The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1916-05-04

NO boy anywhere on earth ha
more fun through his summer vaca
ton, or of winter nights when the ic
is three inches thick on the pond, o
when snowballs are ripe, or when h,
turns out "barefooted" and wiggle
his toes in nice warm dust or make.
beautiful pedal impressions in nice
clean mud when the apple trees are
abloom and there is heavenly three
hours between the time school is out
for the day and chore time.
He knows something of the Joyous
side Of country life. A stated amount
Of time each day, from the time of
the cherry blooms until dog days, is
spent of afternoons down at the old
swimming hole. For as every boy
knows it is one domestic law respect
ed by the small boy-that of keeping
out of the swimming hole through
dog days. Any boy knows anyway
that getting water soaked in dog days
brings a spell Of chills and fever. But
in the open season he learns many
aquatic feats, beginning with mud
crawling and ending with floating on
his back and making the high dive
from the springboard or from the
great limb of an overhanging tree.
And he is some fisherman, too. He
knows where to fish and how to cap
ture the seductive bullfrog. And he
wanders afield and spies out nesting
places of the birds and where the
badger has his den.
And of summer night when his |
country cousin is sound asleep if not |
disturbed by the smart of blistered |
ankles and heels, the small town boy |
and his kind are holding revelry
among the side streets of the village,
and play 'chase the fox" and run
sheep run" And sometimes the house
holders along the street ring up for
he marshal and he comes and rounds
up the gang and says impressively,
Here, you little devils, you gotta quit
making this Internal racket err I'll hev
o run y'u in, even if y'ur dads is my
,es' frien's! Peoples complaining
lbout this durn racket-an' | don't
blame 'em. Now, you cut it outp
And the marshal goes off shaking his
read threateningly and smiling to
for, impossible as it may
eem, the marshal was once a small
10Y in another small town, and still
las an occasional heart thump for the
lays that were. And the boys move
heir scene of action to another street
n another part of town and try to
LAY in whisper.
And so the boy of the little town :
ives and moves and has his being I'M
il one day he sheds his knickerbock- ,
RS forever and dons long pants"
ven as a locust slips its shell and
ppears in new garb, awkward of
movement and stridulous of voice;
nd he discovers about the same time
hat there is a darkening streak on
is upper lip that soap and water will
OF take off; and some day when the
olks are all from home he sneaks
ut his fathers razor-and the deed
done You remember it like it
appened yesterday, don't you, you old
Ddger who reads this, | mean? And
a year or so he is always hungry
cspite three square meals day, and
,els he is awkward and out of place \
nd all hands and feet, and begins to
ssert il will Of his own unguided by
idgment; varied with occasional inn
llsive actions that show he has with
his breast a heart, Whereat and
borrower, father and mother are apt
hold private discussions-in which
lch claims to recognize certain
traits in their offspring 4
ie point Of difference being as to
hich side of the family he takes
ter" A
And the days and weeks and months
owe apace, and once in a while he is 4
,e Of the three boys in a class of ten 4
at sits on the stage commencement
ght, and above them is the motto,
Doing, not Dreaming" or "Over the
bps Lies Italy" or some fine old SEN
nent equally inspiring. And he goes
rough the Grafton he has prepared-I
yes over It by rote and as he delivers
it has no more meaning than if he
ere reciting the letters of the alpha
But he gets through
thout forgetting a single place and
other wipes away happy tears and
S father clears his throat and whis-
rs huskily, "Well, Jimmy didn't do
bad, did he, MAJ"
And now the small boy is a small
y no longer, but young man who
S graduated from high school, What
he going to do? What is before
m? Go to college? One out of
cry fifty of him will go to college