Omaha daily bee., 1883-07-13
BOYS \ GIRLS
"Bin Arp Discusses on an interesting
Topio--The Value Of a Nice,
Healthy GirL

Gay ana hau " GLORIOUS f.,nc. II yv,s a,
a lawn in Y beautiful grove close Inv a hi,
spring, and a long table was spread an,
we Toasted on bright eyes and fric,
chicken and jelly cake, and happy face
and ice cream, and sweet smiles an,
merry laughter and lemonade all mixct
up together, and we staid till most mid
night and heard the Calliopean Club @,
through their exercises of music and read
ing and composition, and then drive HON,
10y moonlight, and | think Mrs. Arr
is a little younger and p|retticr than even
and renewing her youth in
] never saw the like. Our people are
getting hilarious, and are frolicking more
than ever this spring, This makes three
neighborhood picnics in u little while,
and they are fixing up for another, and
my wife is getting ready. We have got
her out of the chimney corner, and it
looks as though we will never get her
back again. Mr.. Gibbons, says he to
ne, did you eve see such u crop of girls
rs we have got a-growin' in the country
Well, says |, | reckon the boys are at
home at work. No, sir, says he, there
amt hardly any boys anywhere. I've
counted EN- up in this ncighhorhood and
there are about two girls to one boy, and
what is worse, the girls are the smartest
and have got the best education.
Well, there is II reason for everything
and n cause for every effect, hut | don't
know why there are more girls than boys,
and | wish somebody would tell me.
Some folks say it is sign of peace. The
,yi,,l. n,, tl,N e,,,,Ing4 l,,N s., A..
have the most education. Before the
war the boys were put forward and the
girls kept in the background, but now
the boys have to work, and SO the girls
are sent to school and to college, and the
boys have to help pay for it. This is the
reason why the girls are the smartest, and
my fear is that they are u little too smart,
and won't marry these young fellows who
can't quote a little poetry and don't know
whether Byron wrote Shakespeare or
Shakespeare wrote Byron. But | reckon
they will sooner or later. Mrs Arp n
that girls marry too soon, anyhow, and
she don't want any of hers to marry un-
der 20, unless the offer is n very splendid
II in all respects. | reckon that is the
reason she went off at sweet sixteen, but
| think MIR. Gibbons is mistaken. The
census shows about as many boy children
in Georgia as girl children. We've got
six boys and four girls and that is about
right. There is more anxiety about the
girls. They are sorter helpless and de-
pendent, and we have to watch these
young fellers mighty close for fear of
trouble, for the old saying still holds
good;
"a son is a son till he marries a wife;
A daughter is a daughter all the days of her
life"
1t is mighty sad to see a girl come back
to her fathers house to live after she has
been married a year OF two. Poor thing.
She never knew what n good home she
had until she left it, and by and by she
comes creeping back, pale and sad, and
the man she trusted goes another way.
This is the wreck of a life. No more
happiness for her. No wonder the par
ents feel anxious about their daughters,
and the daughters ought to think and
ponder a long time before they marry.
A fathers house and u mothers love are
mighty hard to beat. But then n happy
marriage is the highest state of happi-
ness, and every girl ought to look for
ward to it. There are lots of cleveryoung
men in the land-young men of good
principles, and who have been raised by
good parents. The girls ought to mate
with EN-, money or no money. Money is
a good thing, but principle is better, and
If a young Teller has got both, and don't
drink nor gamble, and is industrious and
healthy, why, he is all right; and, if |
was a girl, | would put him on probation
and say, l think you are a very good
man, but you know I'm an angel, and
if. Well, if he seemed to doubt my
being an angel, ! would just tell him to
go hence. If a young man don't look up.
on his girl as an angel before he marries,
he never will afterward, and if | was
a girl | would be an angel as long as |
could.
AS a general thing the girls show too
much anxiety to marry. They are too
sweet on the boys. They ought to stand
off and look reserved and precious, and
put on Jerusalem airs, and say, Young
man, you don't know who YOU are fooling
with. I'm a treasure, | am. ! weigh 115
pounds, and am worth $1,000 a pound.
Well, they are. A good, nice, healthy
Shi, ~ Suil Ilthc llCl oN1i uTcbS anu RCU
up "A good supper to company, and is not
ashamed to wait On the table while they
are eating is just worth about 81, 900 a
pound. But that is nothing compared
with what they will be worth. Why,
Mrs. Arp has cat out and made Mt least
1000 garments of one sort or another.
She has sewed 800, 900 stitches, and
patched and darned, and washed faces
and feet, and combed hair innumerable,
She has tied up 800 sore toeSriuises. and
gers and bur4s thousand tears.
eissea mas watched EN- by night
and day, and keeps ON watching,
and right now while i am writing on my
piazza she is looking away up the big
road and says: ''I'm afraid something
will happen to them boys they are too
little to go off by themselves" There
are two little nephews here Just out Of
school, and they and Carl have got a colt
or a horse apiece and gone off on n ''scur-
sion," and call 'em the infantry cavalry
and tell Mrs, Arpit is all right, hut she
sits here sewing with her specks ON and
ever and anon looks up the road and
says ''Those children have overstaid
their time. I'm afraid something has
happened" If they don't come back soon
| know that / will have 10 start after EN-
for that is always the way. Mrs. Arp is
worth at least 9 $1,000 a pound, and she
weighs right smart and keeps a-getting
heavier. | am rich, i ann. / feel
wealthy whenever ! look at her.
] met an old friend the other day, and
says he: 81 just wish you could see my
boy; I'm fixing him up for.college, and he
is lust the smartest boy in this country.