The Baltimore County union., 1885-01-03
The Trials Ofa Boy.
His Opinion About Dancing Lessons and
Girls.


His hands were thrust deep into hi
pockets, and he shufaed his feet alony
over the pavements as he walked. II,
had walked for two blocks in this man
ner, as Tie Star man who was watch
ing him could testify, and during tha
time he had only varied in his move
ments twice. Once when he gave &
sudden dart to one side after a cat thai
was slowly picking its way across the
street. The cat, however, ran back a:
far as the curbstone on the other side,
and turned to see if there was any ne
cessity of making further retreat.
The boy balanced himself on the edge
of the curb and gazed at the cat, and
the cat gazed at him, then be slowly
turned again and pursued his detected
way. His attention was again aroused
by the sight of a newly painted fence
with canton signals flying from it, but
he only paused long enough to smear
two or three of the pickets and scrape
the new paint off another and then went
on as before. The Observer knew that
something must be wrong. He had
lived next door to that boy for a year
and was perfectly well aware that when
he allowed cat to go without chasing
it to its death and passed by a 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 Tile 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 a
brick which he was attempting absent
mindedly to remove from the sidewalk,
"'ceptin' that I have got to go to dane
ing school," and as he said it, the
brick yielded to his efforts and he
Strengthened up with it in his hand and
threw it moodily into corner of the
yard.
THE DANCING SCHOOL QUESTION.
"Did you have TO go to dancing
school when you were boy?" continu-
ed Robert, supposing he had found a
sympathetic listener. "Ifyou did, then
you know what's the matter with me.
l have to put on my best clothes just as
ifit was Sunday, and kid gloves and go
where there is lot of girls
The disgust with which the last word
was uttered fully expressed the feeling
which the average boy at that age re-
CARDS the opposite sex.
"What is the use Of dancing, any
way. Only girls want to dance and
boys that don't know how to play base
ball and who bring flowers to the teacher.
When l grow up, you bet will be the
captain of base ball nine, and then
what difference will it make about dan
cling. Mother says she wants me to
have good manners. suppose that
means to always have your hands clean
and not to tear your clothes. That
kind OF Doy don't have any fun, and
girls. They always get licked in
fight, and then they tell the teacher
things about the other boys
eyes, am; I'm coming" he call
ed out in response to summon from
the house. A deeper gloom seemed to
settle upon him as his unhappy fate
and he dug his toe vicious
ly into the bricks.
81 should think you could have a nice
time at the dancing school," suggested
the listener in as sympathetic tone as
possible.
"Well, 1 DON'T" was the unyielding
reply. "I can't feel natural somehow.
My feet won't 60 in the right direction,
and then they put me with the little boys
and call it the awkward squad. l could
beat 'em all playing baseball, and l
can throw farther and straighter than
any boy there. But when it comes to
dancing, l can't do it. I 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
freckles, and one of the boys told me
that girl bit boy once because he
stepped on her toes.
ONLY THE BRAVE DESERVE THE FAIR.
"Why don't you engage some nice
girl to dance with you,'' asked the lis
tener, beginning now to have some real
sympathy for the boy.
"Well," said the boy, squirming un-
easily about as if he was in great pain,
call the nice girls that don't bite are
gobbled up before 1 get chance, or
leastwayS before l remember what to
say. Some boys talk with girls and
seem to like it. l don't see how they
can do it. What is there to say to a
girl? They don't know anything; that
is, anything that is worth knowing. l
talked with girl onc't and she said
she liked base ball cause the men wore
such pretty suits, but she didn't know a
a curved ball from home run.
"Robert are you coming?" again
sounded the warning voice from the
house.
eyes, ma'am directly" responded
the boy, with evident regret. "Mother
has got all of my good clothes out, and
I've got to be scrubbed and my ears
poked into, and then there's the gloves, "
and the boy fairly groaned as he thought
of the prospect.
"When a boy has 'gagements with
other boys" he went on, "and has
things to attend to, he has no time to
go to dancing lessons in the afternoon,
when school is out Last week l miss
ed bully trade with boy up the street
cause l had to go to dancing school,
and the boys say if l can't come and
practice they will get some one else to
pitch on our nine"
The further narrative of his grief was
interrupted by the nurse girl, who made
Robert an unwilling captive and escort
ed him into the house. In the course
of half hour the neighbors beheld ar
elegantly attired and sturdy little gen
tleman emerge briskly from the house
his chubby round face glistening above
the broad white collar and his gloveC
hands conveying no plebian suggestion
of either base ball or dead cats.