THE SMALL BOY "HAS SOME FUN."

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 306, 28 February 1879, Page 9

THE SMALL BOY "HAS SOME FUN."

He was unhiraliy cruel, and he told an acquaintance one day that he had a new trick to play on the public— something entirely new. He had a lon<j string and a brass key tied to the end" of it, which he said was the in&tiumcnt of torture. Over the front sidewalk a maple tree sent some pretty strong branches, making a scat hidden by leaves. Into this, after dark, the boys climbed. '• Now wait," says the principal, "till the first victim comes, and don't make a noise." Pretty soon an ordinary dressed woman came along, and just us she had passed he let drop the key on the hard sidewalk, immediately pulling it up again. Both now watched developements. The woman came to a sudden stop, began fumbling in her pocket aud wondered what it was she could have dropped. She started on, but had not gone far before she came back impelled by curiosity, and began a carefuL search of the walk. Meanwhile the boys in the tree had stuffed their fists in their mouths to keep from scaring their game, and dared «* 0 hardly look below for fear of laughing out. A sympathetic sister ' came along, and together they picked up stones and turned over all the chips ou the walk. No money, no keys, nothing did they find ; and so went on to their homes, perhaps to worry all night, or perhaps a giggle in the tree turned their look of disappointment to a very cheap smile, and a laugh from the same place made them have awful wicked thoughts about boys. One victim found a piece of tin, and laying the cause of the noise to that, was saved from a, great deal of worry! But when she picked it up and threw it down several times to test the sound, the boys nearly fell out of the tree. A man, when caught, would slap all of his pockets, glance around a little, but it was seldom he was brought to a haul pan seaich. When any one saw the tr ek alter searching half an hour and paying all kinds of little thiucrs for the amusement of the boys, he simply went away hurriedly. *There was no remark to make, no name to call. To get out of sight as soon as possible seemed to be most desiiable. The trick is harmless ; no one breaks a leg or loses an eye in its process. It might be recommended to constitutionally tired boys as a good way to sweep the walk. The victims will throw all the chips aud stones into the street by curiosity power, as it were. — Rochester Ed-press,