The Van Buren press., 1897-09-04
LETTER FROM ARP.
Authorship of Poem Starts Dis
cuSSiOn.
Sage of Barlow Eliminates Over
Many Things That Are
and others That
Might De.

And wants it right away
Mrs. Arp was sewing on some infan-
tile garments as l quietly laid the mis-
siye ON her lap. She neither smiled
nor frowned nor stopped the play of
her needle as size remarked; Maybe
they do, but they don't get it nor ex-
peet."
81 reckon" said 1, that some stingy
old benedict wrote that; some fellow
who would spend more money on his
horse than on his wife,
NO." said Mrs. Arp; sit was some
old bachelor whose rejected addresses
have made him cynical, and like Byron
he vents his revenge in doggerel. When
you go down town l wish you woaldsee
Mr.. Hicks about that dining-room
chair Maybe he can put new cane
bottom of it. We need it sometimes
when we have company, and that old
sideboard ought to be reyarnished and
have new knobs. Do you know how
old that sideboard is?"
YES" said |; Jim Sumter made it
in 1852. lie was one of the best men
and best worlmen / ever knew. /
paid him $50 for the sideboard. He was
d well-read, well-bred man, n good
neighbor and good citizen, and have
respect for the sideboard. 1t is like an
epitaph on his tombstone and seems TO
read: Sacred to the memory Of Yes,
| will see Mr.. Hicks about the side
board Is there anything else in his
line that you want?"
NO" she said, "but you know we are
obliged to have another extension ta-
BILE. We gave ours to Jessie when she
was married and have been using one
that was left here three years ago and
now the owner has settled down and
wants it. You had better attend to
this right away"
Fright away, right away" unused.
"But woman wants 1t all, you know.
And wants it right away"
Mrs. Arp looked at me andlremarked:
q want these things for you and the
children. It's precious little that /
want for myself now.'
| don't think she admires the song or
the sentiment.
81 know it, l know it, my DEAR"
said l. "There was a time when you
wanted good deal for yourself and
it pleased me to crafty your every
wish and more than you asked for
Nothing was too good for you when |
had the money Silks and sabes, lawns
and muslins, a carriage and horses,
Wilton carpets and damask curtains,
and so forth, and SO on, ct cetera, plur-
ibus unum. But Ammo Domini kept
rolling on and the war came and | dis
covered that you were gradually losing
your concern for yourself, and all your
care was for your children. | was
Illuminating about this while you were
stitching away so earnestly upon that
little garment, for now your love and
care have Tapped over to another gen
GRAFTON. The little grandchildren have
come in for share of your maternal
love, and your personal wants have
come down to a minimum. OF course,
you must be clothed as becomes the
maternal head of numerous and love-
ly offspring, for if you are not queen
you have reigned in our home nearly
as long as Queen Victoria has in Eng
land and"
"Well, that will do now," said my
wife you had better go to town.
Aunt Ann says the rice is out and the
cowfeed too"
81 was ruminating,' said /, show
/ r. ay,,1,ffinr
surrendered about the time my money
did. You ceased to crave as fine things
as used to get you. You adapted your
wants to our misfortunes. Why, 40
years ago | would not have let you go
about in that grizzly gray muslin. |
had a contempt for cheap things, es-
pecially for you; didn't |, my dear?"
"You certainly did" she said, with a
kind Of sad, reminiscent smile in her
tone of voice, but this muslin is good
enough now. But you had better go to
town. There are four little grand
children here to dinner, and Aunt Ann
wants the rice right away"
"And wants it right away" l
hummed to the tune OF "Auld Lang
Syne." Somehow l can't get that re-
frain out of my mind-"And wants it
right away"
Sometimes 1 think that men don't un-
derstand nor appreciate woman's ma
ture. She was created with love for
the beautiful, for ornament, for flowers
and gems and jewels and gold and sill
verware and damask and fine linen. She
can't help her nature, and this very
nature proves that she is nearer Heaven
than we are. What do | care for dia-
monds? Nota cent. Wouldn't give dol
lar for a bushel of them. An old-fash-
ioned tin waiter with flowers painted
on it is as good as a silver one to me. l
wouldn't wash the window glass more
than once year, and a washpan suits
me as well as n china basin. But ] rec
ognize the fact that l am man with
an unrcfned nature. The 12 gates Of
the New Jerusalem that are made OF
precious stones are no attraction to me;
neither are the gold-payed streets that
ST. John saw in his vision. But still l
have hope Of getting there and becom-
ing more refined, for l do love flowers
and pretty birds and orange trees and
luscious fruits and beautiful scenery
and mountains and the great waters Of
the mighty sea. Ny wife and my daugh-
ters can spend half day in looking at
the beautiful things in the show win
lows in Atlanta, but l never stop to
gaze OF 10 admire, except. perhaps TO
'ook at the photographers display or
he uto~Eke models Of lovely women