The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-07-23
Why He Was Proud.

A party of newspaper men were dis
cussing a lunch In the rooms of the
Chicago Press Club one evening year
or so ago, and talking over their ex-
periences, when one of them turned TO
an older one than the rest, one who
had attained some distinction in his
profession, and asked
what was the proudest day of your
life?"
The man looked surprised for mo-
ment at the question, then seemed to
be thinking seriously for little time,
and then, as all the boys seemed to be
waiting for an answer, and perhaps an
interesting "reminiscences, he scratched
match on his pants, lit his cigar and
said:
well, boys, you almost got me. 1
had to think quite while before L
could determine the proper answer to
the question. / have seen a great
many days in my life when was quite
proud, and had right to be; but
guess the proudest day, the day that
made me feel zeal good, was one Fourth
of July. Ny folks lived in small
town, where / was brought up, and
they live there now. 1 did not amount
to very much as boy, and nobody
thought would ever be anything but
type-setter, except perhaps my father
over twenty years wandering, became
somewhat known as newspaper edit
or, known, You might say, all over the
country. In fact, my name was quite
familiar at my old home, and / fire.
quently heard of some complimentary
remark from some old acquaintance,
who twenty years ago thought l was a
tough cuss, with no brain, who would
never amount to arrow of pins. One day
/ got an invitation to deliver the ora
tion at my old home on the coming
Fourth, and / accepted it. / did not
think L could crate very much, but i
thought how proud the old folks would
be to think that the people of the old
home had selected me, of all others,
to address them. My father and mother
had grown very old, and did not go out
much, but l knew they would be happy,
and so went. From the town to the
grove rode at the head of the process
sion, with the President of the day, In
| the only carriage, and as the procession
passed my fathers house, and saw my
old father at one window and my mother
at the other, with smiles on their faces,
and tears in their eyes, 1 guess 1 was
about as proud as they make 'em.
| While passing our old house / thought
over forty years OF my life, and could
not remember moment when those
| two dear old people were not my friends.
Yes, there was good deal of proud
| flesh about me that day. And when the
Declaration of Independence Lad been
read and prayer had been uttered,
and the village choir had sung, and L
started in on my grafton, somehow my
heart was so swelled up that it was diff
ficult to speak, and my eyes leaked so
that could hardly read. There were
all around me men and women who had
been boys and girls with me, and when
the first applause came from the audi
ence, looked down in the crowd and
saw my father and mother, and their
faces were pictures of the supremest
| happiness that ever was known. IL was
not much of an grafton, as orations go,
but when it was over, and the people
shook hands with my father and mother
more warmly than ever before, and con-
graduated them on their boy, / felt
about as good as ever did or ever will.
Who's got match?" And the speaker
Knocked the ashes off his cigar and re-
lit it, while several of the boys of the
Press Club took their handkerchiefs
and wiped little particles of dust out of
their eyes-Peck's Sun.