St. Landry democrat., 1882-12-02
HOW WE BOYS TRIED 1T.

s.Bill Brayton's father came one
spring and rented a farm near us.
Father said we'd better not have
much to do with 'em at first, till
we found out what sort they
were, but they got SO neighborly all at
once we couldn't help it very well.
They came most every day to borrow
something. and then ii they didn't bring
it back-and they most always didn't
II used to have to 60 for it, so / saw a
good deal of Ned and Bell.
..They had a cousin that came out for
a week in harvest time. He was in bus
mess in New York, and wore light7col-
,ored plaid clothes. He was very socla-
Bile, too, and would come around about
lunch time in the hay field, and would
eat with us as free as anything which
seemed very good of him when you d
hear him talk OF his hotel in the city.
He was very fond Of the plIlms and
harvest apples, too, and praised up
everything we offered him, but did say
that as for him he had no taste for
farming. The city was the place for
boys oil spirit. And the Brayton boys
thought so, too, and said they had no
taste for farming, and they meant to
get into the city as soon as they could.
And when I came to think it over, I
really began to see that had no taste
for farming either. And [ thought it
strange that father and mother had
never concerned themselves to find out
what my tastes were. for had read in
a book that it is a solemn duty for pa
rents to study the tastes of their chill
dren, and that their success in life de-
pends great deal on such things.
..Tom Bly--that was the city chap $
name had a lot of splendid little books
he lent the Brayton boys, and they lent
'em to me and told me not totell. They
were regular rip-roaring stories, Z tell
54ou ALI alb ut fights, and scouts, and
death struggles, and dark mysteries,
and bold adventures. The fellows in
them were so, brave that one of 'em
would think no more OF riding up to a
lot OF fellows. and stabbing one and
shooting two or three with his revolver,
and knocking down another with it,
and putting spurs to his horse and gal
lopi0g off in perfect hailstorm of bull
lets. than of eating breakfast.
4. Bill Brayton thought he'd try being
one of these heroes out on the plains,
and come back in q few years rich
owning 81 cattle-ranch and no end OF
90 d mines and things. But Ned Bray
ton and T thought we d 90 into business
il the city. like Tom BLY,.
~ spoke to father about it. He
laughed when / told him Of my tastes.
and said j didn't know when ] was well
of. That is just the way the fathers in
the books did keeping your lives
crushed down by uncongenial surround
in,rs they called It. And Bill and
Nedss father said he hoped they q
grow up to something better than such
q hand mouth life as Tom Bly,
q So twas very easy to see how the
bows in the books had been driven to
rur, away from their homes. Wetalked
| q great deal about it, and made up our
minds that If we wanted to have any
thing of career, we must run away.
i. it was an August morning very
early when I tiptoed down stairs ID my
stocking-feet. As passed mother s
door did wish / could have wished her
rood -bve, and told her how / d remem-
ber NV promise to her never to smoke
sor drink glass OF beer till I'm twenty
one. (She thinks, you see, that II a
fellow lets il alone that long. he II have
sense enough to keep on letting it
alone almost felt like giving it up
when / knew she d feel badly about it;
bnt I'd left her note telling her | was
inst going to New York to make my