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Show IF I HAD UNDERSTOOD ' r Said a seedy looking man-lounging on tho sidewalk: "If somqbody had just made mo understand when I was a boy, that boyhood days Uavo a po cullar value becauso they aro tho days of preparation for life, tho dnyB to form habits that mako happiness Instead In-stead of regret maybo I would havo mude- something bettor out of myself but I did, not reallzo that. "No, I wasted tho precious boyhood days. I trlllod with school and fall od to get even a modorn education. 1 disregarded tho urglngs of my teacher teach-er nnd my good fathor nnd denr mo. thur, and I sought every chance to oscnpo study and to play Instead of work. "Now I nm well along In yearn and am Just drifting to the poorhouso, I suppose My parcntu took caro of mo whllo thoy lived. Hut they aro gono and I havo nothing". KInfolks aro dlsguBtod with mcand since mo-thor mo-thor and fnther have' gonir.'thotr ild friends seem to takd no .lntorest In mo. I havo novor cultivated habits of Industry, and I cannot 'oven malto a living. Nobody will give mo a Job. ' And I am nbout nt my row's end. i "Why didn't somebody mako mo ' renllzo when I wns a youth that tho road 1 was on would bring mo to this? Oh, If I had understood!" Selected. |