Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-10-11
THE wAY-sAcK DAYs.
nv N. Quad.

Just Blt down ana put on your tniuAbuS
cap and let your thoughts gambol back to
1885. Several little things have happened
since that date, eh2 Lots of our boy chums
got out of knee pants and bob-tsiled coats,
and the girls whom we used to darw on our
hand sleds have grown several inches taller
To get right down to business, it's dog
poned mean to put these gray hairs IN 3
mans head, and TO scar his face with wrin-
kles It's pisen trick to 60 and fill his legs
up with rhematics, loosen most of his teeth,
and throw snuff in his eyes until Re must
out on spectaeles to read a hand bill. We
nave been made the victims Of wicked
olor, my boy. That old deceiver, Time has
tesje nedIy taken advantage of our inuo-
oenee to Jump us from boyhosd to respect
be old age.
Half century-whaw! Well, its no use
O kick. Wed have waited and been born
,lorg about 1860 if given our choice, bnt
h. Ibipg is done and we must make the
,est of it. We might color these gray hairs,
,Iin off some OF these wrinkles, aud pre-
ED to ourselves that these joints are as
timber as at %, but we should be hyypo'
ri,e nv boy. The man or woman who picks
ID the cards to play agsins old Father Time
are certain to come out second best We've
,ot 10 come right down to facts and &C
knowledge that We are guilty of growing
I'D, and we needn't hope that the jury will
lissgree.
Yes, lots and lots of things have happen
ID in the last fifty years. The old wooden
.rsdle in which we were rocked Is no more
o be seen. Don't you remember how high
is sides were, and what sense OF solid Sc,
curly we babies had when deposited therein
The lockers were long and heavy, the floor
osre of carpet and many time the clicke-
ty.,e click lulled US to sleep. Pride first ban
shed the old wooden cradle to the garnet
aid filed it with seed corn or hickory nuts.
This wasn't enough. The old relic was
,um5led out of the window to become kind
ings. and the new baby was rocked IN q
Him fam gimcrack made OF willow or wal
nut. =.
Remember how they used US as babies
and yesrings and two-Year oldsH No soosh'
ing syrup in those days, my boy! If catnup
ea wasn't good for what allied us they put
on the spanker to effect cure. We weren
hidden away from measles and chicken'pox
ard humps and whoopiDg cough, to affect
us ten times as bal in later years, but the
door was flung open and those ailments IN.
vi;ed to walk In and pitch into US and get
licked at once and forever. They didn't
sweet and smother US for fear Of drafts, and
hey didn't rush for doctor if our sneezing
machine set itself to going. We crept on
bare floors; we ate: Johnny-cske and milk;
we swallowed thimbles and peach stones and
picked up live Goals off the hearth. at a
lstsr day we stuck slivers in our feet, thistles
in our hands and tore our wooden dresses IN
falling eff the rail fences.
Remember those psrtaloors, my boy
the first pai! A psir which father could no
10, ger make use OF were ripped up, sand
patered down, revarnishsd, cut on the bias,
" something of that sort, and the best pieces
selected out for our benefit. Reckon we
csytd anything about the set of that first
,air? Did we sheer at the old fashioned
bern buttons? Did we bend over 10 look for
Tag" at the knees? Did we mind the off
color piece which dear old mother had to
put in after all? And, jiminy-cracky! there
sfs d pocket in em-a real genuine, dead
sure pocket, big enough to hold thres apples
aid fried cake aud tight enough to hold
al he brown sugar we could hook when
mother ran across the road after tea or sal
ersius
And say can't you call up that first
"bcugbten" hat-those first store" shoes
the fret real real shirt with bosom to
it. Close upon the the heels of these stir
rirg events Was the first trip to the village.
Graclousl but how those fifty buildings did
ICON up! How the FIVE or six stores did
magnity into two dozen! How half dozen
teams and two score of people created a
veriisble Broadway jam We grew just
four iaches that day. We came to town a
boy-we went home a lion. All the chill
iren were jealous of US aud we were glad
over it.
Remainder the Sunday that mother de,
cid, We were old enough and big enough
70 20 to meeting and behave ourselves
Such a queer old meeting housed Such hard
benches and serious faces! Such long hours
before the preacher came to lastly" and
closed the Book.
And that first week in the district school?
We knew A-B-C-D and before we
start U, anu VIC COuluu luoSAuo WY Guy
one should want TO know more. Those big
Brown boys called US a "towhead," aud
that Sarah Ann Williams ran over US in the
entry, and the Smith boys threatened to lick
US on The way home AS if all this wasn't
enough to swell our hearts and make US
wish that we were dead. the schoolma' am
punched our ear, raped our knuckles and
called out ina voice full of broken glass:
Didn't tell you that letter was G. and
that G. stands for gun? e is away up
here and IL is way down there"
Alb! well It's hopeless fight, my boy
Old Father Time has got the best of us, and
We might as well own up. We've got be-
yond marbles and kites aud tops and hook,
ing harvest spples and wanting to die fol
pretty girls. We've got beyond blue neck
ties, dime novels, the big head and the glory
f polling our first vote. Indeed, my boy
City years have made Us an old man. Let's
he honest ahout II