Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-07-09

w aims VI anu lllNli W ol |
1t was at this time that he learned
the pernicious habit ofusing tobacco.
We connot wonder at it when we re-
member that he was now fatherless
lie was at the mercy Of the coarse,
rough world. Possibly he learned
how 10 use tobacco when he went
away TO attend business college after
the death of his father. Be that as it
may, the noXious weed certainly has
tened his death, for 600 years later
VIC find him corpse!
Death is ever surprise, even at
the end Of long illness and after
ripe old age. To those who are near
it seems abrupt; SO to his grandchil-
dren, some of whom survived him,
his children having died of old age,
the death of Mcthusclah came like
from clear sky.
Methuselah succeeded in cording
up more of a record, such as it was,
than any other man of whom history
informs us. Time, the tomb builder
and amateurmower, came and looked
over the front yard and looked at
Methuselah, and ran his thumb over
the Jagged edge of his scythe, and |
went away whistling a low refrain.
lie kept up this refrain business
for nearly ten centuries, while Me-
thusclah continued to stand out amid |
the general wreck of men and ma
tons.
Even as the young, strong mower
going forth with his mower for to
NOV, spareth the tall and dignitied
and drab hornets nest and passeth
by on the outer side, so Time, with
his Waterbury hour glass and his
over-worked hay knife over his shout
der, and his long Mormon whiskers
and his high, sleek dome of thought,
with its gray lambreuuin of hair
around the base of it, moved all
around Methusclah and then passed
on.
Methuselah decorated the graves
of those who persisted in dozen diff
ferent wars. He did not enlist him
self, for over 900 years of his life was
exempt. lie would 90 to the enlist
ing place and offer his services. and
the officer would tell him TO 90 home
and encourage his grandchildren to
90. Then Methuselah would sit
around Noah's front steps, and smoke
and criticse the conduct of the war,
also the conduct of the enemy.
1t is said of Methuselah that he
never was the same man after his
son Lamech died. lie was greatly
attached to Lamech, and when lie
woke up one night to find his son
purple in the face with mcmbrancous
Group, he could hardly realize that
he might lose him. The idea of los
ing boy who had just rounded the
glorious morn of his 777th year, had
never occurred to him. But death
loses shining mark and he garnered
little Lammic and left Mathusclah to
moan and mourn Oh for couple
more centuries without him.
Methuselah finally got so that he
couldn't sleep any after 4 O'Clock in
the morning, and he didn't see how
any one else could. The older lie got
and the less valuable his time became,
the earlier he would rise, so that lie
could get an early start. AS the GEN.
turtles filed slowly by, and Methuselah
got where all he had to do was to
shuttle into his loose-ftting clothes,
and rest his gums on the top of
large sleek headed cane and mutter
up the chimney, and groan and extri-
cate himself from his clothes again
and retire. lie rose earlier and earli-
er in the morning, and muttered
more and more about the young folks
sleeping away the best part of the day,
and said he had no doubt but that
sleeping and snoring till breakfast
time helped to carry off Lam. But
one day old Father Time came along
with new scythe, ana he drew the
milestone across it few times, and
rolled the sleeves of his red fanuel
undergarment up over his warly ell
bows, and Mr.. Methuselah passed
on to that undiscovered country with
a ripe experience and long, clean
record.
, We can almost fancy how the ply
} sicians, who had disagreed about his
case all the way through, came and
: insisted on post mortem examina-
ton TO prove which was right and
, what was really the matter with him
, We can imagine how people went by
, shaking their heads anil regretting
, that Methuseiah should have tam,
pered with tobacco when lie knew
that it affected his heart.
Bnt he is gone. He lived to see his
own promissory notes rise, flourish
acquire interest, pine away at last
, and finally outlaw. He acquired q
, large farm in the very heart of the
county seat, and refused to move il
or ,,Iot "a o,,6 coll n Mo,Lusol,I,,e nj