Year: 1872

The following, from Woods Household
Magazine, contains a wholesome lesson
for grown folks as well as children.


1t was the 4th of July. The big guns
from the forts in the harbor had awakened
me, and the pop! pop! .fzz! and sCUr-
SciO0-oot (as nearly as can spell it) of crazy
double-headers kept me awake and got me
up an hour too soon.


Next door to us, in the city, lived a
little boy, say eight years old; and
think that l never saw any one boy who
had so many things to make noise with
on the fourth of July. He had six boxes
of shooting crackers; pile after pile of
torpedoes; as many as fifty double-head-
ers or chasers; two or three little iron
craker-pistols, and torpedo jutes and,
for the evening, a dozen rockets, and any
number of pin-weels, blue-lights, Roman
candles and such. His father must have
spent at least sixty dollars to make his
| little boy happyl


Well ! The day began early. The boy
had scarcely slept, he was so excited.
| Up he jumped at the first gun from the
fort, hurried on his clothes, forgot to
wash himself or comb his hair, lighted
his punk (some folks call it spunk),
snatched out pack of crackers and a
half-pint of torpedoes, and began his pop,
| UOD, III l1c UdCh NdIu. ElTGu one dl d
time his crackers would have kept him
busy day or two. But before breakfast
time he had got into crazy hurry, and
would dance and yell round a whole pack
a going off at oncei
BY nine o'clock he had moved into the
street, with his ammunition piled on the
front door step, while twenty poor boys
gather round 10 see and hear and envy
the rich little maniac. How he rushed
up and down those stepsl How red his
face and shiny as he began to sweat
How he touched 'em off, without waiting
to hear or time to enjoy. By hot half.
past ten he had burned 'em all up, ending
off with a whole box at once, and smash,
ing bundle of a hundred torpedoes at a
throw. He was sweaty, grimy, crazy
little fury.


And now his fun was all gone until
after darkl So he fretted and whined
and got whipped twice that day. He
teased. They let him send up his rockets
and burn his Roman candles during the
early twilight, while the day was bright
and then put him abed sick And / thinE
that in all New York was not one boy sc
poor and ragged but enjoyed more tha
day than this little crazy pet, who burned
up at least sixty dollars worth of pop GnC
fzz.


"IteH you, I'd Ike to hare sirty dollars
loorth Of 4tt Of JulY I'd haze fun"
hear some of the boys saying. Yesl
remember when l was about eleven year!
old, and off at school, they used to give
me Just one piece of pie for dessert, aftel
dinner. 1t tasted so good, and was gone
so soon, that / used to think of it all tht
way down the hill as went to recitation
and wished that it was one big mince pie
for half mile and had to eat my way
through it, as a worm eats into an apple
eat and gol And / have seen boys star
to eat up q candy camel But before they
had chewed and sucked up half of it they
were sick enough of it.


The confectioners (they call then
stceetmakers in England), understand this
And so when they take new boy into
the shop to work, they tell him to eat al
the candy he wants He never eat
much but once. He gets sick of sweets
and hates them as fly does the molasse
in which he is stuck and drowning. Herr
is


FABLE.


A man in the Mint was told that ht
might take away enc pocket-full of gold
if he would run straight home with it anC
not stop by the way nor touch his pocket
So he filled his largest pocket full of gold
and started for home. But as he was run
ming down a little hill, the gold hung
heavy, tore off his pocket, and fell down
in the road When he had got home and
found his gold and his pocket gone TO
gether, "Alasi" said he, "had taken les
/ should have more"


All the real fun that we ever get, W.
must take in by little. temperate pockets
full. If we overload once or twice, tina
ends the matter. That pocket will nevel
hold any more fun at all.