The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-12-09
CLEVELAND AS A BOY.
He Was the Best One OF the Lot at
Stealing Apples.

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Grover Cleveland was fat boy-fat
even 10 the degree Of chubbiness, when
first I saw him." a veteran said the other
day "lt was up Onondaga way, In the
little village of Fayetteville. His father,
DR.. Cleveland, had retired from the minis
try and was living there with his family.
He had little else-in fact he was even
poorer than the average retired minister.
AS to Grover. nobody called him Grover
then. To everybody he was Stephen, or,
more Familiarity, Steve. He was by no
means so bright as his elder brothers,
Neal and Cecil Neal, whose full name
was William Neal, was as tall and spare
as Stephen was thick and squat. Cecil,
who died young, was my particular chum.
Our homes were but a little way apart.
Stephen was perhaps the last boy in
school for whom anybody would have pre-
dictcd a career out OF the common. Yet,
looking back at It now, l can.recal GER
tain traits in the boy tina. nave made
for the mans advancement. He was sell
fsh-nOt in the loose. amateur fashion OF
ordinary lads but with massive, dogged
selfshness, that has. | fancy IN later
days often served as a tulcrum Tor the
lever of his political advancement. lie
knew what he wanted took astounding
chances 70 get it. and once he got 1t did
not know how 20 let go.
Somehow there grew up great STIR
IN the village. founded on fear o: burg
lars. Several stores IN neighbOrng towns
had been robbed, so my employer decitfd
that | and his bOok-keeper had better
sleep in the store every night We did
not mind that at all. The fear OF burg
lars was something dim and remote-not
to be- named against having the counting
room all 10 ourselves. when the day s
work was done. The counting-room
boosted a big stove, ana we were free
to keep up the fire as late as We choose
also to receive visits from whoever we
pleased.
That. OF course, led 10 egg suppers.
don't know II the egg supper has gone ont
Of fashion-in those days IT was A pretty
Jolly affair We contributed the Stove
some crackers, cheese maybe some
canned oysters. The boys outside brought
the eggs. How they acquired them We
never asked There was a sort of super
stltion. though. that lad lost caste II
he was suspected Of buying them. TO
cook them we made the stove Kissing
nor then spread smooth brown paper
unon the TOP. and broke eggs thickly
upon Il. OF course the paper in between
caught fire. and burned up-equally, or
course, the eggs themselves oiten
scorched But that made them all the
better. Every boy keeps somewhere
about him a tang OF barbarism-though
we did not say so. fancy we Imagined
we felt like big. bold sayages at a hunt
ing feast He who ate most eggs, and ate
them hottest. was sort OF champion.
IL [ recollect Alright stephen Cleveland
won that distinction at the first time or
trying.
II know he came bullying all over with
eggs-we counted up 10 five dozen, and
there were many more. How he came
bv them nobody asked. II was not the
thing to do. you understand. But next
day there were various and sundry COM
plants afoat.-compaints OF rifed hen
coops. and missing eggs. The COM
plants. however could not spoil the SAVIOR
OF those we had swallowed