Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-02-23
THE
STRANGE BOY
Copyright, 1922. by the Macmillan Co.
WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE

their work in the Manual and
were considering larger mat
tiers concerning their coming hike.
They were Twelve, Thirteen and Four
teen, and full of the Joy that washes
into life with the first full tide OF
youth. AT the Manual they had been
making things with their hands in
wood and iron and stone Creation
seemed good to them. And they
talked, making their tomorrow a kind
of exalted yesterday, which is the way
of youth. An old party Of forty-ive,
sitting neal them reading a musty
book that had been off the list of best
sellers for six long months, closed the
book over his finger to mark the place
while he listened to the chatter OF
the boys.
There was talk of a days walk
In the country Of a raft to be MADE
at the river under the s~cout-masters
direction; of fishing tackle to be hao
at the towns store; where the best
rods might be bought what minnowi
were worth. Some consideration was
given to the various grades of KHAKI
for scouting suits.
They were good scouts of the frs
and second classes, and much of theh
chatter was of camp and field.
The boys we're lying OF a lawn be
meath he stone veranda railing
wherein his old feet rested. From
time to time the youngsters looked
up as automobiles went whizzing b!
and in monosyllables checked off the
makers and perhaps the owners O
the machines; but the checking die
not stay their talk of the glorious to
morrows, silvered and gilded will
yesterdays.
Canned" sighed the old party
Scanned boysr" he repeated.
The boys looked up and, seeini
the feet disappear from the railing
Thirteen rose quickly and said as h
appeared:
Eyes, sir. What was it, Father
DID you speak?"
The old party shook his head, AM
the boys stretched out again on tn
blue grass. AS he opened his bool
and fumhled for his place, over tn
page top he saw, coming round tn
house from the rear, a thin, freckled
b%arefooted youth. with long trouser
rolled up halfway to his knees, show
ing the Powered calico lining. Sus
penders striped the shoulders of tn
boys coarse-checked blue-and-white
cotton shirt. Twisted into his RICH
-or V-ChonnH Gt1nK
wound with rubber, whereon a dia
mond-shaped leather piece dangle
from two strings.
"It the marshal sees that he'll al
rest you'll" said the man; and as tn
strange boy grinned the old part.
asked. "Where have you been s
long?"
The other boys did not seem T.
notice the strange boy, who grumblel
as he sat down beside them:
.Doing my chores. Old Sooky'
calf like to never got her supper GU
of this bucket. And old Sooky triet
to hold up on me 1 think the.
ought to make somebody brush thu
flies off while l milk. 1 bet old Sock!
hit me In the eye a dozen times will
her tail. Say. they's a mangerful o
kittens in the south STALL"
The other boys looked up when thu
old party shifted his feet ant
groaned:
"OhI These are not real boys
they're canned boys! All the othe'
industries have left the home for
the cannery-why not boy-making'
Here, boys" The old party lifted
his voice sharply.
Eyes, sir! /" cried Fourteen, risint
agilely and saluting.
(Which one of you knows whal
wood makes the best arrows? Which
one Of you ever seasoned a piece o.
hickory behind the stow over the
wood box all winter for your bow? Dc
you know what bodark ISL"
"Yes, sir" replied Thirteen. I'll
is a corruption OF the French words
bois dare, meaning wood of the arch
and is probably an Indian transla.
ton of the French habitant's wore
describing the tough, springy wood OF
the Usage orange, or common hedge
plant"
The strange boy grinned and the ole
party answered:
"Oh. grand! Now then, Bud, you
tell them about the bodark."
The boys sat down. and the old
party took the words from the
strange boys mouth and went on:
"Bodark is a hard brown wood and
makes the best bow you ever saw
better than hickory even. Few boys
that l know ever had a bodark bow,
though all of them knew that The
Indians priced bodark highly.
"Say, boys'-the man addressed him
self to the youths whose faces
beamed ~checubically over the rail
suppose you could have Babe
Ruth and Douglas Fairbanks, and
the greatest scoutmaster in the world.
and the greatest football player,
~ ,oIIal fpk1 ooo r;~6k hnra in tho