Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-11-14

NAN LNt4NN ~ nv =
nm without trade or profession, and ldhnS
away nv tine with no apparent anxiety 10
be anything but a 10y.
In some RESPECTS this was true dd WISH
that bovhood and youth could remaln LOT
ever since all the manhood, or rather ma
turity. about me seemed a humdrum analr'
fuIl of care and ~vexation, and the older people
grew the less fun" they had in the World
wished. and even for a time thought, tina
things would always remain as they were
that the odd men" Of my youth would al.
WAYS remain about 50 old and no older anu
when | heard that William Lopez, the hrst
playmate Of nv infancy, was engaged 70 10
married 70 Fannie LuEaT, ii seemed 10 me- u
piece OF audacity As well as a serious mnoVs-
ton On the established order Of things
Gradually it Gawned upon me that must
cut loose from tops, marbles, kites n quai
traps. march cut into the world and do some
ching for a living. did 20 grudgingly. In
a. rr-IrH6R an. sG?yiSh ways and SPor"
deed l EeIu u. ., ~ "Hncle 5atNtad them
wears after my companions - uNpe,,
aside forever, douned frock coats Ing StanH,
inc collars. caudy necEtieS, tight bOOtS, and
deemed themselves proper little men-S lhey
were.
/ commenced doing for myself with a
series OF resolves To Be something great, II
not cool. l was one week a general, the
next an actor. the third an orator, finally q
sea captain. Iawoke from the~e dreams 10
find myself srll in status quo, eating the
bread OF idlensSS, parent and Sndry rela-
tiveS meantime broadly limiting that It was
high time | should do something.
Iapplied 70 certain solid men Of the village
as ~ the choice Of a profession. thought II
might raiSe me in their estimation - To con
suit them. They might see that l was III
earnest TO set seriously 20 work about mes
business knew that my reputation already
was none Of the beSJ. because l was one OF a
set. perhaps the leader, whose pranES at night
had gained with the Staid villagers an I'M
favorable notoriety. We rang door tells.
changed store signs, impOUnded stray hOrSs
in impromptu stables, built IN the middle OF
tie street at night Of empty dr. goods boxes,
raised false alarms Of fire, and did many
other things in cases amounting % Outrages
on property which boys at u certain period
consider it remarkably clever 70 DO, and
which may be the only means Of venting their
surplus energy.
In 80 applying % the influential men Of the
village l hal also a fond hope they might
help ma 20 a situation My father had been
their peer in business was not 4 stranger
My family and theirs had long dTelt IL tie
same town. The hop. was natural.
But there was no VrutFr: o; he help l
crayed. They taiEvl well and wisely, gave
NE much good adyi,r IN a general way,
calling l nigh, adopc would Le well for me
il / stuck 70 Il.
fhai then such q profound respect for the
Judgment Of these Ilcn that deemed they
had. in telling Ia nothing, told me some
thing valuable, and that 1 had done a good
thin- in consulting them Bat, practically,
l found myself exactly where / was te;Ors
my interviews. 10 Wit. nowhere.
In the midst Of M fluctuations aS TO the
choice Of a profession. the California gold
fever Of l>ly broke out. The problem WAS
solved / would 20 10 California and Il
come a gold digger. There was something
fascinating in the iica Of digging for gold,
much more sd than digging POTATOES,
though the difference between the two Is not
worth mentioning.
The fever seized most Of the village youth
Of my n age. \ ship was fitted out, a
former whaling yeSN.L Il was not - much
of IN undertaking for oar people 10 make
the long. drrGry voyage aruUui Cape Horn
u California Twu-JhiuE Of the crew ami
paSSengrr~ Of tho Ann Mary Ann hal made
tie trip before.
Seventy. all told. were TO sail i'm hat ship.
MaturvG men, young men and boys, taken
all together, constituting the fowe- Of the
village.
The SUNDAY before sailing the pastor Of
the Presbyterian church preached Us a fare
we'll sermon. The church was crowded The
seventy about 70 sail felt themselves the at
fractions Of the hour, o. they were.
The younger men ami boys came in a body
and occupied pews by themselves We went
fun Of excitement AMI anticipation. We
were the novelties Of the hour. We could
give but q moments fitting thought To the
sadness Of the gricyiuE mothers Ne were to
leave tehind We neither realized nor APP
preCiatcd their many little daily cares for Us
We bustlel ebout with all the Importance Of
fedgling>, proud of our pin feathers, and re
garding them quite aS good Us matured plum
agr. IL was au impressive OccaSiOn-nOt 81
much 20 me then, but - | 80 It nOw-Saily.
SOlgmnly impressive. since II was for 81 many
the final departure, not merely from homes,
relatives. friends and associations, but also
in 30 many cases from our interest in them
and their interest in uS-a hard saving. but
true. Tone a week. and memory Is fresh
with tEo>e who leave and those who are left
a month, and the raw, bleeding wounds OF
separation and tearing aSunder barely COM
meuCe 10 heal, six months, and new events,
situations associations, circumstances com
mence the process OF deadening grief; a year.
and we wonder where Il the heart hunger Of
a twelveIuonth past; two years, and our
friend i a memory; five Years, a dream.
with possibly half a dozen new personalities
standing between Us and her or him.
BOYS sat in those pews who We're 10 return
gray beaded. battered and worn from a
rough encounter with the world Of the
faTtheSt wtSt-whO az their next attendance
in that church would look in vain for the
dcacOns or prominent church members now
standing erect during prayer time, after the
fashion which still fingered in the rural
Presbyterian churches Of that day. Other
boys % that gathering, and Of these the
majority, were never Ia return. Their let-
tiers home, at first voluminouS were 10 les
sen in size, while the lap~S Of time between
each would i~ncrraSc. Searching for time
ever rcceding further in the distance. they
were 10 wander and become entirely lost 70
home and friends IN the remO.er regions IT
the west. Then unknown. unnamed. UNI
thought of, discouraged, reckless, weary
their pride AMI spirit broken. they were 10
I'll nEmelcS graves on lone hilSideS thou
sands of miles away, or else hurriedly buried
fn the crowded city, their bones would be
pS hurrieJiy turned up a few years after Us
1he population extended its limits and dug
and plowed its way through waste land and
cemetery.
j, in company with several Of my aSSOci-
ates, were grouped that evening about tho
Sections front door. There were three Of the
Seton SiStegS-BlaEche, the eldest; Mary and
Phoebe. The SeftonS' was a favorite resort
for our set Of young folk The parents
were plain, "eaSy-going" people, and allowed
US more privileges ~ their house than We
could find elsewhere The sisters were always
at home" for company, and the old people
allowed them pretty much their own way,
Other parents were not 50 accommodating.
Socially their houses were colder, and if We
called Ma generally came and sat in the
parlor while we were present, and Ma in
the estimation OF at least one person, il not
- 4s,,,- v-a. vary p11rsh Dnnf ~