St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-09-04
LETTER FROM ARP.
Authorship of a Poem Starts Dis
cuSsion.
Sage of Barlow Eliminates Over
Many Things That Are
and Others That
Might Be.
The last letter I had about the poem
was anonymous. OF course, it was, for

But woman wants it all, you know,
And wants 1t right away
Mrs. Arp was sewing on some illfan-
tile garments as Iquietly 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.
IS reckon said I, 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 wish you wouldsee
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 revarnished and
have new knobs. Do you know how
old that sideboard is p
.sYes,o said +; @Jim Sumter made it
in 1852. He was one of the best men
and best workmen I ever knew. l
paid him $50 for the sideboard He was
well-read, welEbred man, 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,
I will see Mr.. Hicks about the side
board Is there anything else in his
line that you want?''
no.. she said, shut 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.
eBut woman wants 1t all, you know.
And wants it right away
Mrs. Arp looked at me andlremarked:
s.I want these things for you and the
children. It's precious little that ]
want for myself now
don't think she admires the song OF
the sentiment.
II know it, I know it, my DEAR
| said /. There was 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 sables, lawns
and muslins, a carriage and. horses
Wilton carpets and damask curtains
and so forth, and SO on, eft cetera, plur
ibus unurn. But Ammo Domini KEPT
rolling on and the war came and dis
covered that you were gradually losing
your concern for yourself, and all youl
care was for your children. was
Illuminating about this while you were
stitching away SO earnestly upon tha'
little garment, for now your love a11t
care have tapped over to another gen
Grafton. The little grandchildren have
come in for a share of your materna
love, and your personal wants have
come down to minimum. Of course
you must be clothed as becomes th,
maternal head of numerous and love
" offspring, for If you are not a queer
you have reigned in our home nearly
/ as long as Queen Victoria has in Eng
i land and
ssWell, that will do now" said m,
wife. .sYou had better so to town
Aunt Ann says the rice is out and th,
eoWfeed too
eI was ruminating," ssid ], 1hov
fortunate it was that your ambition
surrendered about the time my none,
i did. You ceased to crave as fine thing
as T used to get you. You adapted you
/ wants to our misfortunes. Why, A
years ago I would not have let You 6,
about in that grizzly gray muslin.
had contempt for cheap things, es
peeialIy Tor you; didn't I, my dear p
seYou certainly did, she said, with
kind OF sad, reminiscent smile in he
tone Of voice, ..but this muslin IS goo,
4 enough Eow. But you had better go i
town. There are four little grand
children here to dinner, and Aunt AM
wants the rice right away"
4 aAnd wants it right away"
humaned to the tune Of "Auld Lam
Syne." Somehow can't get that re
a frain out of my mind d-"And wants
right away
3 Sometimes think that men don't I'm
derstand nor appreciate Woman's na
ture. She was created with love 70
the beautiful, for ornament, for flower
and gems and jewels and gold and sil
verWare and damask and fine linen. Sh
can't help her nature, and this yer.
nature proves that she is nearer Heaye
} than we are. What do / care for dia
monds? Nota cent. wouldn't give do,
lar for bushe1 of them. An old-fasa
ioned tin waiter with flowers painte
on It is as good as silver one to me.
wouldn't wash the window glass NOR
than once year, and Washpan suit
me as well as china basin. But ! rex
ognize The fact that I ann man wit
an unrefned nature. The IL gates G
the New Jerusalem that are made c
precious stones are no attraction to me
) neither are the gold-payed streets tia
ST. John saw in his vision. But still
have hope of getting there and becon
ing more refined, for ] do love flower
and pretty birds and orange trees an
luscious fruits and beautiful scener
!, and mountains and the great waters 6
the mighty sea. My wife and my daugl
ters can spend half q day In looking
the beautiful things In the show vii
lows in Atlanta. but I never stop
yaze or to admire, except. perhaps,
look at the photographers display {
he Ite-1i1e models of lovely .Fone