New Ulm weekly review., 1886-12-08
GRANDPA'S STORY.
The American Rural Home.

| The American Rural Home.
"What's Illuminating animal,
grandpa?" said Earl, looking up from
his paper as he turned fresh page.
"An herbiferous animal which swal-
lows its food without mastication and
afterwards by muscular action
throws it back into the mouth, where
it is ground and again swallowed; or
in other words, an animal which chews
the cud.''
Big brother Fred, sitting just across
the lamp-lighted table, reached over
and playfully pulled his little sisters
bangs, saying with mock solemnity:
"Behold an example! am most
glad, grandpa, that you explained it
to us,for we now know that our sister
Cora is a Illuminating animal"
Cora was industriously chewing gum,
but paused long enough in the. opera
tion to flash back a reply to her
brother.
"Thank you. I am not an animal"
she said.
"So?" exclaimed Fred, 'pray tell us
then what class Of vegetables you rep
resent? or do you claim to be min
eral? precious stone perhaps; there
being only three kingd oms into which
the matters of our globe is divided,
you must of necessity belong to one
of them"
The little girl was visibly puzzled,
for she was only eleven years old and
had not gone deep enough in the
sciences to explain her brothers
words; in answer to her look of ap.
peal, grandpa only smiled and
gave her a little wink of
his merry eye, which said as
plainly as if he had spoken audibly,
"never mind, I will explain it all to
you some time" which mute reply
satisfied the little girl quite as we'll as
if he had spoken the words; for grand
pa was the children's oracle, and, al
though he had long ago ceased to
take any active part in the busy
work-a-day life of the family, yet he
was very useful member of it.
Earl, quite oblivious OF what was
passing on around him, read on; the
click OF Cora's pencil was the only
sound for some minutes, in the pleas
ant sitting room, when Fred left his
seat at the table and sauntered to
the window overlooking the streets,
pulled aside the shade and looked
out; soon he turned and took down
his cap and muff1er from the rack.
Grandpa seemed to have fallen into
a reverie, but reused himself and said:
"Earl's question brings to my mind
an incident OF long ago, when the fact
that the COW is a Illuminating animal
saved me the loss OF almost eli ght hun.
dred dollars"
"Oh, do tell us about it!'' exclaim-
ed Cora, pushing away her slate.
"Have you much to read, Earl?"
asked grandpa.
"Only about a dozen lines"
"Well, Cora, you may shake down
the fire, and if Fred will get us pan
Of apples to keep your mouths busy,
SO l shall not Uninterrupted, you shall
have the story
pas stories quite as we'll as the
younger children, and he hesitated
only an instant before he restored
his cap to its accustomed peg, and
taking a light, went whistling into the
cellar; while the thought dancing un-
der grandpa's gray locks was: "we
Will try to make home more attractive
tonight that the streets
when was first married." /" he be-
gan, after they were all settled in
their favorite places, and provided
with juicy apples, II owned a store in
Fayetteville; a brick block now GOV.
ers the site OF the building, but it was
then only q plain story and half
wooden structure with living rooms
above and a heterogeneous stock OF
groceries, dry goods, boots and shoes,
and produce below.
81 do not. suppose we took in, in
| one week, with all of our branches Of
trade, as much as one OF the groceries
down town does in day; still it was
considered then quite a thriving busi-
ness, and when, on account OF failing
health, we concluded to sell, and get
my weak lungs and two strong boys
on to farm, we found q purchaser
readily and sold at what / considered
. good price, although we had to
wait for some years for most Of the
money.
with the cash which was paid