The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-06-06
Kansas Boys and Their Ways.

Nahsas Boys and Iheir ways.
William Alien White OF Emporia- After
him is Ed Howe
When a Kansas hoy attends school wear
ing pair u new shoes, he IS not Of
Tended when every boy In the school tries
10 SPIT on them. II is a custom
One Of Ed. Howe's bright observations
of boys is that when YOU send one up
stairs for something. he yells back ;mnie-
dia;ely on gaining the last step. Il cans
find it,
Every boy who has freckles has horro.
that they will still remain on his face wher
he becomes a man
During the final examinations Of sehoo
no boy will express confidence OF promo
ton. Boys have a suspicion that II they
are tos sure. they viii get left
In swimming boys have three styles. dos
fashion" 'sailor-fashion, and over
hand" Boys who swim "dog-fashion" are
graded low and are ducked If they become
TOO gay
"Belly-buster'' is a boys wcrd An inexpc-
rienced diver strikes the water fiat upon
his stomach. A loud report follows and
the diver is punished enough to make him
an object of ridscule.
Boys easily learn to distinguish between
nil NJ
perch or bull-nead- Turtles and GELS nio-
BILE much the same. and boys can not DIS
tinguish between the two. Turtles are ex-
ppert at stealing the bait.
Old anglers with bamboo rods and silk
lines, will reel out line TO a six-ounce bass
and call it ''tiring him out" If a ten
pound FISH gets on boys hook. he yanks
it out Immediately without more ado.
Once in his lifetime every boy Is bun
coed by night fishing. He is given 10 under
stand so much that the fish bite best a,
night that he, with companions, at last tries
it, By o'clock the crowd gets sleepy and
lonely and pull out for home. wise moth
ers in every instance having left the front
door unlocked in anticipation of disaster.
In tops there are a number OF queer Gus
toms. Every top manufactured has a wood
en- head. Immediately after a purchase OF
a top, a boy cuts this head of and cuts
a ridge near the bulge. This IS Invariably
done Many times the wooden head is pull
ed out entirely and the cavity filled with
lead. When one top is spun against an
other Il is 'blunt-lick;" when the SPIN
die strikes the attacked top il is spindle
lick" II top has blunt spindle it dances
around gleefully and is known as sally
walker" A short, heavy string is some
times used and is known as a .'bull-rope.'
A tops existence ends when its spindle
slips out and is lost, and the. manufac
turers take good care to see that the spin
dies are insecure.
In kite-fying, there is very little amuse-
ment and one day a year of 1t will satisfy
almost any boy. There are in every gang
of boys, misty stories of certain curious
shaped kites which IL Is possible TO make.
But boys never do make them. The only
kite made, outside of China, is a three
stick affair Paste is necessary and the
paste is made out of -four and the average
boy gets II into his hair and eyes and facS
and all over the kitchen. Great care is nee
essary to keep the kite in shape while the
paste is drying. A very slight touch from
a dog or cat or even the hired girl will
put II all awry, and many a kitchen REBEL
ion has resulted from just such an accident.
After this is ready, il IS very difficult to
get the tail of the right weight. After this
is determined big weed is tied to the tail
and up she goes. A few messages" ARD
then sent up, the thing gets very monot-
onous, down she is hauled and the kite fe-
yer is over for another year.
Boys are very much afraid of policemen,
but do not fear them half so much as they
do railroad conductors. The railroad con-
1uctor is sovereign in chief. The average
boy is afraid that he will be wrongly sus-
pected and damned into Jail and disgraced
before he can set himself right, II he ever
can. Although boy may smile when
placed in cell. his humiliation is a most
terrible thing, and the officer who by mis-
take or for some slight infraction, first in
PRODUCES boy to a city prison. has mark
ed up against him on high. a black blot
If discrcdit. Railroad conductors are given
their high grade by boys from the fact
that they are out OF the pale of policemen.
No boy can ever remember having seen
policeman arrest a railroad conductor. Ere
luently groups of boys may be overheard
discussing on Just what crisis would take
)lace If a policeman would be rash enough
. attempt to lord IL over a conductor.
Ed. Howe In his "a Moonlight Boy tells
low Kansas boy in New York entertains
lis eastern relatives, LAS a matter of fact,
knew little about Indians having seen
MY vagrant remnants of yagrant tribes.
,ut I professed to know all about the tran,
he tomaha~k, the war-dance, and the
calp. / had seen vagrant Indians 20
through the war-dance In return for nick
Is from idle men and boys. when IL seem
4 20 me that the Indians were thorough
y ashamed Of themselves. and that their
cultural exclams tons told Of low fast they
onld run when pursued by soldiers. hoS
ften they had beaten their wives and
ow expert they were as Migrants. thieves
nd sssass.ns. rather than Of their BRAY
y In war; therefore. Z promptly accepted
n invitation 70 represent a war-dance and (
Jumped about the floor yelling "Who-ah, /
Vho-ah" az the same tine wildly flying |
ny arms around. Then ! gave an irrsta- |
ion OF taking a scalp. using little Tom FOR |
subject. and pulling his beautiful curry 4
air UNTIL he yelled with pain, explaining /
5 ! did so that a Sioux always sad: 4
Ooch. Ooch, k.ows. ysw-ysS." (neaniag, /
Thus co I night the wrongs OF my fat1- /
rs-"D
In the current number OF McClure's & 4
clever story OF Kansas boys By VIII 4
White. entitled. - Recent Confederate 4
'ictory." ~ one point. Bud Perkins. the 4
on Of q confederate, s;roils into a vacant
-ore-.oom on the man street. whore Cap
All Myers Is Il charge. Here = a master
.roke:
When ire man replied kindly. TIE boy
oOk hear: 20 say: You must b@ kind Q.
inning things here. ] guess"