The Van Buren press., 1896-02-01
ARP AND HIS WIFE
The OnlE Ones That Are Now at
the Old Homestead.
children Are Soattered-Arp Takes His
Wife to the German Opera-A
Talk With MIR. Ferris About
Eugene Field.

little hominY and butter and small
pot OF coffee. 1t has been about forty
years since wife and I sat down to as
little as that. OF course it is enough
Tor US, and more than enough, but it
looks SO stingy; only two of US now, ex-
cept when we send off and borrow a
grandchild--our home daughters and the
little orphan have gone to Florida for
the winter. My wife says she hears
the rats galloping in their rooms up
stairs every night. They have found
out that The girls have gone. My wife
wasn't Sure that rats made the racket,
and SO about midnight, when deep sleep
falleth upon man but not upon a
woman, she aroused me and asked what
1t was. Being prematurely deaf on
rats couldn't hear anything, but to
satisfy her took the candle and went
upstairs in my nocturnal garments and
hunted all over the rooms and closets
and under the beds, and found nothing,
OF course. didn't expect to find any
thing. She is just lonesome and sad,
that's all, and she didn't like to hear
me snoring while she was ruminating
about the scattered children. All of
the ten have left US at last, and by and
by old Father Time will separate VS.
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 own home and ireside.
The habits of forty years are hard 10
he broken. Half chicken is enough,
but even that is a sign that we are
alone-we two. didn't feel like say
ing grace over such a stingy meal
why didn't you cook it all, Aunt
Ann?" said |. Cos it'll be better for
supper, SIR she said. But we send for
a grandchild now every day or two and
swap them around, and they are always
glad to come. My wife's greatest pleas
nre now is petting the grandchildren.
She says she is nearly blind, but | see
her sewing on something every day
fixing up something for their Christmas
gifts A child without a grandmother
does not have its share of happiness.
Every grandmother is Eugene Field,
though they can't make poems of their
feelings. was talking about Field
the other day to my friend Ferris in
George Adairs Office. and he said he
used to set type with Field for The st.
Louis Times, and the boys always had
a good time in jeffing with him.
"What's that" said L. "Well," said
he, "we didn't throw dice for the cigars,
but we threw EN- quads. whats that?"
said |. "Well," said he, "type-setting
is counted by the ems. 1t is quad.
piece, and there are three little hicks
on the shank, and jeifing was played
by taking up handful of quads at ram
dom and throwing them down upon the
table, and the one who showed up the
fewest hicks lost the wager. ! remem-
ber that Field was generally the un-
lucky 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 l always felt a pride in having
been one of his companions. You know
that Charley Lewis was another 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 literature whether
he wants to or not, and there is many
one who has made his mark besides Ben
Franklin and Eugene Field"
''But what about the 'quad?'" said ],
"Oh, that is Latin word and means
how many. We were paid not by the
number of ems but by the measure of
them. 1t took two e's or three is to
make an en-"
"Angelina," said when | feel very
loving l call my wife Angelina, like the
hermit did). "Angelina, my dear,
wouldn't you like to go to Atlanta and
hear Damrosch opera? You haven't heard
an opera since ! took you to hear Sontag
and StefTanoni and Max Maretzek
in New York in 1853. Just think of it
that was forty-two years ago."
"Oh, it costs too much money" said
she.
"Only 49," said l. 1.-TWO dollars for
a good seat in the balcony. Suppose we
go and hear 'Siegfried.'"
"Jessie ought togo" said she. "Jessie
understands fine music and never has
heard an opera on the stage"
That settled it. l had heard it hinted
around that my wife would like to go,
but wouldn't ask me-so | had to ask
her. We have been, Veni, vidi, audi
and am satisfied. Four hours on a
hard wood seat will satisfy any veteran
even if the angels were making music.
Itwas all German to me. lheard Jenny
Lind sing once and that was music. l
understand that and | was charmed. 1t
thrilled me and kled me with unutter-
able rapture and all ] could do was to
weep with emotion. But this German
business tired me awfully and l slept
right good at times. can sleep bolt
upright and never move. When the
music was soft and sweet / enjoyed it,
but couldn't see anything hardly.
Sieq fried was mending an old broken
sword and liked that old time black