News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-09-20
THE VELVET PERIOD.
A NOTABLE SEASON IN THE LIFE OF
EVERY YOUNG MAN.
How IL Struck a Citizen and the Courage IL
REQUIRED TO put it On-"hJ he Gave 1t
AWAY.

Away.
A couple of old fellows were standing
in front of the Plankinton House, smok-
ing five cent cigars, one evening, when
a Young fellow passed along with vel
vet coat on. and before he had got out
of sight, an old fellow about sixty years
old passed the same place, snd he had
on velvet coat. One OF the two old
fellows knocked the ashes off his cigar,
and said:
'It catches them all, sooner or later. "
"What do You mean ?" 2sked the
other, as he borrowed his friends cigar
to light his own.
why, the velvet coat per.{i," said
the first man, as he took his cigar back,
and puffed omit to keepit goil2e~ "Every
man, some time in his life, either as boy
or man. sees a time when he thinks the
world will cease to revolve on its axis if
he does not have a velvet coat, and he is
bound to have one if he has to steal the
money to buy it. It is bad enough for
boy to have the period come on, but it
is infinitely worse to escape 1t IN youth
and have it attack a man in middle life,
but it always hits them, some time.
Now, you wouldn't think, to look at me,
that [ ever had the velvet coat fever, but
[ had it once in its most violent form.
"About twenty years ago, at the time
of the oil excitement, [ made a little
money in oil, and I got to thinking how
[ could show how Twas no ordinary son
of man, and all at once it struck me that
velvet coat could do it for me, and L
had a surveyor measure me, and had a
velvet coat made. I was anxious to have
it done so I could dput itOn and go around
among the boys, but when it was done
and had been brought home, all at once
lost my grip, and could hardly get up
courage to put it on. [ let it lay for a
week, until my people got to making fun
of me about being afraid to wear it, and
finally [ put it on and wore it down town
after dark. Only a few people saw it,
and l went home feeling satistied that
the worst was over. What I wanted was
to have the community get accustomed
to it gradually. After while | wore it
to my Office on days that was going to
be busy, so [ knew [ wouldn't have to
go around town. After the boys in the
office got so they could witness my coat
without going behind a partition to laugh
at me, I concluded to wear it on the
street.
''Wen, there was an organ-grinder
with a monkey, out on the sidewalk,
when I went out, and the beastly italian
had on an old velvet coat, like mine, only
soiled. The monkey was jumping
around. picl1in" nm nennies. and all at
once he saw me 7 rh0n nov0r f0r~ot
the expression ON that monkeys face.
H 80. med l.. Z. .sya. sa= .-E- f-a I-a-te~.
and clearly realized that his master had
procured a new coat without asking the
consent of his little brother. There was
a look of pain, as though the monkey
felt hurt that such duplicity had been
practiced on him. and then the monkey
would look at the clothes in which he
was dressed up with contempt, and then
he would look at my coat with envy. !
never felt so sorry for monkey in all
my life. I could stand it to hear
strangers say, as [ passed by, What fool
is that, but to see that poor monkey
grieve over the style [ was putting on
was too much, and l resolved If L ever
got that coat home I would put it where
it could never be seen again. The organ
grinder became alarmed at the actions
of the monkey, and jerked on the chain,
causing the monkey to turn back sum-
mersault, and the poor animal came up
standing in front Of his master. He
looked at him, and seemed to be at once
reassured and to feel that the apparition
was only a horrid dream, and then he
looked over his shoulder toward where L
had stood, to make sure, and therel was
in all my glory. Then the monkey was
mad and began to make up faces at me,
and got out Of there and went home,
with shouts of the monkeys audience
sounding in my ears, and took off that
coat and gave it to the man that took
care of my horse, and never see a vel
vet coat, either on a boy or man, but
| think of what a confounded fool L made
of myself in my Oscar Wilde days. Il
you have boy, teach him to go through
the velvet coat period young, and he
will thank his stars. ."-Peck'S S1tn.