, 1884-12-14
AN EVENINGS FUN.
N. oUAD'S NIGHT TRIP WITH THH
VILLAGE 5oaS.
What Appears To BE Sport in tho Even
Ing Looks Very Much Like Con-
trmptibIe ~nIeanness Next Morn
inE-wrong Ideas.


ia. Quad's Talk TO Boys.'J
Come, now, my lad, III be a boy with you
this evening and Wen 10 out and nave what
you call STUN How will we get QUIT Father
doesn't want US racing around evenings, and
mother is decidedly opposed TO It, and we
must invent some excuse Right here we
have to practice a mean deception, II not tell
"A lie. We want 10 see n school-mate about
something, or we borrowed something and
must return It, or any other excuse that
seems reasonable but is at the same time no
better than lying. You can tell by mothers
face that she doesn't entirely believe IL, but
she let's US go, and in ten minutes we join two
other boys who have been through the same
mill
Now, then, for tho fun. IL isn't funny "
sit down On a log and tell stories, nor to walk
up and down the streets, nor stand and rub a
brick wall with our backs. We have TO
make some decided move. Let's stretch a
piece OF clothes-line across the sidewalk In
this dark spot, never dreaming that n woman
or an old man may get a fall to render them
cripples for life. After that well go the
length of this side street and carry off every
front gate which can be lifted of Its hinges.
1t ought to be awfully funny TO steal a
neighbor's gate and leave his lawn and gar
den open to damage from stray animals, but
1AtDA Al Dctn aClpulDisutQ We hIt uul
half as ticklod as we thought to be.
A citizen who ia about to build, has PILED
up some choice lumber. Lots throw the pile
down. IL Will make him a half days work,
and probably damage some OF the boards,
but we'l call 1t fun. Here's the cottage OF
Widow Watkins. We all know that she IL
dreadfuily afraid OF robbers, and 80 we slip
into the yard. tap ON the windows, rattle on
the doors, and brighten her until we are GER
tain that she will get no sleep that night.
Here In the alley is a wagon belonging to a
teamster; Well run it of half a mile and
Leave It behind a undergrad. He vii
want It at sharp in the morning, and 1t
will be fun to SEQ him hunting the town over-
and losing his wages for half a day.
A merchant has a dozen barrels OF salt on
the platform in front OF bis store. A kick
or two loosens tho strips which hold them
In place. and they go rolling Into the street
W Of them burst open and scatter heir
contents, and it is only after we ave left the
neighborhood that the idea Of danger TO
passing vehicles occurs to any body. Let the
wheel OF a passing wagon or buggy strike
one Of those barrels and there will be an 40
cident and perhaps loss Of life. Here's a
garden full Of vegetables. Pull up twenty
1--we or thirty heads Of cabbage and stack
them in n pile. and cut open q dozen
squashes or no, and old White win be aston
ished when he comes out In the morning. We
had anticipated a big laugh over II, but
somehow. after the work had been accom-
plishod, not a grin is visible ON any counte
nance. Deacon Smith has a lot OF choice
grapes on q rack almost hid under his bed
room window. 1t will be a huge joke to steel
them 10 the last bunch. Every boy crawls
forward on his stomach. imagining himself
To be a Pawnee Indian on the warpath, ard
a good share Of the grapes are plucked and
carried away. Awful smart, isn't i'll We
call IL "cooning," but the deacon loses the
grapes just the same as II they had been
taken by a professional thief.
1t Is now time 10 go home. Somehow when
we separate from the Others no one says
anything about having had a heap OF fun.
We have to enter the house and run tho
gauntlet Of father and mother, and II ques-
toned too closely we must tell half a dozen
lies and go to bed with them on our con-
science. Come, now, we've been out to-
gether and let me ask you how you like iti
I've been there as a boy, and I know that I
got up mex morning ashamed to look any
ono In the face. What seemed like sport q
few hours before now looked like contempti-
bio work. Ninety times out OF q hundred
the boy who goes out nights for fun fnds It
In the l have described. l don't
say that all such boys win grow to Be bad
men, but they are beginning life after wrong
and dangerous ideas.