The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-12-31
BILL ARP AND HIS WIFE.
QUIET TIMEs AT THE OLD HOME.
STEAD.


QUIET TIMES AT THE OLD HOME.
STEAD.
The Children are Scattered and Gone
The German Opera Makes Him
Tired and sleepy.
Half chicken-half q dozsn bis
cults, little hominy and butter and
small pot OF coffee. 1t has been about
forty years since wife and sat down
to as little as that. or course it is
enough for US, and m IRE than enough,
but 1t looks SO stingy only two OF us
row, except when we send off and bor-
row q grandchild-our home daugbt bters
and the little orphan have gone to Flor
ida for the winter. My wife says she
hears the rats galloping In their rooms
upstairs every night. They have
My wife wasn't sure that rats made
the racket, and so about midnight,
when deep sleep falleth upon man,
but not upon q woman, she aroused me
and asked what 1t was. Being prema-
turely deaf on rats, l couldn't hear
anything but to satisfy her I took the
candle and went upstairs in my noe
turnal garments and hunted all over
the rooms and closets and under the
bees, and found nothing, of course.
didn't expect to fod any thing. She is
just lonsome and sad, that's all, and
she didn't like to hear me snoring
while che WAS Illuminating about the
scattered children. All of the ten
have left US at last, and by and by old
Father Time will separate us too. OF
course we could go and live with some
Of the married children, and they
would be glad to have us but never
saw an old couple that liked to give
up their home and fireside. The hab-
It's of forty years are, hard to be
broken. Half chicken is enough, but
even that Is sign that we are alone
we two. | didn't feel like saying grace
didn't you cook it all, Aunt Ann" said
l. "Cos it'll be better for supper, sir,"
she said. But we send for grand
child now every day or two and swap
them around, and they are always
. glad to come. My wifes greatest
pleasure now is petting the grand
children. She says she is nearly blind,
but see her sewing on something
every day--fxing up something for
their Christmas gifts. A child with
out O grandmother does not have its
share of happiness. Every grand
mother 10 a Eugene Field, though they
. Ohh DudhC pOCtlo vi UhClT lSClluR6. L
was talking about Field the other day
to my friend Ferris in George Adair's
office, and he said he used to set type
with Field for The ST. Louis Times,
and the boys always had good time
In iefiiing with him. "What's that P"
said L. !" WE'LL" said he, "we didn't
throw dice for the cigars, but we
threw EN- quads." Whats that ?"
said I. "Well," said he. "type-set-
ting Is counted by the ems. It Is
,,quad piece, and there are three little
hicks on the shank, and jefing was
played by taking up handful OF
quads at random and throwing them
down upon the table, and the one who
showed up the fewest hicks lost the
wager. ] remember that Field was
generally the unlucky boy, and had to
pay the cigars. There were seven of
us who generally spent our leisure
time together after our nights work
was done. There was Heiny Huff and
Fatty Smith and Dummy Edwards and
the Monk and Betsy Heyd and Gene
and myself. Betsy was boy. None
OF us were bad or wild, and Gene was
as amiable as he was unlucky. There
was more in him than we knew then,
and / always felt a pride in having
been one of his companions. You
htOW ohoo Sh0Ii lLo"lo WOO ouOvif0I
type.setter and took his pen name OF
M Quad while on The Detroit Free
Press. Setting type Is a good school
for boy. He is obliged to learn lit
erature whether he wants to or not
and there is many a one who has made
his mark besides Ben Franklin AND
eugene Field"
"But what about the quad ?" sale
I.
"Oh, that is Latin word ant
means how many. We were paid mo-
by the number OF ems, but by The
measure OF them. 1t took two e's Of
three i's to make an en-"
"Angelina," said when / feel YER,
loving call my Angelina, like thu
hermit; !" angelina, my dear
hear Damrosch operap You haven
hear Sontag and Steffanoni and Ma.
Maretzek In New York In 1853. Jus
think OF it--tbat was forty-two year
ago"
"oh, 1t costa too much money! sal
she.
"Only $2" said 1. "Two dollars 70
good seat in the balcony. Suppos
we go and hear Siegfried."
"Jessie ought to CO." said sh'
Jessie understands fine music an
never has heard an opera on tn
stage"
z e That settled is. had heard
limited around that my wife would jill;
TO 60, but wouldn't ask me--so ha
to ask her. We have been. Veni, yid
audi--and 4 am Satisfied. Four houl
on hard wood seat will satisfy an
\ victorian even IL the angels were NAL
Aug music. It was all German to n
aArd Jenny Ldnd sing once
music. understood