The age-herald., 1901-01-13
Jottings by Kyb 5


 Like the verbs of all languages, l am conjugated in various moods and tenses That is, at different times I have widely different lines of thought and feeling. am also both active and passive; active principally on beautiful spring mornings when there is an excursion of young folks to some interesting place near our town, passive-from the Latin pateor, l su1er- when bills come due. But unlike the verbs I am always in the first person Yet in the various lenses my mood and voice are both largely affected by the secoho anu third persons.
 This morning when the school mistress came in I was dn the Reminiscent Mood,
 Past Tense and Active Voice. She be- gan at once to tell me about the bad boy of her school. Her remarks soon awaken ed in me a chain of remembrancess, ana
 She had not spoken far before l began to tell her of myself. Now, really, l do not remember ever to have been the oad poy of the school; yet with strict veracity
 may say that 1 was the worst one or the family.
 Well" I interrupted her, my sympa-
 thies go out strongly to your bad boy. This
 restlessness which is translated desire
 to do mischief, is one of the most certain characteristics of the worthy boy Witn-
 out it he can certainly come to nothing m
 this world"
 It was plain the school mistress wished to contradict that statement, but without
 giving her opportunity, I continued:
 "One of my chiefest delights was to lead
 other boys like myself into little harmless mischiefs of one kind and another. And
 they were not always as harmless as Joos turkey either if you know how harmless
 that was.
 We used to delight in making blow guns of canes that grew on the banks or the creeks, and wage war against our en-
 emies. In these fights we never divided
 against one another, but always sought
 the foe in open woodss. Most frequently
 it was some unlucky lizard against whom we would direct our guns of war, ana
 though he might take to a tree, he was indeed an active climber if we did not bring him vanquished to the ground. Those were my happiest days. How did enjoy trying new things, new experi- ments; no scientist ever liked it better. My father as you know, was minis ter. and hence in some respects was very strict upon us boys I remember distinct- lv-how maiden aunt used to tell me that fine Rad Man'-who ever that is-would get me if l climbed trees or threw rocks on Sunday.
 "One beautiful Sunday morning in June I was out dn the back yard under loaded peach tree. I wanted some peaches very badly I was somewhat afraid of the Bad Man vet surely there would never be better time to see If he really would come to take me. Father and mother both were tn the house, and would come Knew, at the slightest cry of pain. 50 after looking carefully around to see if he was about, I began to climb very slowly, watching in all ctrectionss for the long- fingered monster. He was nowhere to be seen of course. l fej rather disap- pointed But through the remainder of my boyhood days I could never respect that @afa Ina had da- ceived me.
 But" broke in the school mistress, T thought you were going to tell me about the pranks of bad boys and that l might learn how to take them in thedr petty
 meannesses. But here you've talked about
 things of absolutely no interest to sim
 gle soul except yourself."e I accepted the rebuke with a quiet shrug of the shoulders, which pleased the lady. I was not so dull as not to know that it was time to change the subject, nor even so stupid as never to have learned that woman is never pleased unless she has an opportunity to "say her say" So I asked her what she meant to do this beautiful Saturday. "I shall read"
 "Why do you read so much? It does seem that after being in the school room all the week you would need some recrea- ton on Saturdays"
 Perhaps I do,', she replied. But this is the only day have to myself, and must have something to study over during odd moments in the next week, and this is the way in which I get it.
 "Abcve all things else in reading read for thought-germaL Then in my best mos