The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-10-10
BOyhOod,s JOYS and Trouble /.

When you see hoy going along in
the merry, merry sunshine, with his
hat in his hand, shaking his hair with
pine stick to get it dry, now and
then leaning his head to one side,
pounding the other side with his hand,
and practically kicking his feet in the
air in desperate efforts TO get the water
out of his ears; OF when you see him
holdinga warm stone to his ear for
the same purpose, it is true sign that
you may think of that boy, by-and- bye,
standing speechless when his mother
asks him how his shirt came to be
wrong side out. You must not run
down the street in the direction of his
home under the impression that the
boy is being basely murdered. You
can't kill a boy with skate-strap.
And in hoe signoes you will know
that boy has been in swimming when
he should have been at school learning
that twenty six propositions are fol-
lowed by the accusative," all the way
from ad to ultra.
When you see boy, about 5:45 P.
NJ, with ink on his nose and the CRIME
of chalk on his hands, his hair dishev-
eled and the two upper buttons of his
jacket gone, his collar rumpled and his
necktie twisted awry, and a asuspicious-
looking flush and two or three
scratches adorning his face, you will
know that he was "kept in" after
school, and was taunted for the same
by another 10y when he came out, and
if you want to know the rest of it, it
will not be necessary to go into partic-
ulars, but just ask him (which
whipped?"
Ii a joyous look Of triumph dances
in the eXultant eyes, you will know
that Just around the corner you can
find boy with bleeding nose, and a
generally demoralized facade. But if
the lad you question looks downcast,
multis cum lachrymis begins his ora
tion, like Divatiacus, by saying: "Well,
he was a great deal bigger n me-" you
may know that your boy got clicked" +"
When you see boy with the pockets
of his pantalOons bulging out until he
looks like a great bumble-bee laden for
the hive, while he. walks along trying
to look as thin as split lath, and wear
ing a profound expression of super
natural innocence, you know, without
referring TO this code o. signals, that
boy has been lingering in somebody's
orchard, and doesn't care to have un-
due publicity given to facts that only
concern him personally.
When you see boy on the distant
hillside, suddenly leap up into the soft
summer air. holding one barefo It ten
derry, but firmly, in the welded
fingers OF both hands, while he hops
around in irregular but excited orbits,
at the same time voicing his grief with
wailing shrieks, mellowed by the
sunny distance, then, without going to
the telephone, you may know that
barefoot boy has trod upon the busy
bee that nestled in the perfumed
clover.
And wherever and whenever you
see him, in mischief OF out of it-that
is, just coming out of it, or Just ready
to get into some more; awfully bad, or
with many fearful failures and dis
| graceful stumbles trying to be good;
forgetting your commandments which
thunder upon him by the hundred,
well nigh as readily and repeatedly as
you forget the ten that infinite wis
dom has laid upon you; in all his
noise, his poor little struggles, tempta-
tions, triumphs and failures, his pitiful
little trouble and his fearful, honest
penitence, in all the lightness of a
boys life, your heart must grow mel
low and tender for the little germ of
manhood, so full of wonderful possi-
bilities. so rich with seeds Of strength
that will ripen by and by, for good OF
for evil, as you walk and live before
the hoy; ever as you look at him, re-
member what you were thirty or forty
years ago, and say, "God bless the
boy. Hurting ton Ha1okeye.
DaVo DfvI