A THIRTEEN-HAT BOY.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1695, 26 July 1879, Page 4

A THIRTEEN-HAT BOY.

I bare i roved into a neighbourhood where then ;:i r. j rambu’ating boy. He spends a larg" portion of his time simply sauntering up and down the street. Such a boy is an advantage to any neighbourhood. If landagents only knew it, a boy of this sort might be well set forth in prospectuses. He is a feat re. Ho is an inducement to persons whoso sense of humour needs to bo fed ; he is worth more dollars a month than a subscription to “ Funch.” Wo all th's boy “ the thirteen-hat boy. I saw him one day swinging his hat recklessly along the top of a picket fence. “You’ll spoil your hat,” I cried out. “Lor’,” said he, “ I spoil thirteen every year ; take thirteen to carry me through.” “No,” I exclaimed, “ is that possible “Fact,” said he; “you can ask my mother. ” After this ha used to inform us every few weeks how far along he was in the numeration table of bis huts. “This is the third,” he would sing out, as he passed cur door. “This is the forth,” and so »a. line day he called out, “ Well, this is about seven and a half,” taking off the hat, ond eying the frayed brim critically. “About half worn out, I guess; just about seven and a half; next one’ll make eight.” Tl-i-i boy has a readiness, a facility to adaptation to the needs of the moment, which will stand him well in hand all through life. He a striking instance of this the other day in the school which he attends. It is a small private school; once a week a young lady g'-es to teach all the children drawing. Uur boy is not fond of drawing ; in fact,”ite cannot draw, will not draw, does not draw. One day not long ago his ingenuity in evading the drawing exercise reached its climax as follows : “I can’t draw to-day, my throat’s too sore, lb hurts it.” Seeing in the techer’s face eoine incredulity as to this incapacity, he continued, “Besides, I don’t feel like drawing, and my mother said I needn’t ever draw if i didn’t feel like it.” “Are i sure mother said that ?” asked the teach; r. “Yes,” '■ e said stoutly, “she did. She said I wasn’t to draw when I didn’t feel like it, and I don’t feel like it now ; my throat’s too s re, ‘•Very wall,” replied the teacher, “I shali go and see your mother. It won’t do to have one pupil left out of the class this way. V\ heu r,be rest of the children draw you must draw. I shall go and speak to your mother about it.” This was a contingency the boy had not reckoned in ; but he rose to the occasion. Quick as a II .sh he replied, “ Well, if I was you, I wouldn’t take the trouble t,o go and see her; because, you see, it was way back when we was livin’ in Wisconsin that she said that, and as like as not she’s fo got all about it by this time.” — “Atlantic Monthly.”