The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-06-30

this most interesting examination.
KARL LECHE." r.
A Few Old Relics.
Thirty-three yesterday! No, it isn't
so very old, but then L felt q little
pang of sadness as put the figures
together. I'd rather be sixteen than
thirty three, though time was when 1
would have gladly reversed the figures.
There's a few ''quail-tracks" around
the corner of the eyes, few gray hairs
intermixed with the brown, and m
getting flying pains and stiff joints and
sometimes feel as cross az an old
Watchdog 1t a farmhouse gate. bsa
Idreaded it all day, but yet Ifeelit
q SORT of duty to sit down ut my desk.
after the rest of the house was asleep
and examine the contents of pigeon
holes and drawers. / believe it is
foolish in me to treasure these old
relics spread on the table before me,
yet if were a,woman I'd have good
cry over some of them. I've looked
them over every birthday since [ was
twenty FIVE, and / suppose L shall
keep them as long as / live.
Here kid glove, faded and worn
and old. Let's see? yes. it's full fif-
teen years since blue-eyed Jennie left
it on my. desk in school. I loved her.
of course, and many's the pains I've
felt when L remembered that the win
ter storms and April rains were beat
ing upon her grave. I keep the glove
hidden away. and the secret is with
me alone. When am dead they may
toss it where they will, or destroy it
altogether, but if anyone should harm
it now / would be his enemy through
life.
Here's an old knife. You'd hardly
carry it around for the service it might
do, yet it is worth its weight in gold
to me- Poor Burt We sat on the
same seat at school, planned together,
knew each others hopes and sorrows,
and when meet a face on the street
which reminds me of his l can't keep
the lump out of my throat. It's:wo-
manish, l know, but. if l keep my
relics locked up and preserve their
right to sit down sometimes and for
get that / am y. MANI
And here's an old red pennys dated
way back in the long ago, and the rust
of time has almost hidden the words
cireling around it. I guess I've had
it twenty years, and / always handle
it as if it were frailest glass. When
it was bright and new q blue ribbon
was passed through the hole near the
rim, and a little boy wore it for a
watch. There were toys, and whips
and little dresses to divide up among
us when he died, and this old red pen.
ny fell to me- When the snow lies
deep over bis dust, or the bleak winds
wave the willow over his grave. it
soothes me to know that / have this
relic of him, and it helps me to recall
his brown eyes, chestnut curls, and
dimpled chin. In the rush and bus.
tie OF the world we'd have almost for
gotten him by this time If it wasn't for
these little treasures. r
There's lock of gray hair here
among my relics and / always look at
that 6rst. Each of us children has
one in place, of a mother. There are
other graves besides hers and others
yet to be made, and some day the gray
locks will all be collected together
and he who holds them will have his
heart full of sorrow. 1t would be
pleasant to look back from manhood
to childhood if there were not 20
many funeral shadows and bitter tears.
And here's simple white card with
a name traced in pencil. A stranger
would toss it away, but I could not
part with it for the hand which traced
the name has been dust for these
many long years.. There are other
relics, but all are sad. They take me
down dark lanes and along shadowy
paths, and my eyes are blinded. l
shall put them away and write no
more, though tomorrow, and next
day, and every day Of my life, 1 shall
remember that I have them; and in
remembering my own shadows and
sorrows I shall feel more tender
hearted toward the whole world, and
have more strength to keep my road.
m. Quad. in Our Fireside Friend.
Gov. VIM. Allen delivered an ad-
dress at a Granger Picnic in Ohio the
other day. Among other quaint and
curious utterances of demagogic ma
ture he delivered himself of the fol.
lowing naive confessions:
don't know that have any more
right to an expression about farming
than other people, but / know that
for twenty-four years after / left the
Government of the United States /
was engaged in farming, and they
were the happiest years OF my life. /
was conscious that i was doing some
thing of value to the country, and that
/ wasn't stealing, and when called
from the profound solitude of that
place again to public station, I Iresolv-
ed that l would never forget that I
was a Granger"
While he was farming he wasn't
stealing: This suggests the inference
that while he was in Congress he WAS
stealing. Not only would this seem
to be the logical inference from his
remarks, but it accords with the agri-
cultural philosophical theory that all
Office holders are thieves. Is the ven-
erable William prepared to say that
hia refnrmafin HiH sfick2-M adison