Evening star., 1924-08-24
Heard and Seen

Newsboys, as other newspaper
| workers. seldom break into print.
Now and then the boys go on an
outing and some reporter is detailed
to go along. He returns to write
powerful screed about how the 500
lads ate 5000 gallons Of ice cream.
Here is a story about just one
newsboy. He belongs not SO much
to the tribe that stands on the street
corners and hollers, Read all about
it," rs to the clan that serves papers
from door to door.
These two divisions are distinct.
Not that there aren't perfectly good
boys in the ranks of the "newsies"
on the corners. Those that deliver
the paper from door to door, how
ever, are known as carrier boys
In their ranks are to be found sons
of prominent men.
Little Johnnie, as we will call him,
belonged to the latter grouping.
Johnnie had a deep purpose in be-
coming a carrier boy. He never said
anything about it. but just went
down and got himself Job"
That first job! Whether one takes
it at or or Fl or Is, the emotion
in intensity. of course. No doubt the
boy taking on his first work as car
rier at years feels much the same
as he would later in life when taking
on a bigger job.
Johnny toiled diligently. deliver
ing his papers faithfully every after
noon. You see, he had an object in
view. He was getting money with
which to make a purchase. Not just
an ordinary purchase. This was diff
ferent.
One evening he came home to sup
per very dewncast. He sat down at
the table, but would not eat. His
mother was worried.
What is the NATTER" she asked.
"Oh, isn't this an awful old world"
the little one moaned, bursting out
crying.
1t developed that the lad had not
received his pay that day. the system
of his boss" not coinciding exactly
with the boys plans. He had started
to work In order to get money enough
to buy his mother a birthday present
Through system of payments
which would make his first pay day"
come shortly after the great event,
the boy stood to get his money when
it was too late.
Things worked out very we'll, in
the end, however, as they quite often
do. The boss" found a way to pay
the boy. and the boy discovered he
was just in time to buy his mothers
birthday present, after all.
Boys, by the way, are both the de-
light and the bane of the grown-up
world.
All Summer long they roam the
streets. especially at night, congre-
eating on street corners and making
general nuisances out of themselves.
Even man who remembers when he
was boy is inclined to get out of
humor with them.
They scream at each other. slide up
and down terraces, poster dogs, break
TRANS. throw base balls as near as
possible to the ears of passersby and
In hundreds of other ways torture
their elders.
Those who are so unfortunate as to
have a lamp post in front Of their
houses find dozen or SO boys, rang
ing in age from s to II. congregated
there every evening.
The unwary householder who rails
at the boys finds that they then pay
particular attention to him. so the
best way out of it is to let them
alone. The worst offenders among
the lads are the boys of about the
age of II, long. gawky fellows still in
short pants who ought to be wearing
long trousers.
Radio sets for each boy would help
a lot. and newspaper carrier work for
the younger ones helps a great deal
to keep boys during the long Summer
days. But boys will be boys" and
the gang instinct" survives.
The other evening q hustling lamp
lighter came along q street. He was
minding his own business. The boys,
however, having no business of their
own, began minding his.
"Lamplighter! Lamplighterw they
screamed, prefacing each designation
of his occupation with q slang word
indicative of his Italian descent. The
man paid no attention to them at
first. but as the cries followed him
down the street and back again he
answered in kind. This was just
what the boys were hoping for, and
their cries redoubled.
CHARLES z. TRACEWELL.