The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1907-03-02

ture had fallen to it's normal state, h,
would steal out to the stump of tina
felled tree, and bury, in common
/ sepulchre. his Ratchet, and his faitl
in the story of George Washington.
Then there is another ideal bo,
whom we read about, and used t.
weep over, that embodiment and per
sonification of obedience, tina
ridiculously, absurd and impossible
character. the creation of poetic
fancy, little Casabianca who stood or
the burning deck, whence all but him
had fed" etc. Oh, we'll do remem
Der how I dotted on little Casabianca
in my youthful days. how l admired
his heroism and lamented his fate
How often | used to thrill the school
with my defamation of that poem
recall tonight the commencement
exercises (the last day of schoOI
when l. barefooted boy, chose that
noble theme and arose before the
eager, anxious audience, and gave to
them my Interpretation of it; how I
worked my big toe into knot hole, so
as to give my body sufficient leverage
and momentum, in order that | might
sway with the audience as l swayed
it. Now, my theory about Casabianca
is, first, he was a small chunk of airy
nothingness, to which the fertile and
poetic brain Of Mrs. Hemans gave a
local habitation and name, or, Sec
Ond, If mistaken in the first con-
lecture and he really did exist and had
the experience with which he is cred.
tied, then that the reason he didn't
leave that burning ship, was, he
couldn't swim, and true to the nature
of the small boy, showed, even in
death, his aversion to water, or, third,
that the paraphrase is correct, which
runs:
THE boy stood on the burning deck
He would not go
Because he loved them so."
Although my thirsty soul painted for
= III; Ideal u boz. s even even the hart
panteth for the water brook" yet it
only found in his stead, his erring
brother, the real boy-whom I have
met on his native heath, and in his
neighbors fruit trees-with whom l
have gambolled on the green and
gambled with marbles) on the street;
with whom l have gathered nuts by
day, and water-melons by night; who
has chewed my gum, and whose gum
have chewed; with whose nose my
fist has frequently come into contact
and vice versa, especially vice versa.
can almost see the stars now that
saw so plainly then; l have, in fact,
padded with him along the shores
Of time, and been padded with him,
from time to time.
l wish l were capable of painting
his picture this evening, but it would
lax the genius of the Old Masters to
paint his picture true to life and do
him justice, to put into colors that
glow Of health and mischievous look,
% catch the CLEAN of his eye and pose
Of his beau, and the general outline
IF his picturesque person, as he stands
with hands in his bullying
pockets, leaning against the fence de-
,ating in his mind, soliloQuizing with
IN earnestness that Hamlet never
knew.
70 go to school or not to go to school,
that's the question,
Whether it's nobler in the mind to
suffer the confinement of the school
room, and the platitudes of the
teacher,
Or to play Rookie and have a good
time,
TO play Rookie and perchance get
caught.
Aye, there is the rub.
Observe him please, after his mind
S made up, and he has concluded
hat Rookie is the correct thing, with
| fishing pole swung over his shoulder
Ind can Of worms in his hand,
headed for pond, little he cares how
he world wags or the school runs, so
he fish bite.
There is so much of genuine huma,
nature in the makeup of the small boy.
lie is such faithful likeness of oul
lead selves, there hangs about him
such flavor and odor of "Auld Lang
Syne" that We fondly take his hand