The Van Buren press., 1896-07-04

one who goes out from its sacred portals
nr returns within them to rest from the
cares of a busy world. 1t is one of my
constant regrets that there are so many
GOOD people in this great big world who
have no home-not an acre on dod
green earth they can call their own. II
every family had home the children
would grow up better citizens, better
patriots; the parents would hold up
their heads and be thankful TO God Tor
Ills blessings. The good wife and daugh-
tiers would treasure the vines they
planted. and the flowers they grew III
the front yard-fowers that are the
smiles of God upon a sin-cursed world.
The poet says:
1.-THE world has nothing to bestow;
From our own selves our joys must now,
And that dear place-'our home.
was Illuminating about these things
as [ sat in my yeranda in the shadow OF
the yines-the Virginia creeper, the
madeira and cinnamon vines that by
day and by night are climbing higher
and higher, enlarging and unfolding
their tender leaves that will soon cover
the trellice. love to watch their daily
progress. | built the framework for
these vines and am proud of it, even
though my wife did boss the job and
lie. too. Twas she who made me set
the posts out two feet from the edge OF
the yeranda floor and brace them to
the top of the columns. Twas she who
suggested canes from the cane brake
long canes that were stuck in the
ground and their tops cut even and fas-
tened to the crossbar These canes are
Just one foot apart and are interlaced
with horizontal canes, also a foot apart,
and the basket work keeps the whole
fabric good and strong. Strong and
vigorous vines have already climbed and
| twined around every cane, but she said
there must be windows in the lattice
50 that we could sit in our chairs and
see the trains go by and the carriages
and bicycles and funeral professions
and picnic parties and the children 60
! ing to school and look at our neighbors
who live across the way. SO there is a
space of three feet where the vines
cling close to the perpendicular poles,
but are not allowed to send out any
horizontal shoots. This gives us ample
vision of the outer world, and sit daily
there in my big armchair and rest my
feet upon the railing and ruminate upon
life with its blessings and am thankful
that / live.
just word about that railing. 1t
used to be about three feet high and
studded with upright balusters. the top
rail too high and the bottom one too low
| for good foot rest. So when / bought
the property the first thing did was to
reform the long yeranda 1t cost but a
trife to take out the upright pieces and
| lower the top rail and run a middle one
| and then put short square pieces be
! tween them and alternate them like n
road to Jericho. This makes the cheap
est and most comfortable railing in the
world, and gi4s an old man choice of
three elevations for his feet and gives
a modest woman choice Of two. / have
alreSdy observed in my brief life that
there are two classes of people who like
TO elevate their pedal eXtremities when
in state of innocuous desuetude-old
men and lazy lawyers. Old age is ex-
Cusable, for his legs are tired, especial
! ly when his corporosity increases with
advancing years, or he is bossed around
The flower garden by his loving wife;
the average lawyer is excusable, too, |
suppose, for it is the brain that quickens
| the flow of blood to the extremities. and
if the brain has nothing to work on-no
cases, no clients-the legs get sleepy
and must have rest.
/ can tell a town loafer's age pretty
well by his posture when seated An
old, confirmed loafer wants two chairs.
one to rest his feet upon. If he is a
lawyer he prefers a table.
But | am off the subject again. Twas
thinking about the fowers-tbe new
and beautiful flowers that Mrs. Arp got
from Mr.. Berckman-these cannas that
are so gorgeously lovely and are now
blooming into beauty. We had some
yellow ones before, but now have other
colors that are brilliant and attractive
decorated my vegetable garden last
year with sun flowers, but | don't think
my wife fancied them. She said tbey
made her eyes tired, but she is delighted
with the crimson and orange and varie-
gated cannas and her Mareschal Neil
roses and carnation pinks. She wants
| only TWO on three dollars worth of new
lowers every spring, and up to this time
she has had it, thank the good Lord for
| His mercies. The weather has bean
awful hot, but have had 10 die and
FORK up the ground and haul fertilizer
IN the wheelharrow and lay off a new
hover bed and change plants from the
old ores and tote water and sprinllo
ana rake around till me neither oar
wife. - '''' j
1t hasn't raiued . drop in three weeks
Notwithstanding my rheumatic Mains
7nd my Wife's COINS and the roostor,s
growing in tho rjght, and so have
very Ihlng 10 water every evening. We
nave had no man servant but me for d,
long time, and my wife SAYS I loci, o,'-
.eeungly well, considering ace and in
'Iin'ly ~ and the girls smile around an
iie sly TO see how a little uxorial n, Nv
rurs ME ON.
ran " letter Yesterday from a suffer
benedict, who says his girls wanted
-'ia 'o'ieE rhoPging cotton and sowino.