The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-03-19

wrong a~lmostsyery day. Suppose YOU
try IL ct youfohouge % Don't thinkI
will. said /. OF have so long enjoyed
thesu little miserios that Im afraid I
Would be unhappy without them. 1t
Is unreasonable tn expect q heaven ia
this %sublunary life. My habits are
fixed and I'm too old. IL would be a
good experiment for young people 10
make. The poet says.
!" Cant thai day last whose low. de-
scending sun
Sees from thy hand no worthy action
done"
The moro 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 a fitch of
bacon who 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 confirmed
in their statement by some proof from
their neiglibors. Christmas morning
brought most all these poor tenants to
the great hall whore the lord held his
court. Some came to claim tho fitch,
but more out OF curiosity to see q man
and wife who had not quarreled for a
year. A fitch of baeon-well-cured
bacon-was % big thing to u poor peas
ant, for none were allowed to raise
hogs and some of the tenants didn't
mind deceiving the old lord to get 1t.
But he was very shrewd and examined
them like a lawyer would do and for
years and years caught them in their
stories and nobody got any bacon. AT
last old couple came who stood
the test and gave the proof and the old
lord gave judgment in their favor and
there was q great shout among the
people and they took tho old man and
his wife upon their shoulders and car
ried them all round the castle sing
ing and shouting as they marched
along. The story goes hat for a hun
dred years this custom was kept up
among the old lords descendants and
no couple eve got the bacon save
those wb" had been married at least
thirty years, and very few OF them. 1t
takes u man and wife n long time to
assiinilate and become perfectly recon
ciled to each other. Some don't quar-
rel, but they pout, and That Is the
worst Of quarreling. 1t doesn't dis
turb their neighbors, but is like u
funeral in the house.
How very, very sad is the room
Where love. domestic love, no longer
neStleS."
Then 1t is that tho man takes to
drink or to the clubhouse and the wo-
mau 10 morphine.
My wife took n notion u few DAYS
ago to run over to Tampa with q young
lady friend as her chapercu. They
crossed the bay from St. Petersburg
n a lovely passage, for the water
was smooth and the mornings beauti-
fIl fFhnu fnIly Il, an 4 ,I. IL n
main streets, including the museum of
snakes and other tropical creatures
n then Went owe to lunch at the
wonderful Tampa Bay hotel. She was
charmed and delighted with the won
ders and beauties of that grand insti.
tuition. she inspected every SQUARE
inch Of TIE ground n0or and talks
gushingly about the paintings and
statury ard vases and ornaments and
tells all about the people, tho guests,
the rich folks, tho proud and the vain,
the old aud the young, the English
ana American and Spanish and the
band that diacourses sweet music.
on, 1T WAS SO fine and SO grand" she
said. About 3 p. M, they took the
BOAT to turn, but The sky was overcast
and the wind camo up and the boat
rocked and by the time it neared the
wharf my wife was very sick and her
bosom hcaved, but she kept her own
secret and made no sign. They had to
go down. some steep little steps and
along by the boilers to the gangway
and thcn sho surrendered aud cried
for help. The captain, mate and pilot
and deck hands all hurried to her side
and gently helped her down. Hold
on to me" sho said in despairing tones.
Hold to me or I will fall on the boiler.
Oh, L am go sick" And they we're
kind. "Oh, SO kind" she says, and
safely they assisted her on the wharf
and into the car that was waiting.
on, whot a relief to got out of that
and into that car" she said. 81 have
seen Tampa and the great hotel and I
am glad OF it, but | will never 90 that
way again if | live a thousand years.
For the last hour it was perfect
agony" But sho is all right now and
ere this letter goes to press will be
basKing in the sunshine OF her old
home in Gcorgia-that is If the sun is
over going to shine up there again.
BILL ARP.