRsEy!''
"Mercy, what noise Look at that chair,
with string tied on the arms and made fast
to the writing desk and flower stand, all to
be driven tandem by that young imp in kilt
skirt and fancy hat and shoes Who upset
that work-basket ? and, good gracious, what
work has been made with my wool and
thread There's the last Graphic torn to
scraps and stuffed in the cuspidore with my
screw.driver that lost a week ago. What
is he doing with the cat and, dear me, if
he hasn't thrown grandma's spectaces into
the CRATE !"
Where's Harry Run to the kitchen and
see All the eggs are broken in the basket
of folded Clothes and the milk for pudding
has been fed to the cat and dog. Bridget
Lannigan is in a towering rage, and says,
" Phat's the use of Shawn to kape clean wild
such young divil forninst YEP Miss
Frigidity Fussbunch calls, and is Mortified
by being requested to "be horse and let
Harry ride straddle to Boston," She is ques.
toned also on many delicate points. He
gets very close to her and asks what that
white stuff on her face is, and what makes
her wear such funny little hat.
few years of the juvenile terror, and
then appears another stage of the boy. He
.t. -lI
is useless to mead off this phase if it is shut
off in one direction it breaks out more vio-
lently in some other. 1t goes through Pc
Rod of six or seven years and costs much
in anxiety, broken window-panes and morti-
fled pride. He is afflicted with rats, pigeons
and other boyish complaints, which are
harmless, but annoying. He brings in six
dirty steel traps to amuse his sick sister,
who grows worse under it, and in his solici-
tude he straps his legs fast to six feet of
stills and stoops to enter the door of her
room, to the horror and dismay of his
mother He brings little notes home from
school, which he tries to explain in favor
able light, but fails to convince his parents
that it was "only because Bill Wilson
dropped his slate on Abe Hennegan's toes
and made me laugh" He carves his awk
ward initials on old Mrs. Williams cellar
door, and she threatens his arrest. He goes
to see " llumpty Dumpty," and comes home
and throws real brickbats at his aunt, and
Bridget is met with battering blow from
his head when she is bringing in the coal
lie makes life burden and home a snare
and deluson. He tears the comforts in
more ways than one, and Sits the pillow
cases to match them. Gradually he leaves
off his hurly-burly life and imperceptibly
glides into
CHAPTER Ill.," WHERE'S MY BLUE TIE p
"Where is the backing brush / am
going to little surprise, and won't be home
| till eleven. Is my percale shirt done NJ
nice ? | wish you'd make my collars sitter
| | don't thank some one for throwing my
coat down and getting it wrinkled all up
| How do you like this hat Think it look.
better than my soft one 7" You will find
the pigeon boxes all deserted about this pc
Rod not rat.trap cumbers the backyard
| The woodshed theatrcals are all ended the
stills are put away; kites forgotten; win
dow glass is in perfect safety. The dust
has filled up the rude initials in Mrs. vii
liam's cellar door, and there is an un
invited quiet all around the house. Chair,
STAY in their places, and pantaloons viii
no longerbear cutting over for the boy
| He gets them now out of new stuff
and mothers "cut" will not satisfy him
| lie is not in the way now, and there is
heavy pain in mothers heart as she thinks
that he will never need her much any more
The innocent eyes have a deeper meaning
in them now. They have taken into thei
depths the reflection of face younger thar
mothers, and life begins to look real t,
| than