Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-06
THE BOY OF AMSTERDAM.


me most about them is the state of mind
of the hero or heroine. My reading shows
me that these individuals have the most
tender and questioning conscence5. No
matter how trivial their action, the char
acters Of our modern books are tortured
by the most severe searchings Of heart and
the gravest of doubts as to the correctness
| OF whatever course it pleases them TO
pursue. Now, l have to admit that l am
not at all that kind Of person. How
came to be projected into such an analyti-
cal world have been at q loss to imagine.
A thing always appears to me to be right
or wrong, and l take the one course o.
the other, as seems best at the moment,
and my conscience rarely bothers me with
! questions.
But this world is world of compensa-
lions, and what a person misses in one
stage Of life he frequently finds in another.
II my conscience doesn't question me my
little boy does. He more than makes up
for any deficiencies of past life. He can
ask me more questions in minute than l
can answer in an hour.
He has an Unsuitable desire for stories,
and here Providence again steps in to my
relief If he were like me, desiring a new
story every time, would have been in
sane long ago. The imaginative power of
Dickens would fall short of the demand.
Fortunately, however, he is more than
| satisfied with the same story repeated over
and over again; but he resents any alter
ations in the good old yarns. He won't
| have thirty nine thieves nor will he put
| up with forty-one. Cinderella's slipper
must be Of glass. Although l have ex-
! planned that ruby slipper or an amber
| one is much more expensive, he declines
to accept it.
AS he grows older am appalled, to find
| that an occasional desire for fresh story
takes possession Of him. If This mania
continues l fear that / shah have to de-
sert my family and seek refuge on some
desert island. AS this country is full of
| little human Interrogation points intend
now and then to print some of my efforts,
so that other afflicted parents may ward
off for time the attacks of their too in
| curing offspring, and if any one has any
thing new in the way of bloodthirsty
| narratives suitable for children of tender
years, l would take it as a great oblige-
ment if they would give me some hints
about them.
Papa, 1 want a new story this time"
"Do you really?'
eyes, real new one that nobody knows
about"
well, once there was q man named
Ala Bahia and he''-
"Oh, that's the Forty Thieves"
ooh, you've heard that before, have
you?''
Eyes, lots and lots of times.''
''Then there was once poor man who
lived in wood. How does that strike
you?''
"That's good one.''
"And he had seven sons'-
"Was one called Hop-o-m my -thumb?'
"You hit it the first time. Heard that
one?''
That's an old, old one"
ooh, you want something recent
something fresh. Now l understand.
Well, about six months ago there was a
fellow named Jack
'Not the giant killer?''
''Oh, no, that was several years ago.
This person was an agriculturist."
whats that"
"A farmer He had wonderful success
with his crops, too. Heplanted one single
bean, and in the night it grew sou
Now, papa, that's mean"
"What? The beam"
''No, the story. You know that's the
oldest one yet. / knew that one when
was a baby"
"What are you now?'
''Im big now. Biggern that story"
'Then you want story made like your
clothes, bigger and bigger every time.
Don't you think if l let the tucks out of
some of the old stories they would ftp
''No, they wouldn't"
''Then nothing will do but a complete
new suit. Well, here goes.''
''Sure."
Eyes, sure this time One September
day got into the city of Amsterdam
Where's Amsterdam"
''In Holland
"And where's Holland"'
ooh, round Amsterdam principally"
"Oh!' Then a pause. why do they
call it Hollsnd'"
Because it is a hollow land. The land
is lower than the sea"
Then what keeps the sea out''
"Oh, it doesn't stay out all the time.
find themselves floating all over the
room"
Isn't that nices'
well, they don't look on it that way."
''What do they do.''
''Oh, they get out of bed and dive for
their clothes-then so and pump the coun-
try out and go to bed again. l suppose
you don't care to hear the story"
"Oh, yes. Go on with the story"
''Well, as / was saying, / was in
Amsterdam and l went to see the Koop- !
mans Beurs That's nice name, isn't /
i;?'
Eyes; what does il meant
''It is the exchange where people go to
buy and sen things"
is there one in Desroitf''
Yes. They call it the board of trade 1
there"
Does II get under water''
Lots of folks get swamped in boards
OF trade in sill parts of the world
"Was it full Of water in Amsters when |
you was there''
"No. That wasn't the water day. 1t .
was full of something else. What do you
think. now.'
MEM"
'No. It was men that l expected to .
find there, but found something far
worse than mel. Not . nan dared to
show his face in the exchange that day. /
They were afraid. What do you think it
was,''
Bears"
mo: that was not the day for either
bulls or bears. Something worse"
.sIionS.'
NO. sir. Worse than lions"
''TiCers then ;"
.sWorse than tigers"
81 didn't think there was anything
worse than tigers. Elephants
.tOh, ever so much worse than ele-
y