Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-22
HE WAS A BOY ONCE

Little Robbie Frontgate, aged seven. was
put through punitive treatment for his sins
by his mother last Saturday. During the
week he had been late for dinner nearly
every evening, and when he did appear at
the meal his cracked and soiled-caked
knuckles and the clay on the knees OF his
knickerbockers plainly indicated that an
oyer-indulgence in the insidious game OF
allies, or marbles. had caused his hardness.
For these and other delinQuencies little
Robbie Frontgates mother had resolved to
keep him in the house all day Saturday,
and she told him Of her intention. Without
putting up any whimper over the matter
he told his mother that he had an tmpera-
tive engagement to play game Of foot
ball on Saturday and that he really didn
see how the important game could go on
without his presence, but that DION cut
any figure with his mother.
"YOu've been a bad, disobedient boy, she
said, in precisely the same tone that that
same remark has been made by mothers
since the reigns Of the Hyksos Kings OF
Egypt, and little Robbie Frontgate, seeing
that he was dished for fair, accepted the
dictum philOsophically.
Long before 10 o'clock on Saturday morn
ing at least a dozen of Robbie's pals ap-
peared at his front gate and yelled for
him. But there was nothing doing, so far
as Robbie was concerned. He told them
rom the second-story window that he was
up against 1t, and that there was no way
in life that he could get out Then all of
his dozen pals, in their turns, rtd1culed MIN,
and yelled the inquiry at him: Say, are
you tied to the bed post?" and otherwise
made him feel very cheap and small. he
watched them all disappear toward the va
cant lot with their face masks and other
foot ball gear, and the feeling was borne
in upon him pretty strongly that, after all.
this life was a heap of frost and bad
job
During the morning four little girl
friends of Robbie's little sister brought
their dolls over, and they all played to-
gether down in the dining room. Robbie
Joined them after a while. He looked on
with his hands In his pockets, and a dis
dainful grin on his face while they cut out
paper doll clothes After a while the four
little visiting girls seemed to feel that they
ought to play some game that would In
tereSt Robbie, and SO they got out their
jacks. Robbie took hand in the game of
jacks, but he looked sadly bored, and gaZed
gloomily out of the window every little
while. After that the little girls got out
their rubber balls and tried to get Robbie
to play "ketch'' with them, but remember
ing his regular league ball and bat up
stairs in his room, he couldn't stand for
such trivial, girly-girly things as rubber
balls, and declined. Then the little girls
began to draw pictures Of houses on their
states.
Robbie dryly remarked when they asked
him to get out his slate that he got all of
the slate that he needed In his business dur
ing the five school days Of the week, and
he looked diSmally out of the front WIN
dows some more. The little girls then asked
Robbie to help them count their tin tags
and picture cards. but Robbie really
couldn't see this at all. Then the little girls
began to ask Robbie, as being in one school
grade ahead of them, questions about geog-
raphy, but Robbie told them that he
wouldn't know thing about geography
until the following Monday morning. They
tried to get him to play beau bag and hi
spy and blind mans buff, but Robbie quite
failed to see anything in those games, and
he yawned at the mere mention of them.
After Robbie had had his luncheon at
half-paSt II o'clock, he went upstairs to
his room to do some whiting on an an
Choir that he'd been cutting on rainy
days for some time past. About l o'clock
RObb!es father, who had arrived home late
for his luncheon, went upstairs to his room
the second story front-to get a handker-
chief. While Robbie's dad was primping up
a bit in front Of the glass he overheard
Robbie, who was whiting away in the
back room unaware Of his fathers nearby
presence talking to himself.
Jacks, hey?" Robbie was saying to him
self. Huh! jacks! An paper dolls! Paper
dolls Is excitin', 1 don't think. An bean
Heights Giants! An hi-spy an blind mans
buff an DRAWN pictures slates!
At this point little Robbie paused for a
moment, sighed heavily and murmured:
AW, rats.
Little Robbies father, listening in the
front room, grinned quietly. Then he set
up a big coughing. so that Robbie would
hear him. Then he pushed open the door of
Robbie's room.
''You here, son. said little Robbie's dad
in a surprised tone. Whats the matter
that you're not out with the boys?"
Little Robbie explained why.
''Um," said Robbie's dad. well, you
want to mind your mother next time, that's
ALL"
Then little Robbie's dad walked back and
forth for minute with his hands in his
pockets.
Say, Robbie he said with a sort Of
sheepish air that Robbie couldn't notice,
your mother and 1 are going to spend this
afternoon shopping down town, and WEIR
going to take your little sister along" and
he darted little Robbie a meaningful look
which the boy understood.
'And looka-here, youngster, you want to
be back in the house before we get back,
or thereIl be trouble; you hear?"
Little Robbie heard. He played foot ball
last Saturday afternoon, and there was no
trouble afterward.