A Brace Of Boys / 1867, From "Little Brother"

A bachelor uncle offers humorous, reflective observations on childrearing and his preference for being an indulgent, occasional relative rather than a parent. He visits his sister and contrasts her two sons — an older, studious youth and a younger, rambunctious boy prone to slang, rough play, and inventive schemes. Through anecdotes about answering arithmetic questions and a child's proposal to keep accounts by carving a stick, the narrator advocates learning each child's nature before instructing them and finds steady delight in the unpredictable rewards and minor moral lessons of family life.