Mexico weekly ledger., 1885-08-13
Ksea- To New Subscribers Only! @asa
THE LEDGER
pas- Until January Isl, 1886,
FIFTY GENTS.
Always Cash in Advance.
The Progress OF Envy.
Always Cash in Advance.

for the wear and tear on ones dispo-
sition. 1t wall not help matters one
whit to feel sour and unhappy be-
cause your neighbor has something
you imagine you ought to possess
to secure contentment. Look back
at the friends of days gone by and
see how many of them have Jared
better than you. 1t is an interesting
and instructive thing thus to retro
spect.
WheE / was a boy of four I envied
the youngster who ate candy all the
time, while l had but little. Now that
youngster has no teeth and no stom-
aeh, so to speak, and l can bite a
peachstone in two and digest board
ing-house bread At eight / envied
the boy who always had a cent to
spend; he was afterwards sent to the
house of correction for robbing his
mother of small sums. At ten l en-
We'd the boy who didn't have to go
to Sunday-school; he was drowned
one Sabbath for skating, foolish lad,
on thin ice.e
At eleven I enyied the boys who
didn't have red hair like mine; l have
since learned that my mother loved
me just as much, and that my wife
imagines my head is gorgeous-be-
sides, any one can have the ordinary
shades of hair, while red is somewhat
of q novelty. At twelve / envied the
boy who was allowed to read dime
novels and police papers; that boy
now cannot tell who is President of
these United States, never heard Of
an Abolitionist or of Tammany Hall,
and is the umpire of a baseball club,
without a friend in the world except
his own nine. ,
At thirteen I longed to be permit
ted to run the streets CATER SUPPER
like the Smith boy; the Smith boy is
now a low ward politician Of the mi
nority party, has a red nose, but no
character. Atfourteen I wanted my
father to buy a big house, like the
dwelling occupied by the jenkins
family; the jenkins house was soon
afterwards sold TO pay the in
terest on the first mortgage,
but our little house is still in
possession of the family. AT fifteen
I wanted to leave the school behind
and go to work; at sixteen l wanted
to leave the shop behind and 60
back to school. At seventeen l en-
We'd young Dandy, because the
girls liked his black eyes and sweet
smiles better than my freckled face,
of which only one girl seemed proud;
Dandy was once sued for a breach OF
promise, and is now in jail for blga-
MY am free, have my best girl yet,
and my freckled-face boy calls her
mother. rS
At eighteen 1 wanted to put on
lots of style like other young fellows,
but was held back by pa; Ihave since
learned that the taflors paid for the
garments the other fellows sported,
and that the latter now borrow all
their tobacco with no idea of return
ing it. At nineteen 1 envied my
companions who carried gold watch
es, but it wasn't long before I had
my silver timepieee grabbed from me
by q pickpoeket; by the operation ]
saved at least fifty dollars. At TWEEN
ty 1 thought I was old enough tt
teach my p~aternal parent how to run
his business, and felt jealous Of young
men in partnership with their pas
when I discovered, however, that thu
old maj was lying awake at nigh
trying to devise a plan to meet
note, ! found sleep and comfort il
knowing it was his picnic and no
mine.
At twsnty-one I wished I had beef
a voter for ten years, as it was such
grand thing to blow about smy vote,
you know; ct the end of the year
when the time came for paying on
for taxes enough money to buy
new ~oyercoat, I would have bee
satisfied to have been denied th
right of franchise for ten year
more. At twenty-five L longed to b
a bright p~aragrapher like Hairbrain
Harbrain issnou in an insane asylum
while I am still able to write up dog
fights and smuggling matches in th
most approved manner. AT twenty
three l thought my friend Tender
lung the luckiest fellow in the worlt
because he had a good business an
s. beautiful home, while I toiled for
little lucre and lived in a PLAIN cot
TenderIung is now in Colardo cougl
ing his life away am still hel
and armstrong enough to blow IL
top out Of the biggest BLOWN!
machine you ever saw. At twent.
four 1 longed to go to the Legisli
tare ; the fellow that beat pe in &c
ting the nomination spent two thou
and dollars of borrowed money ar
was defeated by four votes. !
twenty-five I wanted to be rich i
stead of having to make my han,
sore in scissoring extracts for
country weekly; I have siuce learn'
that Jay Gould's hands get just
sore in cutting off coupons-besids
- I am not .blackguarded from Bee
sheba to Daniel as he is.