The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-03-02
THE NEW YORK BOY.
Concerning Some Of His Peculiar
characteristics

The little New York boy is unique
creation. Like Pegasus he has no mate.
He is not like the well-bred little
Washington boy; or the learned little
Boston boy; or the good little Philadel-
phia boy-he is an artistic fusion of
them all, having an individuality as
potent and strong as Sarah Bern
hardt's. We have all seen him thou
sand times as he bounds buoyantly to
school. with An elasticity of step almost
rivaling that ascribed to young Vir-
ginia by Lord Macaulay, and his shin
ing morning face all pink from the nip
ping, frosty air. He is always clean
and fresh at this hour. with his polo
cap pushed back from his smooth blonde
bang, his body, just frightening out of
baby roundness. buttoned snugly into
his REFER coat, his tight knickerbockers
with three buttons at the knee. his
long black stockings, his unnaturally
large feet in stout calf-skin boots, laced
with a leather thong, and his modest
pile of books dangling at the end of a
strap. The innocence of babyhood is
still on his face. the clear and candid
glance of the pure child-soul yet in his
eyes. He is cherubic. The withered
old maid. with her cherished yellow
complexion. and the gathered front of
her bodice filled with airy deceptions
like an empty cream-puff, pauses to
gaze wisifully after him, as he skips
whistling down the street. The heavy
eyed lounger, with his seedy hat on the
back of his head. and the tails of his
dress-coat dangling sheepishly down
below mis- light overcoat, turns. and
with his tremulous fingers rubbing his
stubby chin, followed the dancing
figure with sad and haggard glance.
Both think pensively of what might
have been-being ignorant of what is.
The moving of CULVER by the Lili-
putians is nothing compared to the
matutinal moving from his bed of this
little boy. He sleeps soundly on his
face. with his round, sleek, blonde head
damned fiercely into the pillow. As
the clattcr of the breakfast dishes
sounds with cheerful promise through
the house, and the faint, seductive
aroma of coffee and hot rolls ascend
temptingly up the staircase, the air is
suddenly filled with shril feminine
cries:
"Bridget-where's Master Bertie?"
HE won't sthurr, mum, aven though
reive shuck him till T dim toired."
'.Bertie. Notwithstanding scale
"get up this minute you disgraceful,
lazy boy"
'.He's terrible. He won't stir. He'll
be late for school," says the head
nurse. signing despairingly.
''Rertie-get up. SIR" cries mamma.
and dashes through the hallway into
Berries room. her long hair flying. and
an ivory-backed brush held warningly
in her hand.
Then arises hubbub of haranguing
feminine voices, which rouse Berthe to
the extent of uttering long and lazy
grcan. and turning over with a slow,
bcatified smile.
''What shall I do with him?" SAYS
mamma, in desperation, addressing
the ceiling. He'll be late for school.
All the boys will laugh at you"
Il know it-but 1 don't mind.
like it, comes soft. drowsy murmur
from the depths of the pillow.
'.Arra now, git up, Burret-ain't yez
ashamed" says the under nurse, coax
lngly.
The head nurse resorts to action and
sweeps the coverlets down. exposing
Bertie's little lean legs. in all their un-
blushing tenuity, twined about each
other in an attitude more remarkable
than restful. She lays hold of him by
the ankle, and attempts to draw him
forth, whereat he clutches the beds
head and hangs on. Laughing con-
sumedly." The other children. in va
rious stages Of undress. stand in the
doorway and peep in. palpitating; their
fluffy, blonde heads make yellow blurs
in the bright morning sunlight, and
flannel petticoats of a spans length
stand out from their straight little
waists like faint "reminiscences of the
ballet last night They snatch a fear
full Joy" in watching the open insur-