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

Ill IPO l. VI AN1D GllIJA M.
vi read with great interest the analytical
stories of the present day. What strikes
me most about them Is the state Of mind
of the hero or heroine. My reading shows
mc that these individuals have the most
tender and questioning cOnsciences 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, / have to admit that am
not at all that kind of person How !
came to be projected into such an analyti-
Cal world | have been at II loss to imagine
A thing always appears to me to be right
or wrong, and | take the one course or
the other, as seems best at the moment
and my conscience rarely bothers me with
questions
But this world is a world of compensa-
tiOns, and what a person misses in one
stage of life he frequently finds inanother.
If my conscience doesn't question me my
little boy does. He more than makes mp
for any deficiencies of past life. lie can
ask me more questions in minute than
can answer in an hour.
He has an irsatable desire for stories,
A1d here Providence again steps in to my
relief. If he were like me, desiring 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 / have ex-
planned that ruby slipper or an amber
one is much more expensive, he declines
to accept it.
AS lie grows older ! am appalled, to find
that an occasional desire for d fresh story
takes possession of him. III plis mania
continues l fear that | shan have to de-
sert my family and seek refuge on some
desert island. AS this country Is full of
little human interrogation pointsI intend
now and then to print some Of my efforts,
50 chat other afflicted parents may ward
off for time the attacks of their too in
quiring offspring, and il any one has any
thing new in the way of bloodthirsty
narratives suitable for children Of tender
years, | would take it as a great oblige-
ment if they would give me some hints
about them.
Papa, want new story this time. =
pH'Do you reallyf'
Eyes, a real new one that nobody knows
about"
"Weu, once there was a man named
Ala Bahia and he''-
ooh, that's the Forty Thieves ~
ooh, you've heard that before, have
your
"Yes, lots and lots Of times"
citizen there was once poor man who
lived in wood. How does that strike
your
"That's a good one.
''And he had seven sous"-
"Was one called Hop-o-my-thumb?"
lyon hit it the first time. Heard that
one?"
"That's an old, old one. F."
ooh, you want something recent
something fresh. Now / understand
Well, about six months ago there was n
fellow named Jack"
"Not the giant killers
'tOh, no, that was several years AGO
This person was an agriculturst"
"What's that?'
"a farmer. He had wonderful success
with his crops, too. Heplanted one single
bean, and in the night it grew col
''NoW papa, that's mean"
''What2 The beans'
''NO, the story. You know shafts the
oldest one yet. [ knew that one when
was baby"
''What are You nOw?i
.I.'I'm big now. Biggern that story"
Then you want a story made like your
Clothes, bigger and bigger ovCry time
Don't you think il I'lct the tucis out Of
some Of the old stories they would ft?''
''No, they wouldn't"
"Then nothing win do lint 4 complete
new suit. Well, here goes.
"Sure?"
eyes, sure this time. one September
day got into the city Of Ans terdam -
Where's Amsterdamy''
SIN Holland"
"And where's IIolland"'
ooh, round Amsterdam principally"
"Ohn' Then pause "Why do they
call it Hollandg'
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
Sometimes the Hollanders wake up and
find themselves floating all over the
room"
'Isn't that nicef-
'eWell, they don't look on it that way. I"
"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?''
e ooh, yes Go on with the story"
"Wen, as l was saying / was in