The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-08-08
The ProverbiaI Bad Boy.

In behalf of that much-abused "bad
boy" L am constrained to take up the
pen in defense. In the first place, he
isn't half so black rs he is painted. /
am well aware of tho fact that. as
rule, he isn't u favorite of susceptible
ladies of a questionable age, who abhor
or pretend tO--anything in tho shape
OF manly brooches. To such, the bad
boy is a terror, and he knows it; if ho
didn't, he'd cease TO mako himself SO
everlastingly odious in, their estima-
ton.
Let the bad boy know TO q surety
that you dislike him, and you open up
n channel of tribulation that is prOduc-
tive OF much disaster, especially if you
own an orchard. gate that can be
lifted from the hinges, or dog with q
tail long enough to tie can to.
There is much truth in the old adage
You can catch more flies with mo-
lasses than you can with vinegar"
The proverbial ''bad boy is just like
one of these self-same flies. Give him
a dose of molasses and you win him for
life; but one drop of vinegar, and he is
your relentless foe. AS a true and de-
voted friend the s'bad boy''is success.
In his ever working brain are schemes
which will cause your hair to rise in
horror; and at the same time are gen.
dered acts of kindness which are capa-
BILE of thrilling your heart to the very
core.
Some one says that the bad boy has
too much rope. If he has you are to
blame. You give him the wrong sort
of rope. 1t is full of hard, sour, cross
grained, vindictive knots. If you had
there would have been no danger of
his dropping suddenly from the end
of it.
am acquainted with one of the
sweetest dispositioned boys in the
world. He is bright, quick, and per-
feet little gentleman when you treat
him as human being should be. He
will go mile out of the way to assist
q cripple over the fence; he will go as
far to fasten a can to Browns dogs
tail. Brown has carloads of apples;
he'd rather see them rot on the ground
than give one to the ''bad boy" He
wouldn't give boy an apple for any
thing. Oh, no; not he. He hates boys;
they're a nuisance, he says. The re-
suit is his dog chases his nose OCCASION
ally to relieve himself of the disagree
able, rafting tin can fastened to his
tail. . se
There is poor old lady who lives all
alone in a cottage across the road from
the "bad boys" home. That boy new
err goes to school without dropping in
to see if the old lady has plenty of
wood in her box. Call him a bad boy
in her presence and she will quickly
tell you that the world would be better
with lots more of just such bad boys in
1t.
1 am no admirer of that personifica-
ton of the goody-goody boy who never
did bad thing in all his life. He isn't
q boy; he's only a little machine wound
up to go for, say ten, twenty years.
Then, when for the first time he is really
tempted, the cogs refuse to move and
the wheels no longer revolve with their
wonted smoothness; bolt drops out
and-he falls. When the goody-goody
boy falls it is long, long fall, and it
takes years to recover his lost prestige.
/ detest and hate that evil minded boy
who has never sign of q redeeming
quality about him. He helps fill tho
prisons early in life; yet there may be
extenuating circumstances surround
ing his case; if so, let those who bear
him near kinship begin to practice ear
ly, or else-prison bars, rope, scaffold!
But the proverbial "bad boy" the boy
of rollicking laughter. rosy cheeks, the
boy who will help tho poor old woman
over the gutter, then hasten away to
grasses window, is person I've al
ways loved. This sort of boy makes
things lively while he Is growing; but
grown up-what q model!-H. s Keller
81 Utica Press.