The Bossier banner., 1881-12-22

Itseems to be pretty well agreed upo
by domestic critics that the boy as
household institution is not an object @
unalloyed delight, although he is to b
endured as necessary evil. OF cours
that applies to everybody's boy but ou
boy. Our boy is not the ordinary bo,
at all. but hero born, an incipien
demi-god. the young St. George himsel
although the neighbors may declar,
him to be st. George and the Dragon
too. since nothing in his path is 1ef
alive. -.
1t is in boy-nature inevitably to bs
active, leaping. laughing, living; tht
growing bones and muscles will have
full play, the healthy lungs full cry. A
boy that is any sort of boy must bt
gay and noisy, and must make an at
mosphere of commotion about himself
and his boots, his dogs, his toys, his
guns or his want of all those and like
things IF he sat still and talked under
bis breath we should know something
was the matter with him, and expect
but poorly for his future; and SO, if ou,
nerves are in tolerable health and no
body is really ill in the house, we wei
come all his racket and stir, and would
not have one sound, one echo the less
OF his calling, and jumping, and whist
ling, and bouncing, and slasnming, and
II other folks object to him we congrat-
ulate ourselves that his affairs are none
OF other folks business, and look for
ward to the time when they will regret
their inability to perceive the greatness
OF the man that was folded in the boy
to await its timely development.
But this is merely the common boy in
North America, as Aunt Jane in Nal
bone would say-this is only our boy and
your boy. There is something about
this one differing from the normal and
generic boy. He is not the eyil-disposed
boy, the bad boy, or, worse than any of
the others for daily use and comfort.
ne is not the bumptious boy. For of all
things in family, short of shrews and
scoids and busybodies, the bumptious
boy is the most intelerable. - taa
The bumptious boy is always several
years older than the family Bible regis
ters him, and he impresses the circnm-
stance upon you every day by means of
his snblime effrontery. While Won con-
slider him the yeriest youth, he consid
ers himself already man, and as far
as he can acts up to the assumption.
his tongue is in every dialogue; his
opinion is proffered on every point; his
advice is forced upon you, whether the
affair be momentous or trifling. He re-
ceives your guests for you before YOU
can do it yourself; he takes the burden
OF their entertainment; he criticises the
cookery with the air of DIR. Kitchener:
he is gallant to the housemaids, who
humor him because it is so laughable:
he affects the airs OF society, makes calls
on amused ladies, has engraved cards
If he can get them, makes a fuss about
MS hnen' his correspondence becomes
Yoluminous, and he is overrun with oc-
cupations and engagements. He apoI-
oglzes for appearing to neglect you; he
offers to do you services with his SUI
perfor facilities; he pretends to the con-
hdence OF people that he knows you re-
spect; he comments on their peculiari-
ties, too; he opens the morning paper
and peruses it, whether his elders wait
for 1t or not, and knows all there is to
know on politics, being sure not to es-
pouse his fathers side lest he be
thought to take the .old man 81 onin-
ions ready made. He tosses off glass
OF wine at table, when he knows no one
will like to dispute it. and calls for an
otner, to let you see what man he Is.
and 81 what head he has; he |
swaggers into gentleman's
room and helps himself 10 |
cigars; into lady's boudoir and |
busies himself with her work-basket. |
while affecting a knowledge of the
world that would make her LAUGH in
her sleeve if it were not not exceedingly
He hints darkly; he assumes
Q Q nave had affairs and experiences; if /
{ We're not unmanly to boast, he would [
ell you OF how many women that are in
owe with him-with him, just out of
lis pinafores! He practices for future
with his annts and girl
cousins, and kisses them In manner
hat makes their fingers tingle to box
lis ears q dozen times over, il it were
lot for their Christian kindness in hesi-
ating to amaze him, and hurt his sur.
rised feelings by repulsing his affec-
Z /
In short, he is an urchin lust in his
Gems, with an overweening and colos-
al conceit of himself, who is scourpe
nd nuisance, but who amuses eyerv-
ody SO much that he hardly kindles
asting indignation, while the family
ope concerning him is that he NAV
ne day have sense enough to see what
fool he has been.
You feel, nevertheless-if not so
losely bound to him as to feel nothing
the sort--that the acquaintance of this
umtious boy is detrimental to every
ther boy with whom he comes in con-
vet, and for the sake of the human
ace in general, and of affording it as
tile injury as possible, rather than LET
'ose upon it this hurtful species. Won
ndure his wen-meant insolence. and
le liberties he takes, yourself. and
ng for the years to come that shall ,
ut an end to his forth h-putting airs and
races, and make him q man, perhaps
ot any the more disagreeable for hay-l
g at the early age graduated in his
and cast it off with the j
hngs that are behind. Harper's | ,
AGAR. .as =.
~