The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1886-12-04
II L Were . Boy Again.

bill Nye in Courier-Journsl.1
II / were boy again, endowed with
the same wild passion for piuckine
Watermelons in the dark Of the moon,
I would no doubt fall victim to tina,
OvermasteriDg passion rs did before,
Dut looking at it as do now, / wouid
be wiser. Boys can not, however,
nave the mature judgment Of manhood
without the experience and the rheu~
| mat,sm that 60 with II. So it is better
that in our childhood we may be able
to eat u raw turnip with safety, and
know something later on In life.
notice great change in myself
while comparing my present condition
with that of joyous b0yhood. Then 1
ton. Now haven't even the digestion.
The burryiDg years have cavorted
over my sunny head till they have
worn it smooth, but they have left
good deal yet for me to learn. am
still engaged in learning during the
day and putting arnica on my expert.
ence at night.
Childhood is said 10 be the most
gladstone period in our lives, and in
some respects this statement may be
regarded AZ reliable, but II is not all
/ Joy. 1 have had just as much fun In
later years az did 10 boyhood, though
the people with whom 1 have been
thrown in contact claim that their ex-
uerience has been different. 1 hope
they do not mean anything personal
| 0y that.
I 10 sometimes wish that could be
boy again, but 1 smother that wish
on account Of NY parents. What they
used most is rest aud change of scene.
they still enjoy children, but they
would like chance to select the chill.
dren with " nom they associate.
NV parents were blessed with five
orignt-eyed and beautiful little buys,
three of whom grew up and by that
| means became adults. / am in that
condition myself. I was the eldest of
the family with the exception of my
parents. l am still that way. My early
life was rather tempestuOus in places,
occasionally hecked with sunshine, bu'
/ more frequently with retributiOn. l
was not very good sroadster when
Young, and 50 retrIbutiOn was mos,
always Just il the act of overtak lug
me. While outraged justice was get.
II
escaped through small aperture III
the fence.
That il another reason why 1 do not
yearn to be boy again.
| When we ran away from school to
catch chubs, and when We bulit fire to
cook them and the fire got into the tall
dry grass and burned four miles OF
fence aud sixteen tons of hay for a
/ gentleman for whom had high re-
! gard, and 1 went back to put out the
| tire, the other boys escaped and have
| 50 remained ever since.
And just retrioution has never had
any difficulty in Overtaking me and
! walking up and down over my wish
bone.
When party of us had been en-
gagged in gathering Easter eggs in the
| barn of gentleman who was away
from home at the time, and he return-d
Just as we had filled our pockets with
| the choicest vintage of his suu-kissed
mems, the other boys escaped while l
was occupying the attention of the
dog, and l had to slide out the second
| story OF the barn. 1t is still fresh in
my MUD AS l write. l wore my faith
er's vest at that time, and II was larger
than was necessary. My father was
| larger than 1 at that time, for was
only nine years Of aye and had not ar
rived al my full stature. In sliding
down the batten / discovered that the
upper end of it was loose and that my
flowing vest had slipped over it, so
that when 1 got down about tour feet
| hung with the board buttoned inside
my bosom and the scrambled egg ooz.
! ing out of my knickerbOckers.
The battan had sprung back against
| the barn in such u way as to prevent
nv unbuttoning my vest, and while l
nung there on the side of the barn Xix e
| coon six in, the proprietor came around
aad accused me of premaiurely gather
ing his eggs.
had heard truth very highly spoken
of by people who had dabbled in it
more or less, aud so l resolved TO try it
in this instance. So / admitted that
such WAS the case, and 1t was the best
thing could have done. for the man
said as had been SO frank with him
he would take me down rs soon as he
vnt his other work done, and he was
NJ good as his word. After he had
MIXED nine cows and fed nine calves
ne came around with a ladder and
took me down. H. also spanked me
and set the dog on me, but did not
mind that. for was accustomed tn II.
To hang on the side of n barn. how-
ever, like an autumn leaf, trying to
kick holes in the atmosphere, is disa-
preeable, This incident cast gloom
II ma oil