St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-04-29


of the letters are in verse, and, what
is remarkable, most of the poems are
from our aged friends. Just take note
of this from Dr. Alexander, the veteran
physician of Atlanta. Who would have
thought that he would have turned
bard in his seventy-ffth year? He sent
sne beautiful cane, and the following
verses were wrapped around it. May
the good Lord lead him down gently to
the grave:
'I never can forget it-whatever time
destroys
The. dear old time in youths sweet prime,
When tBiIr and We're boys.
1t is the one bright memory no earthly
dross alloys,
For sweet bells chime of that dear time
When "Bilr and I were boys!s
1T was there when Bnr was married. in
the pleasant far-away,
To the fair and noble woman
Whom he weds again to-day.
His golden-marriage time it is. All, time
no love destroys,
For they love each other better than
When Bill and were boys!
We'll, here's greeting to you, BILL,
And blessings on your life,
And love and joy forever
To your jewel of a wife!
To me you're both a memory
No earthly dross alloys,
Thank God we're still as happy as
When Bill and I were boys!
'rYou need no staff to lean on, BILL
For loves your staff and guide,
And love has led you safe thus far,
And love is by your side;
But take this staff, old comrade,
With your golden wedding joys
And lean upon it for those days
When Bill and were boys.
@ JAMES f. ALEXANDER.
March Z, 1885,"
oh, the dear memories that these
lines crowded on me-the branches
| where we fshed for minnows and perch
and horny-heads, the shoal creek where
we seined and the millpond where we
jumped from the springboard and the
water seemed mile deep, and the trees
| we climbed for chestnuts that seemed
a mile high What a fine coon dog was
Rover, and what a good rabbit dog was
Tag But the long red hills have
| shrunk and the millpond is but little
pool and the trees have been cut down
| and the dogs we hunted with are dead.
/ Alas! how cruel is time.
/ And here before me are some tender
lines from old Col. Gibbons, who has
passed his fourscore years. He adds
| another verse to "John Anderson, My
4 Jo." So does my dear old partner.
/ Judge Branham, and he says that DIR.
| Deems wrote it. And an old lady from
| Washington, D. c., sends still another
| verse and says it was written by man
/ in Ohio. Here are three different addi-
tions to the poem, and all are beautiful.
And here are several loving verses from
our cherished friend, Capt. Calhoun,
who is no spring bird or bard, but is
old enough to write poetry. There is
man who always brings sunshine.
His life is struggle and a strain, but,
ssIike the son of Alknomok, he never
complains"
Then thereis the double-hearted gem
from our unknown friend, "Dunne
4 Brown" with its graphic Illustrations.
Nothing prettier or more appropriate
was ever written or designed. He is
both a poet and an artist; and the gem
is to be incased in a golden frame and
placed upon the golden-papered wall.
And dear, good Charley Hubner never
forgets or neglects to write the right
thing in the right way and at the right
time And then there were the golden
weddings golden bells that were rung
to sweet music by Col. and Mrs. Roy
Mason, of Richmond, Va.
Besides all these there were beautiful
prose poems by Uncle Remus, Franl
Stanton, Wallace Reed and Frank Rich
ardson, and Mr.. Knott, of the Home ane
Farm, and Mr.. Einstein, of the New
York Press, and Albert Shaw, of The
Review of Reviews, that have beer
placed carefully among our colder
wedding treasures. What shall we rem
der to our friends for all their benefits
and benedictions. Why, here is a mas
sive wedding ring that DR.. Benham, tht
oldest and noblest Roman of them all
semitic my wife to be placed by me upol
her wedding finger as I renewed tht
promises made her so years ago. Ant
There is another that our dear goot
/ friend, Joe Brown, sends. 1t is ex
quisitely engraved Golden Years
! Golden Hearts, and his letter is an
! other gem-a prose poem that. is wort
more than the ring to me, for am no
, | a woman. And here is Klondike mug
get sent from friend who lives in tn
I far-of state of Washington and is nov
! ! mining in Alaska. And here, hangin!
on the parlor wall, is beautiful pictur
of John Anderson my Joe and his loy
3 ing spouse. 1t is encased in an exquisit
, golden frame and nothing can be NOR
! tenderlypathetic than this sketch, wher
i the good dd;matron is smoothing tn
! thin and silvery hair of her lifeloni
: companion as she sings: "Nowwe mus
i totter down, John, but hand in han
Z i we Il gos This came from Mrs. Ware
i of Birmingham. a dear old famil
S friend. who was schoolgirl in pants
q I1etaes when we moved to Rome in s.
S EShs, soo,5 had to fee from the foul II
5 yaaer in "a, the same night nywife an
80 IS