The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-06-15

Unload the fish in the merriest way,
And when the cargo is all ashore.
He runs ahead to the cottag &c door.
There the mother waits, with the supper spread
But stoops to pat fondly the curly head:
For fond and proud of her hoy is she,
The lad who q fisherman brave will be.
And then he lies down to slumbers light,
de dreams of a boat with sails so white,
And he sails in dreams far over the sea.
And who so happy and gay as he?
All, the day be distant when from the shore
He may watch for the boat that returns no
more!
When he turns to the cottare with weary tread
And the mother weeps for the father dead.
-Harper's Young People.
What Is a Coward:
"You are a coward"
Gam II"
1t was one of the crowd of boys who
were pouring out of the public school
who made the statement, another
who asked the question. Then a
closely cropped red head and a curly
blond head, a gray jacket and a
black one, four fists, four knicker-
bockered legs and two bookbags
seemed to mix themselves up in the
center of the street, and a crowd of
other boys closed in about them.
Not being acquainted with the rules
of "the ring cannot tell you of the
fight, but | believe that whatever the
little blond fellow who had been
called a coward could do with his
fists to prove that he was not one, he
did in the interim between the first
blow and the arrival of a very large
policeman, who lifted the pair apart
as a giant of the fairy tales might a
pair of Tom Thumbs, and inquired
sternly:
Say, what's the matter with yous?"
There was so much the matter in
the shape of bruised foreheads, black
eyes n bloody noses and pulled lips
that imagine motherly tears were
shed over both red and blond heads,
and am sure that both these boys
were told never to fight again, be-
cause it was both wicked and ungen-
tlemanly.
But what can a boy do when he is
called a coward? And if he will not
fight he is a coward; and worst of all
things is to be that, argued Johnny.
And he is right. A boy who is that is
worthless. And if it is necessary to
fight in defense of honor, of country
Or weaker folks, let him be ready to
do it.
But there are other things neces-
sary, too, and a great many fighting
characters are arrant towards at
heart; men who, when you come to
get at the root of the matte r, are only
braggarts who delight in terrifying
peaceful people.
In many Western country places are
men known as ''Jim the Terror" or
Sam the Shooter, who are spoken
of as having painted the town red
one day last week" and being danger
ous to the community. I've no doubt
that some boys fancy that, however
bad these fellows are, they must be
brave men. On the contrary they are
the most contemplate of .cowards-a
record of their exploits will prove it.
Two of them will rush through the
town armed to the teeth, raid the
saloon and drink some mild old Ger
mans beer without paying him for it,
smash the sashes of the candy store,
roa hldeous oaths at the window of
the parsonage, overset an old mar
with a basket of eggs, devour the
poor fruit woman's apples and or
anges, threaten to shoot the polite,
respectable elderly tailor on his way
home with a new suit of clothes, de-
molish things in the Chinese laundry
and cut of Chung Foo's precious pig
tail despite his mild petitions for
mercy, and insult country ladies who
have driven in, to shop, but wilt like
spinach in boiling water when faced
by three stout townsmen with good
revolvers.
remember seeing one of these men
who had been supposed to threaten a
certain village with destruction at
noon, hanging out of the ''lock-up"
window al dusk, weeping and beg
cling ''some good Christian" for
heavens sake to give him a ''chaw of
tobacker." He vas a coward of our
There is another person you think
very brave, perhaps. Your cousin
John who is at college. He looks
such a fine fellow as he sits telling
you little boys of the fun they have
'.huzing the freshmen" and you
think that when you are old as he
You will ''haze freshmen also.
Now there are few more cowardly
deeds done in this world than much
of that same college hazing. and the
fact that boys have been at it here
and in England for 200 years make:
it no better. To heap insult and in
Jury on some unotfending young
stranger, to cover him with mortified
ton when he naturally wishes to ap
pear bis best, to pain his heart ant
harm him physically. can be fun t.
no n but a coward. Nov and thel