The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1892-04-15

Eyes. They call it the board Of trade
there
Does It get under water?'
Lots of folks get swamped in boards
Of trade in all 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, nowf"
''Men?n
''No. II was men that l expected TO
find there, but l found something far
worse than men. Not man dared to
show his face in the exchange that day.
They were afraid. What do you think it
was?n
"Bearss''
'.No; that was not the day for either
bulls or bears Something worse"
"Lions?''
mo, sir Worse than lions"
"Tigcrs them
"Worse than tigers"
81 didn't think there was anything
worse than tigers Elephants9'
"Oh, ever so much worse than ele-
plants. Listen and hold your breath.
That great building was full Of little boys.
Yes sir. Think of th't."
care the boys In Amsters very badSn
''Bad? Aren't they bad all the word
over? But those boys were awful When
your Innocent father went there they gave
one terrifying whoop and went for him.
They stove i'll his hat; they tore his coat;
there were thousand boys, more or less,
on his shoulders most of the time, and
when your honored parent got outside
you wouldn't have known him. He was
the worst used up parent You ever saw -
'What did those boys do that for?
Didn't they know you had little boy at
home?''
MY son, they didn't stop to make any
inquiries. They seemed to want no par
ticulars about my family 1t was me
they wanted at that moment, and they
got me-"
81 think that was dreadful"
81 quite agreed with you at that mo-
ment You see, this was how it was:
There is one day in the year when all the
little boys of Amsterdam have the run of
the exchange. If a grown MP man goes
in that day they have picnic with him.
The doorkeeper knew all about it, but
your poor papa didn't, though he noticed
the doorman grin when he went in"
''He was a bad man.
Gle was, indeed, but to make up for it
ne told your papa all about why the boys
were there and so that kind of made up
for it. The guide book says that in 1922,
some few years before you came to this
country, the boys Of the town discovered
plot of the Spaniards to take the city of
Amsterdam, and since that time the
children are allowed to play for week in
the exchange. But like better the story
the old man told me. 1t was about u
little boy who was the hero Off '--
Not the hero Of Iaarlenl, papa?"
"What about hmE'
"Oh, that little hoy You know. He
staid up all night and didn't let the water
run into the town till his arm ached
Don't you remembers"
"Didn't l say this was a new story?
You arc Tying to work off that old one
on me-"
''Then it isn't that one, . with sigh of
relief.
mo, that danger IS past. This is an
entirely fresh one. The little boy was one
day playing under a bridge There are
lots of bridges in Amsterdam He heard
two men on barge tell each other how
next day when the king was to cross
that bridge they were going to blow it up.
You see the barge was full of gunpowder.
SO he little boy crept out and ran and
palace and told the kings men, AID they
went and caught the two men and found
the barge full of powder, and then the
men confessed and told who had given
them the money 10 do it, Then the king
sent for the l,tle boy and his father
brought him t..ere before all the court.
You may be sure the little boy was very
much frightened"
Odd they kill hmYi'
'Why, Of course not. What would they
kill him for:'
4 thought kings always killed little
boys when they caught them"
ooh, no. You wrong kings very much.
They often have little boys of their own,
and, strange,to say, like them very muen"
''And are they just like other folks
little boys}'
''Precisely the same. They make the
king tell stories till his head aches and the
crown won't fit. Wen. as l was saying.
the king heard how this little boy had
saved his life, and he patted the boy on
the head and told him that he could have
whatever he asked for.
"Then there was an awful, anxious mo-
ment for that boys papa. lie hoped the
boy would have sense enough to ask for
/ 500, 600 and new suit of clothes. Every
body held their breath to hear what the
boy would ask for. Now, what do you
think it wasp
"a rocking horse?"
"No."
GA locomotive?''
'No"
"a sleghP What was it?''
He said he wanted to play Gu day in
the exchange. Then everybody laughed
and his father tore his hail"