St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-11-29
THE TRIALS OF A BOY.
His opinion Concerning Dancing Lessons
and Girls.

His hands were thrust deep into his
pockets, and he shuffled his feet along
over the pavement as he walked. He
lad walked for two blocks in this man
aer, as the Star man who was watching
aim could testify, and during that time
ae had only varied in his movements
welcome when he gave sudden
dart to one side after a cat that was
slowly picking its way across the street.
The cat, however, ran back as far as
;he curbstone on the other side, and
arned to see if there was any necessi-
" of making further retreat. The
GOV balanced himself on the edge Of the
curb and gazed at the cat, and the cat
gazed at him, then he slowly turned and
pursued his detected way His atten-
Jon was again aroused by the sight of
a newly painted fence with caution sig
uals flying from it, but he only paused
long enough to smear two or three OF
the pickets and scrape the new paint of
another and then went on as before.
The observer knew that something must
be wrong. He had lived next door to
that boy for year and was perfectly
well aware that when he allowed a cat
to go without chasing it to its death and
passed by newly painted fence without
leaving more than slight evidences OF
his inspection some serious calamity was
impending. @
you appear to be out OF spirits,
Robert, has anything happened" asked
the star man, engaging the youth IN
conversation when the latter arrived in
front Of his home.
'.Nuthin's the matter ceptin'" and
here Robert gave great jerk on
brick which he was attempting absent
mindedly to remove from the sidewalk,
s.ceptin that have got to 60 to dane
ing school. and as he said it, the brick
welded to his efforts and he straight
ened up with it in his hand and threw
il moodily into d corner of the yard.
Did you have to 60 to dancing
school when you were boy?' contin-
ued Robert supposing he had sympa-
thetic listener If you did, then you
know what's the matter with rue. |
have to PIT on my best clothes just as
ii it was Sunday, and kid gloves and go
where there is a lot Of girls. y
The utter disgust with which the last
word was uttered fully expressed the
feeling with which the average boy at
that age regards the opposite sex.
".What is the use of dancing, anyway.
Only girls want to dance and boys that
don't know how to play base ball and
who bring flowers to the teacher. When
I grow up you bet will be the captain
of a base ball nine, and then what diff
ference will it make about dancing.
Mother saws she wants me to have good
manners. suppose that means to al
ways have your hands clean and not to
tear your clothes. That kind of a boy
don't have any fun, and besides they
are only fit to play with girls. They
always get licked in q fight, and then
they tell the teacher things about the
other boys.
. Yes. ma am; Tn coming" he
called out in response to summons
from the house. A deeper gloom
seemed to settle upon him as his I'M
happy fate approached, and he dug his
the vicio,Isly into the bricks.
II should think you could have q
nice time 1T the dancing-school, " sug-
gested the listener in as sympathetic
tone as possible.
Well, don't, was the unyielding
reply. can't feel natural, some
how. Ny feet won't go in the right
direction, and then they put me with
the little boys and call it the awkward
squad could beat 'em all playing
baseball, and [ can throw farther and
straighter than any boy there. But
when it comes to dancing [ can't do
it. wouldn't care so much but
you have to dance with the girls, and
they made me dance last time with a
girl with red hair and freckles. and one
of the boys said that girl bit a boy
once because he stepped on her toes.
:" Why don't you engage some nice
girl to dance with YOU asked the
listener, beginning now to have some
real sympathy for the boy.
ssWelI 2 said the boy, squirming I'M
easily about as if he was in great pain,
g all the nice girls that don't bite are
gobbled II, before | get chance, or
leastways before l remember what to
say. Some boys talk with girls and
seem to like it. / don't see how they
can do it, What is there to say to a
girl? They don't know anything; What
Is, anything that is worth knowingly /
talked with a girl onc't and she ST I
she liked baseball cause the men Wd :
such pretty suits, but she didn't known
curved ball from home run.
Robert, are you eoming?.a again
sounded the warning voice from the
house.
YES, ma'am, directly responded
the boy. with evident regret. Mother
has got all of nay good clothes out, and
I've got to be scrubbed and myAars
poked into, and then there's the gloves, z