The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1894-06-09
THE YOUNG FOLKS.
INTERESTING READING FOR RnYs
AND GIRLS.

! INTERESTING READING FOR BOYS
! AND GIRLS.
! Evening Entertainments Over
/ heard in the Toy C1oset-The Right
Kind of Boy-DiscOvered.
There was to be compositions Friday
afternoon in place of the "pieces,' aud
the Frost boys were all bewailing that
! fact, except Willie; but Willie was
quite satisfied with the change.
II don't like speaking pieces very
WELL" said Johnnie Frost, aged twelve,
''but a fellow can learn short one
and make it do. I can never think Of
a thing to write about
! eyes, a very short piece will do for
for you," replied Eddie aged ten.
! 'Td be ashamed to say the pieces you
J do. I just learned a beautiful piece,
more than a column long, and won't
! get to speak it for-no tellin' when.
! Like as not we will get compositions
| every Friday now Oh, dear, what can
write about?''
"A hunting story, likely; that's all
| you think about" said Johnnie, with
an air of superiority.
"Say, Johnnie, what will little fell
! low like Willie write about?" qucried
! Eddie
HE couldn't write line, but teacher
| told him to write one if it was ever so
; Short" said Johnnie.
! Willie did not seemed to be troubled
! about what he was to write. Willie
| was only eight, you know, and proba-
| bly, did not realize what a dreadful
/ task writing a composition was; be-
sides that, mamma had helped him.
! This is what mamma says helped help
F., ed Willie so:
write little history of everything
that happened in one day, say of last
Saturday. Just write down the pleas
! ant, interesting things that happened
that day, and your composition will
| probably be nice enough for a little
boy Of your age.''
Last Saturday was a nice day."
thought Willie. Il could write down
every single thing we done that day if
it was not too hard to spell. We went
to the woods in the morning for spruce
gum, and Johnnie caught a bird, and
| so we came home without gum. to put
the bird in a cage. Mother said we'd
better wait till after dinner before we
| went after gum, and Eddy didn't want
us to chew any because we could sell
it and get money to buy fish lines. but
Johnnie and I did chew some. When
| we got home the bird was gone and
there was no hole in the cage Johnnie
| made, SO Johnnie said he just knew
Ned Steele had stole his bird. That's
all but the chores, and chores are not
r,1n oh
| All the week Willie went about with
| pleased, satisfied air. He worked at
the composition when his brothers
| We're busily engaged at the woodpile,
so that everything in it might be a sur
prise to them. 1t was a surprise in
| every respect, for when Willie read
| that portion of his composition in
| which his brother Johnnie accused Ned
| Steele of stealing his bird, Ned Steele,
who was a larger boy than Johnnie,
shook his fist vigorously, and. I am
sorry to say, that on the road home
! from school Ned Steele thrashed John
| ME Frost badly. While Johnnie's nose
was bleeding and he was smarting
| from sundry other bruises, the cause Of
| his trouble Whimpered. Il never
thought, Johnnie" and then Johnnie
| let his temper have full sway and
thrashed little Willie.
Two weeping, frightened boys came
| into Mamma Frost's kitchen that night.
! There was blood on both Of them, but
we must say, in justice to Willie, that
! it all came from Johnnie's own wound
ed nose.
1T was all on account of Willie's
composition" said Eddie.
! II don't suppose he meant any harm.
and I'm sorry whipped him. sobbed
Johnnie who was quite too big to cry.
! It took some time to explain matters,
| and that evening Mamma Frost told
Johnnie how wrong it was to accuse
q schoolnlate of stealing when he had
not positive proof that he had done SO.
| Then Papa Frost showed his boys that
it was quite possible for the bird to
make it's escape from the rude cage
which held it.
| The next Friday the boys had pieces,
but it was some time before Johnnie
! Frost and Ned Steele were real good
friends again, even though Johnnie ex-
! planned to Ned that he only thought he
was a thief for just a minute, when he
discovered the loss of the bird.
| Contests for Evening Entertain
ments.
| To pass the time pleasantly and gene
rate little rivalry is better than a con-
test for an evening entertainn mt Our
| grandparents realized this when they
had their spelling matches, and at ap-
! pie Feelings and corn huskinys strove
! to see who could get the biggest pile.
A grandchild of the spelling match is
a geographical pronunciation contest
For this two captains are selected, who
choose up one person being left who
| acts as leader When all are ready
! the leader pronounces some letter from
the a1phabet-any letter ne may hap
| pen to think of-and at once COM
mences audibly to slowly count five.
Before he has finished, the captain,
previously agreed upon, must pro-
nounce some geographical name COM
mencing with the letter mentioned.
Failing to do this he must take his seat
The leader pronounces another letter
and counts as before, and the captain
on the other side must respond before
the time is up-and so on, alternating