TOUCHES OF NATURE 69 
teacher, with his thumb and finger, took out the 
piece of apple. 
“Didn’t know it was there,” said the boy, un- 
abashed. 
Nearly all the moral sentiment and graces are late 
in maturing in the boy. He has no proper self- 
respect till past his majority. Of course there are 
exceptions, but they are mostly windfalls. The 
good boys die young. We lament the wickedness 
and thoughtlessness of the young vagabonds at the 
same time that we know it is mainly the acridity 
and bitterness of the unripe fruit that we are la- 
menting. 
