66 THE COUNTRY BOY 



wouldn't have made it without assistance. 

 There we were all chums, but, with the re- 

 galia, so changed. 



After that about all we did was to buy 

 candy hearts at the post-office that had read- 

 ing printed on them: "I love you," or "Will 

 you be true?" Sometimes the printing would 

 be too strong for a Good Templar lodge, but 

 if it was we could always sell the one heart 

 for what the whole sack cost. I was later dis- 

 charged from this high body for sleeping on a 

 billiard table in Portland, to the disgrace of our 

 whole family, and especially, my father. 



Easter Sunday to the country boy is about 

 the biggest thing on the boards. Easter 

 itself is a tame day compared with what those 

 of the w^eks previous have been. In the far 

 West — and I suppose it's the same all over 

 the comitry — boys hide their eggs and the lid 

 is temporarily oiF — that is, you can steal an- 

 other boy's eggs during the period previous 

 to Easter without its being a crime punish- 

 able by parents or law. In fact, you can steal 

 anybody's eggs during the fortnight previous 

 to Easter Sunday, and lucky are those homes 

 where there are enough eggs for breakfast 



