The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1886-12-02
EsIE.1. NNE,s ROYmOOD.
why HE Does Not Particularly
YearR 10 be "a Roy Again.

watermelons in the dark OF the moon,
| would no doubt fall victim to that
overmastering passion as / did before,
but looking at it as ] do now, | would
be wiser. Boys cannot, however,
have the mature Judgment of man
hood without the experience and the
rheumatism that go with it, So it is
better that in our childhood we may
he able to eat raw turnip with safe
ty, and know something later on in
life. / Inotice great change in my
self while comparing my present con-
dition with that of joyous boyhood.
Then | had no sense, but ] had a
good Digestion Now haven't even
the digestion. The hurrying years
have cayorte6 over my sunny head
till they have worn it smooth, but
they have left a good deal yet for me
to learn. am still engaged in learn
ing during the day and putting arni-
ca on my experience at night
Childhood is said to be the most
gladstone period in our lives, and in
some respects this statement may be
regarded as reliable, but it is not all
10y, ] have had just as much fun in
/
later years as I did in boyhood, though
the people with whom | have been
thrown in contact claim that their ex-
lperience has been different. | hope
they do not mean anything personal
by that
do sometimes wish that could be
boy again, but smother that wish
on account OF my parents. What
they need most is rest and change Of
scene. They still enjoy children, but
they would like chance TO select
the children with whom they asso-
ciate.
My parents were blest with five
brght-eyed and beautiful little boys,
three OF whom grew up and by that
means became adults. i am in that
condition myself j was the eldest of
the family with the exception of my
parents | am still that way. Ny
early life was rather tempestuous in
places, occasionally flecked with sun
shine, but more frequently with ret
ribution. / was not a very good
roadster when young, and so retribu-
ton was most always just in the act
Of overtaking me. While outraged
Justice was getting in its work on me
the other boys escaped through a
small aperture in the fence.
That is another reason why do not
yearn to be boy again.
When we ran away from school to
catch clubs, and when we built fire
to cook them and the fire got into the
tall, dry grass and burned four miles
OF fence and sixteen tons Of hay for a
gentleman for whom had high re-
i gard, and | went back to put out the
fire, the other boys escaped and have
so remained ever since.
A just retribution has never had
any difficulty in overtaking me and
walking up and down over my wish
bone.
i When party Of us had been en-,
gagged in gathering Easter eggs in the
barn of a gentleman who was away
from home at the time and he return
ed just as we had filled our pockets
with the choicest vintage OF his sum
!, kissed hens, the other boys escaped
while | was occupying the attention
of the dog, and had to slide out Of
the second story Of the barn 1t is
still fresh in my mind as I write. |
wore my fathers vest at that time and
it was larger than was necessary, Ny
father was larger than at that time
for was only nine years Of age and
!, had not arrived at my full stature
In sliding down the batten | discover
!, ed that the upper end of it was loose
, and that my flowing vest had Slipped
: over it, so that whenI got down
about four feet hung with the board
buttoned inside my bosom and The
scrambled egg oozing out Of my
knickerbockers.
q The batten had sprung back agains
the born in such way as to proven
my unbuttoning my vest, and while
Il hung there on the side Of the barr
9 like coon shin, the proprietor cam
IS around and accused me OF premature
HI ly gathering his eggs.
r / had heard truth very highly spok
l. en- Of by people who had dabbled in !
e more or less, and so resolved to tr,
l. it in this instance. So / admitte,
o that such was the case, and it was tn
a best thing could have done, for tn
n man said as | had been so fran
e. with him he would take me down O
n soon as he got his other work don,
O. and he was as good as his word. A
to ter he had MIXED nine COWS. and fe
k nine calves he came around With
ar ladder and took me down. He ais