Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1884-11-27
THE TRIALS OF A BOY.
His Opinion About Dancing Lessons
and Girls.

His Opinion About Dancing Lessons
and Girls.
The boy came slowly down the
street. His hands were thrust deep
into his pockets, and he shuflled his
feet along over the pavement as he
walked. He had walked for two blocks
in this manner, as the Star man who
was watching him could testify, and
during that timc he had only varied
in his movements twice. Once when
he gave sudden dart to one side af-
ter Il cat that was slowly picking its
way across the street. The cat, how
ever, ran back as far as the curbstone
on the other side, and turned to see il
there was any necessity Of making n
further retreat. The boy balanced
himself on the edge Of the curb and
gazed at the cat, and the cat gazed ut
him; then he slowly turned and pur-
sued his detected way. His attention
was again aroused by the sight Of a
newly painted fence with caution sig
nails flying from it, but he only pauses
long enough to smear two or three Of
the pickets and scrape the new paint
off another, and then went on as be-
fore. The observer knew that some
thing must be wrong. He had lived
next door to that boy for q year, and
was perfectly we'll aware that when
he allowed u cat to go without chas-
ing it to its death, and passed by a
newly painted fence without leaving
more than slight evidence of his in
spection. some serious calamity was
impending
"Your appear to be out Of spirits;
has anything happened" asked the
Star man, engaging the youth in con-
versation when the latter arrived in
front OF his h no.
"Nuthin's the matter ceptin'-" and
here Robert gave a great jerk ON a
brick which he was attempting alb
sent-mindcdly to remove from the
sidewalk, "ceptin' that I have got to
go to dancing school," and, Us he said
it, the brick yielded to his efforts, and
he Strengthened up with it in his
hand md throw Il n,ondilv into cnr-
ner Of the yard.
"Did you have to go to dancing
school when you We're boy?" con-
tinued Robert, supposing he had
found sympathetic listener. "If you
did, then you know what's the matter
with me. l have to put on my best
clothes just as it was Sunday, and kid
gloves, and go where there is lot OF
girls"
Tho 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, any
way? Only girls want to dance and
boys that don't know how toplay base
ball, and who bring flowers to the
teacher. When / grow up, you bet l
will be tho captain of base ball nine,
and then what difference will it make
about dancing? Mother says she
wants me to have good manners. 1
suppose that means to always have
your hands clean and not to tear your
clothes. That kind of boy don't
have any fun, and besides they are
only fit to play with girls. They al
ways get licked in fight, and then
they tell the teacher things about the
other boys"
"Ycs, ma'am; Tn coming" he call
ed ont in response to summons from
tho house. A deeper gloom seemed
to settle upon him as his unhappy
fate approached, and he dug his toe
viciously into the bricks.
Il should think you could have n
nice time at the dancing school," sug-
gcsted the listener in rs sympathetic
tones as possible.
"Wcll, / don't,' was the unyielding
reply. II can't feel natural somehow.
Ny feet won't go in tho right direc-
ton, and then they put me with the
little boys and call it the awkward
sqad. / could beat 'em all playing
base ball, and can throw further and
straighter than any boy there. But
wien it comes to dancing, l 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 girl
with red hair and frecklcs, and one OF
the boys told me that girl bit boy
once because he stepped Oh her toes.'
"Why don't you engage some nice
girl to dance with you?" asked the
listener, beginning now to have some
rea] sv,nDnthv for tho how