St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-01-02
ARP TENDS FLOWERS.
Philosopher Burns Brown Leaves
and Sweeps the Walks.
Tsets a Friend Of Years Ago-Barsow'a
Sage Hears Man Compliment His
Wife and Recalls Child
hood Days.

| let us WASH our nandS ana Turn over
rew leaf. /. 1t is q curious paradox that
As % general rule man can't be elected
until he first falls from grace. Poll
tics makes strange mixture of Calvin,
| ism and Arminianism. But I reckon
| we will all survive our disappointmen IS
| and, as DR.. Miller used to say, learn tc
spell. the word acquiesea. lie always
pronounced it with the first long, like
ii was acquieece. This seems to be the
young mems era, and recllo1s they car
run the machine, but I must say that
It has been a long time since have had
my choice in anything outside of home
! am doing reasonably well under my
own vine and fig tree, where [ am elect
ed all the time. The fact is, I never fall
from grace inside ofmy own promises,
though sometimes things are not calm
and serene even there.
| worked hard yesterday cleaning up
the flower garden and got in quite a
sweat of perspiration. The leaves from
our big trees had blown all over the
beds and the chrysanthemuins had
fallen down and had to be staked up
and tied and the old Gamma stocks had
to be cut down and removed. By the
time had got everything in good order
and the leaves all burned and the walks
raEed out I thought it was about time
TO receive some praise from somebody,
for I had observed that Mrs Arp was
sewing by the open window and occa-
sionafly gave me an uxorial glance.
And SO I sat down on the iron seat and
mopped the honest dew from my aged
forehead. Suddenly she drew near the
window and remarked:
ST wish you could just see Mrs. Craw-
ford's front yard and flower garden;
they are as clean as a parlor. was
there yesterday at the meeting Of the
aid society and everything was lovely
Mr. Crawford certainly knows how to
keep a place in order.'
Well, that disturbed my tranquility
little and was about to say maybe
you had better get him to come up here
and fix this one, but / didn't. But
wasn't serene at all. and ventured to
remark that Mr.. Crawford didn't do
It, for he had to weigh cotton all day,
md I reckon it was Mrs Crawford's
work. I paused for a reply, but she
resumed her needle and thread and I
sat and ruminated. When T came to
dinner continued my broken remarks
and said that Mr.. Crawford didn't have
f5ur acres of big oak trees to litter mp
his front yard, and thought that
carpet of rich brown leaves wasn't an
thing nohow. She asked me
TO send down my plate for some chick
en-. After another pause remarked
that I had long since found out that
we couldn't have every good thing in
enc place. We couldn't have a beautiful
grove and fine flower garden near it,
for flowers won't grow under shade.
Those beautiful roses that Mrs. Lara
nore sent me have the sunshine all the
dnF.
s'Let me help you to one of these
paaehed eggs she said.
"But I reckon" said I, as I handed
rly plate, Mrs. Crawford had things
fixed up extra fine because the aid So
oiety was coming"
ut is going to meet here next week,
my wife remarked. in a notifying tone
OF voice. won't you have a glass of
butterrnilk? 1T is fresh and good"
And 50 I gave it up, and after dinner
she came out and was quite profuse in
her admiration, for she knows that it
fakes lots Of encouragement to keep me
il work. I'll keep on cleaning up until
that aid society comes and goes. I'll
watch the leaves. as they fall and catch
en- in my hat. I'll sweep ard sand
paper every walk and then Mrs. Craw-
lord can go issnle and praise me to MIR.
Crawford and put him in peyts. I'm
soing to put out two more rows Of
5Trawberry plants to-day, for she
asnted that we hardly had enough. I
:eard her tell the girls that she was
lshamed of that old patehedup carpet
II sqtlae dinings-Foom, for 1t had been
tossn for four winters, and she wished
ne did have q large rug to put under
he table. III surprise her with one
'ome Of these days when + sell my gold
nine. Itwill sell now, reckon, since
Mckinley was elected, for there is gold |
u it. It was the only thing that I had |
.tat Sherman'ss bummers didn't pick up
md carry of
Travelled the other day with an old |
soldier from Atlanta toGartersville. He
couldn't find a seat, ind looked troubled |
IS he toted his old yalise up and down.
.he aisle. So I pulled his coattail and
made him sit by me-. He looked thank-
'ul ard in reply to ray inquiry, said he
vas going to Calhoun, and from there to
lis son-in-law's in the country, a couple |
II miles; said he wanted to see Sally and
Ter Children mighty bad.
Sally is a powerful good woman
aid he, 'tand she has a good, Industrious
,ush3nd, and they are gittin. along
oisghty well considerin'.. My old woman
lfs9 eight years ago, and I'm so lone
orTa at home that / go about and
bort and stay with our married chill
Iren. That's all that an old man can
10 for comfort
This sold veteran was nesSing his four
core and was stilIquite alive and liFely.
Te followed old Joe Johnston all the
wy down from Chicananga and had
,sver been over the ground since. How
he Old sear.s eyes frightened as I
lointed out kennesaw mountain,
llough he said he marched on the other
ide, toward New Hope church.
''1Ne had & hard fight over there, he
aid, aana NE everiastingly saIivatea
.sns,. as tile boys said. we kept old sher-
IAN powerful busy burying OF his
eal.n