Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-01-30
Juvenile u \ ]: AMBITIONS N
JeaIousies and Warnings That
Beset the Small Boy.

Beset the Small Boy.
HIS MISERY AND TRIUMPRS.
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.
"The other day at poultry market
] saw a chicken butcher wearing q
pair of those basket sleeve protectors,
and | stood and laughed like FOOL"
said the fat man. First time I'd seen
a pair Of basket sleeve protectors for
years, and so just had to laugh. Tell
you why. When was tike | used
to look with wonder and awe upon a
fellow who wore pair of basket
sleeve protectors. II considered that
fellow with pair of those things was
all right, all right, plus some more.
They had a kind of jaunty air
about 'em that couldn't and can't de-
fine. but it was there, and revered
and reverenced 'em made I'D my
mind that IL Ilever grew up and got
the price, me; too, for pair of those
basket sleeve protectors, no matter
what sort of work I'd happen to tackle.
"Queer dickenses. boys, Ell? Mem
Der those patent pencil attachments
that marketmen used to haveAma
have 'em yetAhitched to their aprons?
Well. ! thought those were pretty nifty
things, too, land Il nsedFtto secretly
banker to own one Of 'em. Made up
my mind that-I would own one OF 'em,
too, when got to be man. but some
how never seemed to want one
when reached the shaving age.
Guess some Of my ambitions as
boy were pretty crazy anyhow. was
SO jealous Of the first boy / everrmet
that could spit through his teeth at, IA
mark and hit it that I hated him. That
same boy pretty early in life got job
driving a delivery wagon for a grocery.
Well, pretty soon after he got that Job
he was wearing a pair Of those patent
elastic sleeve supporters, OF holders, cor
whatever you'd call f'em-things with
aNelutch 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 fiaunt 'em before
my eyes! ~ sssas SO :ie4
''"He knew blamed well that those
pink elastic sleeve supporters looked
finer toame than any Star. Of India or
Victoria Cross could possibly look, and
he knew besides that because j had
to go to school and wasn't earning any
thing there wasn't a possible chance
on earth for me TO get a pair like lem
and so he justoheld 'em over me and
made my life miserable Yet-when I
got to the wage earning age l never.
seemed to care at all for pair of pink
elastic sleeve supporters. w
Another boy that / hated had
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, considered, was gorgeous
blessing not to have to wear an over
coat to school. ! despised this boy for
having it on me that way. Anyhow,
his maroon colored cardigan jacket had
couple of pockets in front that he
kept full of all kinds of junk-some-
times he even carried mice to school in
'em. And that made my indignation
all the greater-the fact that he had
those two fine covered up pockets to his
cardigan jacket.
Zone great triumph did come to my
tike life, though and that was the fact
that was the first boy of my school to
own pair of copper toed boots. Well,
l sprang the first pair, as ! say, at my
school, and guess / didn't break the
hearts of all the other boys or nothin'!
Besides the copper toes, these boots
had red tops. with a 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
SSuSA yoohSSlCho pnOWSu up Wllu cop
per toed boots and thus took the wind
out of my sails. a
Eve never see boys wearing peaked
caps any more-notice? l don't mean
these dinky little cloth caps with peaks
to ,em, 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 un-
derneath his forage cap. with the
sharpened end projecting in mighty
blase way that certainly caused us to
regard him as some pumpkins. was
always crazy for, carpenters pencil
when L was a boy, but ! never got
hold Of one-neyer did have much
luck when ] was a boy anyhow. My
folks were too blamed respectable.
"As matter of fact-you can believe
1t 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
q passenger train. That I fhouphf