Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-11-27

"o'HSi Nho DOTS lleHl, lOT lncN
are her children sure enough, and she
knows 1t. There never was but one
case OF doubt as to who was the mother
OF a child. and King Solomon settled
that IN short order. The pain and
trouble and nursing and night watch
ing have all ben hers. The washing
ana dressing and mending and patch
ing, tlelng up fingers and toes and SYM
pathizing with all their great big little
troubles. 1t all falls to her while the
father is attending to his farm or his
store or his office, or may be his club
and his billiard table. I've seen the old
hen scratch and work and err al
the day for her tiny brood, and I've
seen the Old rooster step around and
look on with a paternal pride and do
nothing. Ever and amor he would find
a worm or Il bug and call them to
come and get it, and just before she rot
there he ate it himself. When a WON
an says ''this is my child" it carries
more weight and more meaning than
when a man says it; and | have no re-
spect for Il law that will give "A man
the preference just because he is man.
Our crop is laid by-and now there
is a new lot of little chaps circulating
around, for grandchildren have come
TO VISIT us and make for us a genuine
Thanksgiving Day in our country
house. What a burlesque it is in
chi!dhood's JOY for the grandparents
to live IN "A crowted city penned up
with brick walls with a few sickly
flowers in the front window and Il
back yard to play in about as big AS a
wagon sheet. The old folks should
live in the country where there is lati-
tude and longitude, and fields and
branches, and hills and valleys. and
cattle and hogs, and rabbits and dogs,
and pure air, and wild flowers and
fruits, and everything to make them
freeand happy. When our grand-chil-
dren come TO see lis they feel like they
have escaped from ~prison-they feel
like school boys when recess comes.
they want to rock somebody or fight IA
yaller jackets nest. They hardly took
time to kiss and say howdy and shuck
of their Sunday clothes before they
were off d~abbling in the branch, rock
ing the ducks, fighting the ganders,
fishing for minnows, catching frogs.
rolling an old hogshead down the hill.
breaking the bull calf, and every little
while coming to grandma for some
more ginger bread. Here they 90.
there they 90, while their poor grand
ma jumps up every few minutes to see
if they haven't got killed, or drowned,
or turned over the hen house. She had
liked to have taken a fit this morning
as she looked IL of the window. and
saw them coming down the big road
with the bull calf pulling a wagon on
gum log wheels.
One was pulling 'haw' and another
gee, and four We're riCing and all
were yelling, and they made such II
racket the calf ran away with the
whole concern and never stopped till
he got in the branch and landed their
gable ends in the water. Blessings on
the children and the children's chill
dren! How / do love TO have them
around and see them frolic. and even
and anon hear one squall with "a cut
finger or Il stump'd toe, or the bark
knocked off his hide somewhere. A
child without "A grandpa TO hamor and
a grandma to comfort can never have
its share of happiness in this world.
Blessings on the good old people, too
the venerable grandparents of the
land-the people with good old honest
ways and simple habits and limited de-
s%ires, who indulge in no folly and
banker after no big thing, but live
along calm and serene, coveting moth
ing but the happiness of their children
and their children's children.
BILL ARP.