The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-10-12
The UreIiins of the Third Generation.

When a man begins to pet along in
years he gradually changes from being a
KING IN his family to q patriarch He is
more tender and kind to Ills offsDrino.
and instead of ruling them, the first
thlng he knows they are ruling him.
4 MY youngest children and nv 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. Itrains most
every day, and the weeds and grass are
always wet, and the branches are muddy,
and there are six little chaps around here,
/ perusln' the premises, and Mrs. Arp lust
knows they are bound to get sick OF
snake--blt, for it's trump, tramp, tramp
from morning till night, and her ankle
! " reminds me of a hen that we set on
some duck eggs; for when the brood was
Matched they made for the branch, and
the hen like to have took a fit and flew
from one side to the other, and made an
everlasting fuss trying to tell 'em they
would get drowned, but they sailed
around and around and was happy, as
happy could be. These little chaps ride
the horses and colts over the meadow
and pasture, and make the sheep jump
the big branch, and they go in a-Wash-
ing two orsthree times.a day, and they
climb the grape arbor- and the. apple
trees and stuff their craws full Of fruit
and trash, and they can tell whether a
watermelon is, ripe. Or green, for they
! plug 1t to see, and every one of 'em
has got a sling shot, and my pigeons
are always or, the wing, and the other
day found one of the finest Young pull
lets laying dead with hole in her side,
and all the satisfaction | can get is
didn't mean-to do it, or won't do it
any more, OF didn't do it ALL. Jesso.
It's. most astonishing how the little ras-
Gals can shoot with their sings, and now
don believe it was a miracle at all
that made David plumb old Goliah in
the forehead, for these boys can plumb,
a laybird. now at forty yards, aud we
have had to take all their weapons away
to protect the birds, and poultry Some
times / get mad and rip up and around
like was going to do something dcSpet-
ate, but Mrs. Arp comes ;t-slfpbing
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 Iwas
a boy. Wen, that's a fact-I did-and
| gota lickin'aforait, too. Yotia4see,. I
was one Of the Oldest. boys and they all
ways catch it, but the Youngest one
never gets a lickin' ! for by the time he
comes along the old man has mellowed
-,doWn and wants pet. The older chill
drep have muriedoand gone, and the
old folks feel sorter like they have been
thrown Off for somebody no kin to 'em,,'
and SO they tWine around those that are
left all the closer, but by-and-bv thev
grow up, too, and leave them, and it's
pitiful to see the good old couple
bereft of Their children and living 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 /
children. Then is the time that the lit
tie chaps of the secondhand third genera
ton love to escape from their well-ruled
home, and for awhile find refuge and
freedom and frolic at granlpa's. A child
without q grandpa and gran lima can
never have its share of happiness. Pm
sorry for Fem, Blessings on the good
old people, the venerable grand parents
of the land, the people with good old
honest WAYS and sim pie habits and Inn
itetl desires, who indulge in mo follv,
who banker after no big thing, but live
along serene and coFet nothing bat the
happiness of = their children and their
children schldren. | said to a good old
mother not long ago: 5ssWSeH,, / hear that
Anna is to-be married, ,A~~"Yes, sir.''
said she, smiling sorrowftlly, ri don't
know what | will do. The last daughter.
1Ve got is going to leave me.. FI've
nursed her and petted her all Fher life,
and | kinder thought she was mine and |
would always be mine, but She's run off |
arter a felierl she S nekin to ia thelworld,
one who never. did do thing for her but T
give her a ring and a book or two and q 7
little French candy now and then. and |
it does look so strange and unreasonable. T
/ couldn't understand it. all Tiff T 4
hadn't done the same thing myself a
long time ago AMI, she~ kept knitting
away with y smile and a tear. upon her
face.
Butsl'm not going to SANDER these IT. /
tie chaps that keep us so. busy looking 1
alter them, for there is no meanness in
their mischief, and If they take liberties +
it is because we let 'em. Mrs. Arpssavs
they are just too sweet to live, and is al
ways narrating some of their smart say
ings. Well. they are mighty smart, for
they know exactly howto yet everything
and do everything they want, for they
knoWa how to manage her, and they /
know that she manages me, and that
settles IL A man is the head of a house
about some things, and about. some
other things he is only next to the he ad,
if lIeain't afool. "A man can punish 4
his children, but it's always advisable to
make an explanation in sdue time and
let his wife know what he did it for, be-
cause, YOU see, they are. her children,
shore enough, and she knows it and
feels, it, n The pain. and trouble, the.
nursing and watching have all I.
5een hers. The washing and dressing,
md mending and patching -tieing up
fingers and toes, and synpathizing with
EN- in all their great big little troubles
Ill fails to her while the father is tending
% his farm, or his store, or his office, ,lor.
his friends, or may be his billiard-tabi
When woman says .'this is my child,','
t carries more weight aud more mean
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