The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1888-06-29

tor quails or squirrels or hawks
Just because they are wild anC
won't submit TO us. | saw hun
dreds of squirrels in park al
Memphis, but nobody wanted them
for they were tame, and would cal
nuts from your hand. We prefer
a Wild rat to tame squirrel.
Now, | am not excusing a boy
for rObbing a birds nest, for it is
cruel-mOre cruel than 10 catch a
| fish, for a fish is lower order of
living creatures, and does not en-
IJoy life like bird. A fish has not
got much more sense nor feeling
than monkey wrench, but it does
distress the old birds very much TO
take their young away or to break
up their nests. Then, again, the
boys don't understand the nice
distinctions between meum and
tenn, mine and thine, They don't
know where the line is between
wild things that belong to every
body and those that are near the
house and belong to somebody.
Why, one day the impudeut, III
hammered rascals came In nv
meadow and killed the squirrels
we had been Iaislng for years. |
complained to some boys once be.
cause they robbed my mocking
BIRDS nest, and they said, why,
that nest was or the other side of
the road. Some folks have to post
their lands to keep intruderS off,
but that don't keep off very much,
and the hunters set him down as
stingy, selfish old cuss. They tramp
down my corn every year to catch
few fish in the creek, and as for
the watermelons, we have quit
planting them far away from The
house. A white boy about 16 years
old will steal a melon as quick as a
negro, and he Will be meaner about
it. for he will plug a dozen to find
ripe one. A white man who will
steal at all will steal anything, and
he always carries some envy or
malice along with him, but negro
just takes little things that he
thinks you don't need and won't
miss, and he is really much obliged
to you for having a surplus. He
has no malice and no envy. He is
glad you are rich. had an old ak,
and one day when | wanted it |
couldn't find it. | made such a
fuss about IL that one of the dark
les broughalt home and said he was
jes keepin it for me till | wanted it. |
But white man came along one |
day and stole the new one, and |
when my nabOr who made the
handle saw it at his woodpile and
asked him where he got it, he said
he found it in the big road. He
has got it yet, reckon, for | never
troubled HIM about it. | had rath-
er negro would steal from me
than a white man-he does it so
and so innocently.
"Uncle Jack. they say that you
darkies are stealing coal from the
cars every Saturday night when
hey stop over for Sunday"
snow, boss, you know dat amt
10 such thing. | neber has tech
| bit of dat coal. Maybe de chill
un take little now and den, but :
lie railroad neber miss what dev a..
axe. Dem big long kyars jes so !
ull dey ruined over" and he !
aughed a right honest good-natur- ]
d laugh" .
Ratph lost his knife and Ned /
ound it and swapped it off quick, S
nd when it was found out he took s
Ugh ground and SAID he ".fOun dat n
nife away down yonder by de big Q
ate." There are lots OF folks who n
INK that finding a thing gives n
lem right TO it. Some boys find b
larbles and balls and pencils, and II
eep them-most all boys do some W
tile mean thing on the sly, things ia
ley are ashamed of afterwards. | m
elped some boys steal watermel- W
IS once and was caught at it, and er
1t meau long time. | am glad bI
was caught, for it cured me early. so
ne owner came right upon US in "a
e corner of the fence and SAID of
Why, boys, you don't know how FRI
tell ripe melon from a green sh
Ie. Let me get you some ripe nj
les" And he thumped around In
id found some and sat down with m
and helped US eat them, but m
cry mouthiul choked me and IN
Ick IN my throat. He was good w,
an and never told on US. The
cd boys we read abOutin the sun
y-schOol books are very scarce
the boys who never told story, hi
took lump OF sugar on the sly ar
who never copied a sum from wl
other boys slate - who never rn
INT in a-washing, or kept a secret ter
I'm their mOtheT-whO never had N,
ight and didn't tell it-or never he
id devil and durn and dog on il ~
Tay from home. When | was MI
out thirteen | was the mill bov, e.,
d | had to 60 about two miles 10 ne
il, and | always managed 10 90 an
th some other boys, so as to run On
rse races coming back. Some w;
les | could have got the meal by IN
itIng little while, but the temp wi
ion was too great, and so | had tw
tell a little story so as To get to we
e coming home and then race
am going after the grist. BOYS
We their temptations just like ed
N, and the men fall about as =,
en- as the boys. The difference