BOYS.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1066, 25 April 1873, Page 4

BOYS.

Fanny Fern, writing to tbc New York Ledger, says: —" Had I the planning of thorn, every mother's son should be in a state of torpor, like that of the claw-sucking bears in winter, at the mischievous, lawless unlovable period between the donning of the first short jacket and the donning of the first long tailed coat. Then a boy has as may legs as a centipede ; go where you will, walk us gingerly as you may, one is sure to be extended for your downfall. |Theii his hair sticks out in every direction but that intended by a well-mannered hairbrush. Then his trowsers are always independent of the anatomy of his lops and his sleeves of his elbows. His collar is always at war with his neck 5 and his hat having been used oftener for a football that its legitimate purpose, sits awry, like that of an organ grinder's grinning monkey. Then the heels of his shoes are trodden down on 0110 aide, and his knobhy knuckles are spoiling for a fight; and his warwhooj) bears no proportion to his ago or size, being greatly in advance of both. Then he disdains, this embryo man, doormats and clean carpets, and handles delicate articles with smudgy fingers, and bullies his littlo sisters, and yells " cry-hairy !" when they weep, and laps up custard and cream with the thicvishness and voracity of a cat, and devours ' vittles' without taking the measure of his own skin or the appetite of others. Then he is stone doaf when you want him to listen, and listening when you think ho is stono deaf. Then, when you need his services, he is just going off

with some 'feller,' and when you have a ' feller,' he is as much a fixture as the parlor walls. Then he stands at street corners, and fancies it manly to endure a Spartan nausea for the precocious cigar. Then he addresses his sister ou the street after this wise, particularly if there is another boy with him—" Hallo, Suze! Won't you catch it when y«u get home, Miss !" Then for all these reasons and many others which time would fail me to mentiou, I wish he could, like the bears, put his paws in his mouth, and retiring to some distant cave, pass this embryo state of unpleasantness in a torpor more conducive to his own self-respect and the happiness of others."