The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-03-20
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
How Many Happy Days Does the Average
Man or Woman see Each Year2
atlanta Constitution.

travelling in Europe with wife and three
children, between Is and 81, he made
bargain with himself and them to
keep tally sheet and give each one a
black mark who, in any way, marred
the happiness Of the family or any
member of it during the day. The
proposition was readily assented to by
every one and the rules laid down were
that no unkind word be spoken by one
to another-that there should be no
complaining about things that could
not be avoided or that could be reme-
died by themselves-no fault finding
in a querulous way, no tardiness in
coming to meals, no delay in getting
ready for Church or for the cars or the
deligence or any journey! no forget,
ting and having to go back or send
back after it. My friend, the pater
familias, was to be the judge of any
infraction of these rules and if he
broke any one Of them himself his wife
should be the judge.
"Now," said he, "we kept that tally
sheet fair and square for 12O days and
I have it now put away as Keepsake.
How many days do you suppose pass,
ed in those four month with mark? :?
Guess how many2" "Did the mark
Of one mark the whole day." | inquir-
ed. ooh, yes, Of course" said he.
"The offense or the neglect Of one
member of family effects the happi-
ness of all. I don't mean that it de-
stroys the peace of all, but it mars
their perfect happiness. Of course it
is lawful and permissible for the wife
or the daughter 20 forget her parasol
or her gloves or some message she
wishes to leave to the servant, and
this for minute stops the procession,
but it must be admitted that it would
have been better, little better, had
she not forgotten, and SO the black
mark had to come" "Were you keep
ing house or boarding during this
timer" said /. Boarding" said he,
"and visiting from place to place.
"No little children to tear their clothes
or stump their toes or blow their nose?"
"None," said he. ''No servant Dinah
to break the china? No neighbor' 8
COW or long nose SOW to raise q row!
No duns or debt to make you fret?'
:tNone," said he. "Well, you ought to
have had about 100 days out of the
12O," saidI. "Well," said my friend,
solemnly, eve didn't have but four
only four, and I believe that my wife
and my children are better than the
average, but in spite Of ourselves there
was something went wrong almost
every day. Suppose you try it at your
house?' "Don think will" said |.
IT have so long enjoyed these little
myseries that I m afraid I would be un-
happy without them. It is unreason-
able to expect heaven in this sub.
lunary life. My habits are fixed and
I'm too old to little myseries that l m
aft aid I would be good experiment for
young people to make. The poet says:
"Can't that day last whose low, decending
Sees from thy hand no worthy action
done"
The more worthy actions the more
happiness. A century or so ago there
lived a very wealthy lord who had
several thousand poor tenants on his
lands and every Christmas he offered
to give every man and wife fitch of
hooon 1yho would come before him
and solemnly declare they had not said
an unkind word to each other during
the year. And they were to be con-
frmed in their statement by some
proof from their neighbors. Christ
mas morning brought most all these
poor tenants to the great hall where
the lord held his court. Some came
to claim the fitch, but more came out
of curiosity to see man and wife who
had not quarreled for year. A fitch
of bacon-well-cured bacon-wasa big
thing to a poor peasant, for none were
allowed to raise hogs and so some OF
the tenants didn't mind deceiving the
old lord to get it. But he was very
shrewd and examined them like law
yer would do and for years and years
caught them in their stories and no.
body got any bacon. At last one old
couple came who stood the test and
gave the proof and the old lord gave
Judgment in their favor and there was
great shout among the people and
they took the old man and his wife
upon their shoulders and carried them
all around the castle singing and
shouting as they marched along. The
story goes that for hundred years
this custom was kept up among the
old lords descendants and no couple
ever got the bacon save those who had
been married at least 80 years, and
very few of them. It takes man and
wife long time to assimilate and be-
come perfectly reconciled to each other.
Some don't quarrel, but they pout,
and that is the worst sort of quarrel
ing. 1t doesn't disturb their neigh
bors, but it is like funeral in the
house.
"How very, very SAD ls the room
Where love, domestic love, no longer
nestles."
Then it is that the man takes to
drink or to the clubhouse and the wo-
man to morphine.
NV wife took a notion a few days
ago to run over to Tampa with young
lady friend as her companion. They
crossed the bay from St. Petersburg
and had lovely passage: for the water
was smooth and the morning beauti-
full. They took in all the sights on
the main streets, including the mus
cum of snakes and other tropical crea-
lures, and then went over to lunch at
the wonderful Tampa Bay hotel. She
was charmed and delighted with the
wonders and beauties of that grand
institution. She inspected every
square inch of the ground floor and
talks gushingly about the paintings
and statuary and vases and ornaments
and tells all about the people, the
guests, the rich folks, the proud and
the vain, the old and the young, the
English and American and Spanish
and the band that discourses sweet
music. "Oh, it was so fine and so
grand" she said. About 3 p. M,
they took the boat to return but the
skv was overcast and the wind came