The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-01-11
HOW WE BOYS TRIED 1T.


and rented 4 farm near U.S. Father said
we'd better not have much to do witt!
'enn at first til we found out what sort
they were, but they got no neighborly all
at once we couldn't help it very well.
They came 'mcst every day TO borrow
something, and then if they didn' bring
it back-and they most always didn't
used to have to go for it, so saw n
good dca! Of Ned and Bill.
"They had n cousin that came ont for
week in harvest time. lie was in bus.
mess in New York, and wore light col
ored plaid clothes He was very sUcia
bic, too, and would come around about
lunch time in the bayfield,, 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.
lie was very fond Of the plums and lar-
vest apples, too, and praised up every.
thing we offered him, but did say that
rs for him he had no taste for farming.
The city was the place for boys Of spirit.
And tile Braytnn boys thought - too,
and said that they had no taste for farm.
ing, and they meant To get in the city as
soon rs they could And when | came
to think it over, really began To see
that | had no taste for farming either.
And | thought it strange that father and
mother had never concerned themselves
tc fins! out "!,at my tastes were, for
had read book that ii is Il solemn duty
for parents to study the tastes Of their
children, and that their success in life
depends a great deal on such things.
tom Bly-that WAS the city chaps
name-had lot Of splendid little books
he lent the I}raytnn boys, and they lent
'em TO me and told me not To tell. They
were regular riproaring stories, tell
you all about fights, and scouts, and
death struggles, and dark mysteries, and
bold adventures. Tho fellows in them
were 80 brave thnt one Of 'em would
think no more of riding up to II lot Of
fellows, and stabbing one and shooting two
or three with his revolver, aud knocking
down another with il, and putting spurs
to his horse and galloping off in a per
feet lIailstorm Of bullets, than OF eating
breakfast.
"Bill I'rayton thought he'd try being
ono of these heroes out on the plains,
and come back in n few yenrs riclI-own-
ing cattle ranch and uo end of gold
mines and things. But Ned Brayton
and thought we'd go into business in
the city, like Tom BY.
IL spoke to fntlIcr about il. He
laughed when | told him of my tastes,
and said didn't know when 1 was well
OIL That is just the way the fathers in
the books did Keeping your lives
crushed down by uncongenial surround
ings they called it. And Bill and n cd y
father said he hoped they'd grow up to
something better than such hand to :
mouth life as Tom By's
SO it was very easy TO sec how tho
boys in the books had been driven to
run away from their homes. We talked
great deal about it, and made up our
minds that if we wanted to have any
thing Of n career, VIC must run away.
at was m August morning very early
when tiptocd down stairs in my stock
ing feet. AZ / passed mothers door /
did wish could have wished her good
bye, and told her how I'd remember my
promise to her never to smoke or drink
II glG-s Of beer till I'm twenty .one
(She thinks, you see, that if Il fellow lets
it alone that long, he'll have sense
enough to keep on letting it alone.)
almost felt like giving it up when knew
she'd feel badly about it; but I'd left
her note telling her was just goinr to
New York to make my fortune, and I'd
write to her. And thought Of all the
splendid things I'd do for her when I
got to be great merchant, and so stole
into the pnrlor and got card picture of
my two little sisters and wrapped it up
there wasn't any Of mothcr) and went
on. We had three miles to walk to tho
railroad station.
emo moro milking COWS or piling
wood or dropping corn or p!owing-
Hurrah says Bill, az we ratified along
in the cars.
each Of us had money enough to take
us to New York, and little over. We
found it sight better to be flying along
that way in the line morning than TO be
turning out for days work We were
going to look for Tom Bly-he had told
us all 10 be sure TO come right to him if
ever we came to town, and we thought il
likely he could find places for us at once
either in his own business or among his
friends. Az we walked along the handsome
streets, we couldn't help wondering how
soon some such splendid stores might
belong To US.
"Bill had Tom Bly's address-he was
n grocer-and we goon began to look for
him. The street they told US to go
would. But at last we found Tom Bly's
store, and that didn't look nice Mt all.
We went in and looked for him. ! was
looking for the plaid clothes; for I'd
known 'em anywhere, but couldn't see
'em and nobody seemed to know about
Mr.. BLY,. But soon Bill sung out, Hello
Tom'-and saw wagon drive up and
Tom was driving it. He hadn't on the
plaid clothes, and he hadn't any coat or
collar on, and he didn't seem 80 very
glad to see us.
"'Well Tom,' Bill said, here we are,
you SEQ. We're in for it. Ready to have
you get lis into something right off-'ies
az you said, you know
"'The-old scratch you are 7 aaid
Tom. You haven't been such fools as to
come away dowu here for work, have
your
"'Isn't that what you told usp
Well-may be did, just to be po.
lite, but Pm blessed if thought boys as
we'll kept as you'd a. come pokiu' down
here where there's more folks already
than's wanted. When there's ono situa-
ton there's ten fellows after it,
"This was wonderful take down.
We thought he'd ask us to 20 to his ho.
tel, but he didn't. We said we'd stroll
round little, and We strolled round !;
and we asked in some places if they
wanted boy, but nobody seemed to
want any boys. We went int, park to
eat all we had left of the lunch we'd
brought from home.
"Be off there-you rascals," some one
shouted, and the first thing We knew n
big policeman was hustling US out. and