The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-03-30
APPS GOLDEN Wedding.
He and Mrs. Arp Overwhelmed at
the Interest Shown.
GIFTS AND SOUVENIRS FROM

INC IHtefcSt oHUWH'
GIFTS AND SOUVENIRS FROM
Friends Near Home and Frieads Abroad
Kind. Lo,iag Greetings Of chiIare,. kin-
dred and Frcads.
The celebration OF our golden we'd
ding is over and my good wife and / are
still marching TO the end OF the jour
ney. Tho fif.ieth anniversary Of our
welded life brought no change aud did
not for moment stop the ticking Of
the mar bic clock upon the mantle. The
days and the weeks and the months are
still coming this way. We did not
cross the Rubicon nor tho Jordan nor
the Styx, but only set mp another mile
stone and marked it fifty. Now We are
on the last quarter stretch nearing the
goal, and If 1t was LETT to us we would
make it an even race. Birth and mar
riage and death are the most notable
events in this life, the most pregnant
with fate, and destiny, OF happiness or
misery aud 1t becomes us to pause &C.
casiOnally aud ponder them. II we can
do this with serenity and gratitude it
is we'll for there is no comfort in mel
ancholy.
And SO we were made happy on our
wedding day, and are happy yet as we
recall the kind loving greetings of
children and kindred aud friends. A
shade of sadness came over us of course
| As we thought of the missing one, the
youngest boy afar otfIn Mexico, but he
will come some OF these summer days,
| and bring his sunshine with him. He
| always brings it and he always sends it
III his letters. There Is no better sign
ola bov tnan for him to write home Of
ten aad regularly, and Carl does that.
Mr.. Craig, Of Macon, sent us by ex-
press prepaid pretty iron double seat
| for the yerandah or the lawn and wrote,
II made this with my own hands for
your golden wedding. My wife and l
wanted to show our love for your son
Carl who was so good and kind to our
| dear boy while he was sick in Mexico.
Our boy came home and died, but We
have not forgotten Carl, God bless
him." What comfort ::to parent are
the letters from the children. What
comfort are good, kind letters from
friends known aud unknown aud we
have had them by the hundred during
the past two weeks, and kilograms, too,
from New York to Texas-and from the
islands of our new domain. We
were amazed-overwhelm and
wondered what we had done to
provoke such interest in our home af-
fairs. And then the press has showered
its benedictions so lavishly that was
constrained to whisper when will this
thing stop-where will this bird light.
We are proud OF all this, but not vain
and we are more gratifed than proud,
but the query is still with us "What
have We done and is not this all O
dream?"
And then there are the beautiful gifts
and souvenirs that kept on coming from
friends near home and friends abroad
They crowded our tables and adorned
the walls. These golden presents glad
dened our golden years and fitted the
golden wedding so appropriately, and
the flowers did, toO-beautlful flowers
from Brooklyn and Atlanta and Rome
and Mobile aud Marietta and all laden
with pretty sentiments and some with
the ever living lines from Mrs. Hemans:
s'Bring flowers, fresh flowers for the
bride to wear;
They were born to blush in her shining
hair"
Yes, all is for the bride. She lets me
look at the beautiful things, and even
to handle them, but they are all hers ex'
cept the gold headed cane and the
French Clock that my dear old college
mate, Jim Warren sent me. And she
h0o yNyor ~ f1,1
pens and pair of the cuff buttons and
the new tangled carving fork that
thought was curling tongs for my scat
tered hair. It seems to me that I an
q little humbl .r than l was before the
wedding, for she CLAIMS all the pretty
things, from the massive golden ladlt
of Mrs. Akin and the beautiful COLDER
chalices of the Constitution and the
lovely spoon service of the Home
and Farm and the gold mount
ed umbrella From Kansas City
down to the golden bookmark and til,
golden toothpicks. There are scores O
other beautiful thingsin glass and gold
and they are all hers. l am no longe
the cashier of this bank. for the brid,
has put away the golden coin, though
she says she only wants to keep it
while and will then give it back to mo
l remember when my father got pen
sion of 500 for poor old man VIII,
owed him 500 and had owed it for years
Father counted ont the gold and CAV
it to him, thinking that of course b.
, would pay the debt, but he wrapped i
up carefully and put it away down il
his pocket and started for his horse, VIII,
was hitched to the rack near by A
, he was about to got up father said t.
! him, "Mr. jenkins, thought you toll,
: your pension % eyes, L did, Asa,
t SAID he. land I'm gwine to do it tomor
+ row shore. jest wanted to take it al
, home and let the old woman look at
and feel .of it and countit, and we woul,
), sleep with it in the house ono night
Asa-just cle night, Asa" And sur
> enough he did bring it back next da
: aud raid the debt and put the rest il
4 any fathers safe.
G know that my bride will do that
e 90. Fifty years ago she promised N
y verything she had or was going t
ave aud SO will wait. She has al
ways given me everything that cam
l 20 her except the children. She claim
vi Of them and still speaks Of them a
My chlldren-my boys and my girls.
van Howell. nv old friend, came t
our wedding and brought his good Wit
with him. You see, 1 was at his faith
er's wedding long before he was Dor
and wanted him here, but when b
was called upon to respond to Judc
Atkins beautiful speech, I thought b
went little out of his way to saw tbs
every man was made bstter bv his VIII