The Newark journal. (Newark, Ark.) 1901-1959, 1910-01-07
copyright, by Joseph ID. Bowies.)


Tsey come in series. 1t the end Of
a given enthrallment it is continued in
his next school session. The spells
begin early in his life and after awhile
he is likely to get the habit. DR.. For
bush SAYS he is most subject TO physi-
cal ailments between eight and
twelve, and he spends those years bat
Ting for his constitution. 1t may be
added that he is also beginning to
work out his bylaws. Spells of cardiac
trouble seem to begin about that time,
If memory is treating the writer of
these Thoughts" fairly and honora-
bly,. Those spells are frequent and
fleeting, furious and funny. Mumps
and measles and whooping cough may
be evaded, as they have been by this
present writer, but this ailment cannot
be evaded except by some very rare
boys. The analogy breaks down at
one point Those ailments seldom at
tack him more than once. and il they
do not succeed in dragging him off the
earth the first time they retire from
the field and leave him in possession,
sometimes with few scars as souve-
Mrs Of the struggle. But this trouble
never ceases to attack him and, in
stead of growing lighter, it grows more
severe each time.
The first sweetheart comes early
and the next few come soon. The fam
lily DO not, at first, suspect what is the
matter with the lad, his rapt and
tragic, though sometimes downcast,
air, the far away look in his eye, the
preoccupied way in which he engages
in conversation. The truth is, the tint
est sort of arrow from Cupids culver
has penetrated his cardiac region and
he is temporarily short on vivacity. 1t
lasts for only a little time, but is
frightfully exhausting while it is with
him. | suppose the matter of temper
ament determines the ways and de-
grees in which 1t manifests itself. but
the main features of it are the same in
all boys: The appetite falls off; a
philosophical tendency towards abb
stractlon manifests itself; a certain
canny way of comparing a certain girl
with other girls once in while be-
trays him. He likes to give that girl
things, pencil, red apple, anything,
and he likes to do things for her, fix
her skates, take her coasting. defend
her in some heroic way He has a
slight nausea, followed by a militant
ambition, whenever he sees another
boz talking too freely with her.
At first he was alarmed about him
self and was not sure he would ever
be permanently happy again so
mournful was the delirious pleasure
and so alternating with pain. He
would write his name and hers to-
gether and mark off the corresponding
letters in both Those that were left
minated he would count off, speaking
the formula, Friendship. love, idolize,
hate" and that would indicate her
state of feeling toward him. 1t was
serious time for him. all the way
through the first series, as Lulu and
Mary and Alice and others passed in
successive years before his enthralled
vision.
1t must be toward the close of this
series that he begins to make use of
the epistolary means of expression.
He has seldom done more than gaze
around to see if she is at school and
look over the top of his book at her
and grin in his own fetching way and
use other indirect means of declaring
himself. But now he writes and prob
ably never sends the letter Maybe he
does, and intrusts it 10 a faithful ally
among the boys. He is at the belliger-
ent age and secretly wishes that he
could whip several boys, all on her &C
count, be a knight errant of the brave
days Of old fighting for his lady's pro-
lection or to win her smile He is like
ly to express in the letter willing
ness to protect her against all the
boys. When the letter by curious
accident which never will be ex-
planned, falls into the hands OF another
boy, or his own older sister, and that
sister enters into the affair, in a truly
sisterly way, he suddenly feels as faint
as he did the time he went off behind
tree and experimental with an old
cigar and got cured. Next he feels
and makes the sudden discovery that
he does not care for her" any way.
The charm is broken. He looks around
and grins, just as he afterwards does
when he takes laughing gas in the
chemistry class at college for dear old
DR.. John and suddenly comes to- He
finds a joy in being free once more,
10 do as the other boys and TO go On
about his important business. which
has been temporarily interrupted by
this affair OF the heart
Another series begins about IA or
Is. This is mot quite SO incidental.
His chum helps him. The affair tan
giles itself up with school and vocation
in life and all the unfolding ambitions.
This is in danger of becoming peIma-
nent, thereby ending the series, but 1t
does not usually do so. Some are
held In reserve for later emergencies.
Rut hp has NOT been the loser quite