The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1860-05-11
Growing Old.

II ono has young heart in his left breast
pocket, and everything hns gone right with
him ever since ho can remember, and he
sits in his arm chair, he may easily fancy
hlmsolf young--indeed, quite young-in fact
o jHrehiie; but il will not do; he is old in
spite OF his heart, and his arm chair, and
bis fanciCs.
1t is painful process. that of beginning
to liud out what the world has known over
so long--that ono is growing old. How il
shocks him some day. ss no is waking in
the garden, to hear tho gardener talk to
tho cook about the old man." and tho old
man nobody in life but his own adoescent
self Old man And he stops as epry as a
cat, and discharges the unfortunate garden
er, and is TOO much IN passion " give him
a character"
Thenagain, "the grasshonper is burden"
for little things trouble him. as they never
did years ago, but no thinks little things have
got their growth since these old times. But
this don't quito satisfy him, and he muses.
over il, and ho wonders why his shadow ex.
tonds so far TO tho eastward.
Somo day ho meets a stranger in the
street; he is booted liko q trooper and
bearded like pard; ho looks him square"
in the eye. Ho is glad to see him wonders
If he don't remember him declares that he
is little Bill Stokes that was, that he made
Eastwood whistles for, when he kept IN
tho old rcd school house at Bogg's Corners; /;
and thcro he is right before him. man to
man. There is no use dcnying it; he can
not prove an alibi, and no falls into brown
study as ho thinks off
Then. again, there's something tho matter
with his back but no always calls it u "crck," I"
when all the day it is tho rivor Time that is
playing tho mischief. He knows that it will
not do for him TO sit near an open window
rs he used to do, but it has lstterly been n
favorito idea with him that tho summers
grow briefer and the winters colder. And
what work they mako now with the baking;
such crusts of granite to them. Not such
as did his old mother bring out from the
old oven on the long handled shovel, on
those long gone Saturdays, when hc fancied
ginger bread the daily faro of tho angels.
By-and-by he begins to experience some
difficulty in reading his old newspaper
something with on l. or an XII vol. in the
corner Of it, that ho nevcr rcmcmbrrs that
ho has taken since il WAS two Ks and an l
bnt then he charges II upon the type, and
pronounces an anathema upon nonpariel
and minion, when it is nothing but BREWER.
He fancies, too that the girls have changed
when the change is nearer. homo, for the
man is growing old. and those same madens
arc wondering tho while if no ever had o
sweetheart. or could possibly at any time
have been young enough to love.
So this painful process of discovery pro.
gressos, until n prisoner. he keeps tho old
arm chair. and the old clock dial grows dim
and the old clock bell sounds a great way
off, and he dozes in the open door, and loves
10 look at the setting sun, and shares ths
childrens toys and talks himself to sleep
It is summer evening; yellow light fall'
upon tho threshold, and along the floor. anc
invests tho old mans form with an old glory
He sits in tho dwelling of his sons son hi
head roclines upon his breast. Light step
steal softly around him, but he hears then
not. A sot of little fingers are playing witt
his thin, whto hair, hut ho does not heed il
Two generations call to him; tho second i
strong and manly it is "father" thoy utter
tho third is child like and gontle; it is "grand
father they sny; but ho returns no answe
10 either.
"Tho sun has act" somebody says; "th
clock has just run down." cries another
"lho old man is asleep" whispers a third
and sure enough he is, for tho old man
dead.