The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-03-13

children came early and some of the
neighbOrs' little girls found out they
were here. They always find out, and
so they came over and joined the pro-
cesison and it was an unbrOken frolic
all the day long. The little ones brought
their dolls along, for the maternal in
stinct begins early. They made play
houses under the trees and played
mumbIepeg with my two knives, and
rode in the hall and veranda on the
tricycle. and dressed up in all the fine
old clothes my wife could find i'll the
trunks and closets, and paraded up
stairs and downstairs and outdoors with
their trains dragging after them, and
they played going to call and receiving
calls. When the dinner bell rang they
all came running and it took all my
time to wait on them. and their grand
ma got ont every good thing she had
in the house, and about the middle of
the afternoon they wanted to give Il
little party and had to have more cake
and crackers and pie.
Some of the little ones got hold of
some chalk and colOred crayOnS and
marked all over the verandah and tried
| to make pictures of dogs and horses and
monkeys on the walls, and then they
called for scissors and fashion books and
| cut out dolls and ladies and other pic
lures and scattered them all over the
room. They got hold of my mucilage
bottle and pasted things all about and
even ventured TO my little table to write
| letters while / was working in the
garden, and all their granma said was,
"You had better watch out, your
garden, and all their grandma said was,
'em sometime when she is not abont.
But in due time they had to go home,
| for
''The day was done and the darkness
Fell from the wings Of night"
Our OWN girls went visiting after sup
per and my wife and / were alone and
not a sound was heard in all the house
save the ticking of the clock upon the
| mantel. The contrast was so great that
| it was impressive and we felt lonesome
and almost sad. Each of us had our
| corner and table and lamp and tried
/ to read the war news, but our old eyes
were tired and we gazed upon the fire
| and ruminated. For some time we had
| been in silent. serious reverie about
those little, happy children and breath
| ing a prayer that they might always be
happy and that no calamity or affliction
/ might befall them. and then our minds
| turned tosour absent boys, who are scat
| tered far and wide, from New York
| to Mexico, and we breathed another
| prayer for their health and happiness
| and their return to us some of these
| days-yes, some of these days before
we die they will come, we know, but it
may be to funeral instead of a feast.
We were Eliminating about all this
in silence, when suddenly my wife seem
ed startled and whispered, II heard a
| football at the window. There is some
| body there" Before / could answer,
| the sweet, sad strains Of minstrel music
| began low and soft and the viOlins and
| guitar played to the fitting song of "Old
| Folks at Home" The MINISTRIES had
| recOnnoitered and found that only we
were at home. They gave us but one
| song and were gOne-but these little
| episodes sweeten the passing hours and
| comfort us in our golden age. Forty
1 nine years ago today we were welded.
| 1t is like reversing a telescope to look
back to that day and time, when the
| glow Of youth and health and beauty
was upon my Creole maiden's cheeks
| when gems adorned her raven hair
| when the evening light was on her brow
| and pearls upon her breast as she stood
beside me at the marriage altar. 1t is
/ like looking through a kaleidoscope to
recall the days and weeks and months
| and years that have interviewed since
/ a kaleidoscope that at every turn of the
sands of time presents another picture
of life, its joys and sorrows, its trials
| and its blessings. What changes, what
surprises, and in the midst of it all q
war-a long and hOrrid war that always
looms up before our memories and eclip-
SEES all that was before or after. But on
| the whole the lines have fallen to us in
pleasant places and we have had more
| JOY than sorrow. more comfort than dis
treSs. God gave us five children before
| the war and five more came after and
we are thankful that only we, the pa
/ rents of them. shared and suffered all
| the long anxiety and they knew it not.
God grant that neither they nor their
children shall be so tried. so troubled,
| so strained i'm mind and heart for four
| long years, while the days seemed weeks
and the weeks months. But we endured
| it all and thousands of others endured
/ and suffered more. What is it that man
| and wife cannot endure when their chill
dren are at stake. The poet says:
'They who JOY would win
Must share it. Happiness was born a
twin"
And it is the same with grief and
affliction.
have had some most delicious read
ing lately. 1t is the address delivered
by DIR. Hunter Mcclure ON January
22nd last past at the st. Denis hotel,
New York, at the enghth annual banquet
OF the confederate veterans camp of
New York city. 1t must be, know, the
| most beautiful and thrilling tribute to
Stonewall Jackson ever written or
| spoken by any man. DIR. Mcclure was
JacksOn's medical director and most con-
| tidentlal friend and has told in this @sf-
| dress more touching incidents connected
with the great generals military career
than | have ever found and they are
beautifully, charmingIy told. Every
page of this little booklet is adorned with
| them. 1t is not often that medical men
indulge in biographical literature, but
DIR. Mcclure is certainly q man of rare
culturp | read This address n Io,,d 70 NM