BEING A BOY
By Charles Dudley Warner
CONTENTS
I. BEING A BOY
II. THE BOY AS A FARMER
III. THE DELIGHTS OF FARMING
IV. NO FARMING WITHOUT A BOY
V. THE BOY'S SUNDAY
VI. THE GRINDSTONE OF LIFE
VII. FICTION AND SENTIMENT
VIII. THE COMING OF THANKSGIVING
IX. THE SEASON OF PUMPKIN-PIE
X. FIRST EXPERIENCE OF THE WORLD
XI. HOME INVENTIONS
XII. THE LONELY FARMHOUSE
XIII. JOHN'S FIRST PARTY
XIV. THE SUGAR CAMP
XV. THE HEART OF NEW ENGLAND
XVI. JOHN'S REVIVAL
XVII. WAR
XVIII. COUNTRY SCENES
XIX. A CONTRAST TO THE NEW ENGLAND BOY
I. BEING A BOY
One of the best things in the world to be is a boy; it requires no experience, though it needs some practice to be a good one. The disadvantage of the position is that it does not last long enough; it is soon over; just as you get used to being a boy, you have to be something else, with a good deal more work to do and not half so much fun. And yet every boy is anxious to be a man, and is very uneasy with the restrictions that are put upon him as a boy. Good fun as it is to yoke up the calves and play work, there is not a boy on a farm but would rather drive a yoke of oxen at real work. What a glorious feeling it is, indeed, when a boy is for the first time given the long whip and permitted to drive the oxen, walking by their side, swinging the long lash, and shouting “Gee, Buck!” “Haw, Golden!” “Whoa, Bright!” and all the rest of that remarkable language, until he is red in the face, and all the neighbors for half a mile are aware that something unusual is going on. If I were a bo