The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-11-10
From King to Patriarch.

" uou u illal .cSinS W Sct dipu1 III
years he gradually changes from being
u king in his family To n patriarch. He
is more tender and Kind to his offspring,
and instead of ruling them. the first
thing he knows they are ruling him.
My youngest children and my grand
children just run over me now. and it
takes more than half my time to keep
up with 'em, and find out where they
are and what they are doing Some
times I get mad and rip up and around
like l was going " do something Dies
perate, but Mrs. Arp comes a-slipping
along and begins to tell how they didn't
mean any harm, and they are just like
all other boys, and wants to know if /
didn't do them sort of things when
was a boy. Well, that's fact did
and got lickin' for it, too. You see,
was one of the oldest boys, and they
always catch it, but the youngest ones
never gets lickin', for by the time he
comes along the old man has mcllowed
down and wants q pet. The older
children have married and gone, and
the old folks feel sorter like they have
been thrown off for somebody no kin to
'em. and 80 they Irvine around those
that are left all the closer. but by and
by they grow up, too, and leave them,
and it's pitiful to see the good old
couple bereft of their children and liv-
ing alone in their glory. Then is the
time that grandchildren find a welcome
in the old family homestead, for, as
Solomon saith, the glory of an old man
is his children's children. Then is the
time that the little chaps of the second
and third generation love to escape
from their well-ruled home and for q
while find refuge andfreedom and frolic
at grandpa's. A child without a grand
pa and grandma can never have its
share of happiness. I'm sorry for 'em.
Blessings on the good old people, the
venerable grandparents of the land, the
people with good old honest ways and
simple habits and limited desires, who
indulge in no folly. who banker after
no big thing, but live along serene and
covet nothing but the happiness of their
children and their children's children.
I once said to good old mother.
"Well, hear Anna is to be married"
s'Yas sir" said che smiling snrrnw-
fully, Il don't know what / will do.
The last daughter I've got is going to
leave me. I've nursed her and petted
her all her life, and kinder thought
she was mine and would always be
mine, but she's run off arter Teller
she's no kin to in the world, one who
never did thing for her but give her
ring and book or two and it does look
SO strange and unreasonable. couldn't
understand it at all Tiff hadn't done
the same thing myself along time ago."
and she kept knitting away with smile
and tear upon her motherly face.
But I'm not going to Islander these
little chaps that keep us so busy look
ing after them, for there is no mean
ness in their mischief, and if they take
liberties it is because we let 'em. Mrs.
Arp says they are just too sweet
to live, and is always narrating some
of their smart sayings. Well, they are
mighty smart, for they know exactly
how to get everything and do every
thing they want, for they know how to
manage her. and they know that she
manages me, and that settles it. A man
is the head of house about some
things, and about some other thing he is
next to head, if he ain't fool. A man
can punish his children, but it's al
ways advisable to make an explanation
in due time and let his wife know what
he did it for, because, you see, they are
her children, sure enough, and she
knows it and feels it. The pain and
trouble. the nursing and night-watcl-
ing have all been hers. The washing
and dressing, and mending and patch
ing-tieing up fingers and toes, and
sympathizing with 'em in all their great
big little troubles all falls to her while
the father is tending to his farm, or his
store, or his office, or his friends, or may
be his billiard table. When q woman
says This is my child" it carries more
weight and more meaning than when
man says it. and I've not got much
respect for law that will give man
the preference Of ownership just be-
cause he is u man. Bill drip.