The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-07-10
ARP a CHILD AGAIN..
Takes Part In the Games - Tires OF
Rabies and Writes Of Grants
Tomb ana OF Gem
eral Lee.

a ]. and somehow every one of them
has a birthday about once a year.
My wife remembers them all. just like
she knows her alphabet. but the alpha
bet keeps lengthening out as the years
roll on, and she says her memory is
weakening,
There is but n orphan in all the lot
Ia little black-eycd girl who lives with
us, and so it was agreed that she should
have a birthday party, for she was just
eight years old to-day. 1t was a mighty
big thing for q little girl, and will last
Fer as long as she lives. 1 reckon and
she viii never have a happier one. She
goes to school, and all her little friends
had to be invited. Forty notes had to
be written and 40 little envelopes had
to be backed and put in the post Office,
and this Afternoon at four o'clock 40
little boys and girls came up the wind
ing way through the grove, and In
course of time were playing on the lawn
as happy and as noisy as a flock Of
blackbirds. They played everything
except baseball and football and other
college ~curriculums and wound up with
MduHs Au4nH 6t4L9 II ~ HhYa \
broke into the ring myself in that game
and kissed a pretty little girl and got
Kissed by another. Age has its priv
ileges, and these are of them. By and
by the piano announced that the party
was prepared, the feast was ready, and
SO all these little folks were soon cir
cled around the long table and the side
tables, where the ice cream and the
Strawberries and the cake and the
flowers were nestled in luxurlant album
dance. Eight little red wax candles
were burning in the center, and eight
vases filed with flowers significant of
hope that the little girl might have a
light to her path and her way be strewn
with roses.
MY observation was that all these
children behaved well and have good
training at home. OF course, the boys
are always hungrier than the girls, and
it takes more to do them. 1t is said
that one time the queen Of Sheba had
40 boys and girls all dressed alike and
brought in before King Solomon to
see if his great wisdom could pick out
the boys from the girls. And so the
king called for bowls of water and tow
els and had them passed around for
each one to wash their hands in The
girls carefully turned up their cuffs,
but the boys just sloshed their hands
in the water regardless of scattering
their sleeves. But I would have sent ice
cream around in saucers, for / know
that the girls would be satisfied with
two, while the boys, as a general rule
could be persuaded to take one more
: 1 don't blame them. Good strawberry
: ice cream surely is a good thing anC
: harmless, and three moderate saucer
8 have never hurt me yet. My wife will
have another birthday in two weeks
) and 1 shall insist on more ice cream.
Well, we have had an evolution at GU
house that has astonished the natives
We have five acres of grove in front 0
: our house, and it has long been inclose'
I with 700 feet of fence along the tw,
e streets that bound the two sides of GU
5 domicile. That fence vas getting old
t and had been often repaired, but re
Gently the city fathers passed the coy
ordinance for good, and forthwith in
r day l had removed every vestige of tina
5 fence. 1t looks very odd; in fact, j
e looks like South Carolina. My wifi,
$ does not know whether she likes it o
!. mot; says the place looks undressed
and she feels like taking cold, but j
: will save me about $50, and that is a biz
thing with us, now. So let the eve
luton go on. 1t is o sign Of progress
i Since we have lived here hogs have bee
e abolished; next the saloons, and, last
the COWS have been ruled Off the streets
and the boys, after nine o'clock a
I night. We are going to have a clear
nice, orderly town. If ! was rich
b would have a fountain down in tn
grove and a dipper chained to it an
some iron seats in the shade not ia
away, where the thirsty and the wear
might have rest. These little attention
don't cost much, and make both plac
and people attractive. The little thing
make up the sum of our LIES happiness
The grand pageant that celebrated th
dedication of Gen. Grants new tom
was over in a day. but his generosity t
Lee at Appomatox, and his kindness I
the south after the war, eclipsed all b
NlCGOTlGss GTdub QaQ SENSE enough I
know that his triumph was nothing I
! boast of, considering that he had thre
soldiers to our one, and lost near
y million men, and now has another mi
lion on the pension rolls. Why, NJ
even old Jack Falstaff would hay
!, Dragged over such a victory. But
8 liked Gen. Grant. He was a souther
man. and his wife a southern womal
He owned slaves up to the very day
! freedom, and lived off their hire, 1
says his ~biographer, Gen. James Graz
Wilson, and Mrs. Grant said in S
Augustine a few years ago that HI
sympathies had to be smothered q
through the war for her husband
sake. I have said it before, and 1 81
it again, that most all professional sc
diers will offer their swords to the hig
is est bidder. They have a preference,
IL course, but patriotism is not as big
thing as personal success. If a m;
rs could see behind the scenes he wou
find many notable instances of TIL
ut Then, what a lie is history; what
I'd hypocrite is fame. DR.. johnson sa
- L IA L. 49, y ~ -