The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-11
JUVENILE AMBITIONS.
JeaIousies and Warnings That
Beset the Small Boy.
HIS MISERY AND TRIUMPHS.
The Things That Other Boys Had and
He Wanted and Couldn't Get-A Fat
Mans Memory Deeply Stirred by a
Pair OF Sleeve Protectors.

Pair OF Sleeve Protectors.
THE other day al a poultry market
saw a chicken butcher wearing a
pair Of those basket sleeve protectors,
and / stood and laughed like fool"
said the fat man. First time III seen
pair of basket sleeve protectors for
years, and so just had to laugh. Tell
YOU why. When l was tike / used
to look with wonder and awe upon q
fellow who wore a pair of basket
sleeve protectors. | considered that
fellow with pair of those things was
all right, all right, plus some more,
They had u kind OF jaunty air
about EN- that | couldn't and cant de
fine. but it was there, and | reyercd
and reyerenced EN-. | made up my
mind that if l ever grew up and got
the price, me. too, for a pair of those
basket sleeve protectors, no matter
what sort Of work I'd happen to tackle
"Quccr dickenses. boys, Ell? Mem
her those patent pencil attachments
that mdrketmen used to have-may
have 'em yet-htched to their aprons?
Wen, | thought those were pretty nifty
things, too, and | used to secretly
banker to own one of EN-. Made up
my mind that would own one Of 'em,
too. when | got to be Il man. but some
how | never seemed to want one
when | reached the shaving age.
Guess some of my ambitious as a
boy We're pretty crazy anyhow. l was
CT Of I %
that could spit through his teeth at a
mark and hit it that hated him. That
same boy pretty early in life got job
driving delivery wagon for a grocery.
Well. pretty soon after he got that job
he was wearing pair of those patent
elastic sleeve supporters. or holders. or
whatever you'd call 'em-things with
a clutch at either end that pulled the
cuff back from the wrist. This boys
pair Of those things were pink elastic.
and how he used to faunt 'em before
my eyes.
He knew blamed well that those
pink elastic sleeve supporters looked
finer to me than any Star of India or
Victoria Cross could possibly look. and
he knew besides that because l had
to 90 to school and wasn't earning any
thing there wasn't a possible chance
on earth for NE to get pair like EN-
made my life miserable Yet when
got to the wage earning age | never
seemed to care at all for pair of pink
elastic sleeve supporters.
Another boy that | hated had a
maroon cOlOred cardigan jacket. That
was before the day of sweaters. This
hated boy wore the cardigan jacket
beneath his regular outer coat and so
he didn't have to wear any overcoat
That, I considered, was a gorgeous
blessing-nOt to have to wear an over
coat to school. | dcspised this boy for
having it on me that way. Anyhow.
his maroon cOIOred cardigan jacket had
a couple of pockets in front that he
kept full of ali kinds of junk-some-
times he even carried mice to school i'll
EN-. And that made my indignation
all the greater-the fact that he had
those two fine covered up pockets to his
cardigan jacket.
One great triumph did come to my
that was the first boy of my school to
own a pair of copper toed boots. Well,
| sprang the first pair, as l say, at my
school. and l guess | didn't break the
hearts of all the other boys or nothin'.
BESIDES the copper toes, these boots
had red tops, with silver star and
crescent stamped on the red tops, and
that made the blow all the more fright
full to the other lads that had to see
me stalking around in those boots.
After awhile. though. nearly all of the
other youngsters showed up with cop
per t0ed boots and thus took the wind
out of my sails.
we never see boys wearing peaked
caps any more-noticc? | don't mean
these dinky little cloth caps with peaks
to EN-, but regular soldiers caps with
glazed peaks. First boy that turned
up in our neighborhood with one of
those things on made sensation. all
right This same boy had got hold of
a carpenters pencil somewhere. and
he'd stick that carpenters pencil I'M
derneath his forage cap. with the
Sharpened end projecting in a mighty
blase way that certainly caused US to
regard him as some pumpkins. | was
always crazy for a carpenters pencil
when ] was a boy. but | never got
hold of one-never did have much
luck when | was a boy anyhow. My
folks were too blamed respectable.
AS a matter of fact-you can believe
it or not, but I'm telling you the truth
they wouldn't let me at the age OF
ten apply for the job of brakeman on
a passenger train. That. | thought
was the finest job in the world-brake.
man on Il passenger train-juSt swing
ing a red lantern all the time, and
wearing peaked cap mostly on the
left ear. and the peak pushed back sc
as to show an oiled hang plaStered
down, and sitting on a wood box in
the smoker talking TO fellers. and car
rying a pair OF red flags around ever.
where, and all that. But the main ap
peal of the brakeman's job was the
pair Of red lanterns.
oh. well, that pair of basket sleeve
protectors that ! saw at the poultry
market the other day certainly car
ried me back a long way. and | was
still laughing like a fool when | stroll,
cd away."-Charleston News and Cou
rier.