Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1900-03-22

wide the curtains and caught fugitive
glimpse of very pretty face laughing
all over.
By this time it was nearing dawn.
There was no use trying to entice
sleep, so l up and washed and dressed
and coaSed from Sam a story that
thrilled me. He had been awake all
night. and he had seen "sumpin'' he'd
never forget. But dar is no use talkin
bout it. Nobody'd b'lieve me. Vas. sab,
turlSles-big's yah hat!.'
When l had smoked my last cigar
and knew that all the berths had been
folded away, went back to my Sec
ton, sat down en- face of clergyman
of tremendous growth. whom of
course assumed to be the author of the
midnight noises overhead. and then
turned quickly to my right.
She was looking at me and smiling.
and l knew she knew, and she was
just the sweetest faced
But never mind about that. Later on.
got right up, laughing, and went
over and sat down beside her. and
without word Of introduction or ex-
planation said. you must let me tell
you the sequel to Sans tragedy"
She said nothing, only looked at her
gloves and kept smiling.
IF you will take the trouble" saia l.
Ito look back toward where Sam was
sitting last night, you'll see an over
coat-blue, with velvet collar, about
200 years old-and that's Sans. 1t
may not surprise you to learn that
pockets have been let into it. But
hope you'll be delighted to know that
in each one of the larger pockets
have deposited terrapin."
Then she laughed-leaned back and
laughed aloud-and | felt like hero
and, hoping to please her more tipped
Sam an extra quarter and when put
her into coupe | had her address,
which is now mine
Yes, that's how came to know Mrs
Tupp. Now III try to tell you how, IS
years later, | came to know her SON
and mine.
Fred, our boy and only child, weigh
ed II pounds at birth. | know because
| did him up in towel and weighed
him with the hand scales down in
the Kitchen. How blowed about that
boy!
The little devil grew, it seemed to
me, an inch day Everybody talked
about it. He was walking when he
was 10 months old. When he was a
year, he galloped up stairs. down
stairs and all about the house. OF
course he owned it, Mrs. Tupp would
never let me punish him. She said he
was high spirited an Inheritance from
her side of the family, and that all
Frederick needed was to be let alone.
The great difficulty was that Frederick
wouldn't be let alone, particularly at
night. l calculate, guessing roughly,
that l have walked him between mid
night and dawn some 1000 miles, l
seldom complained but when | did
Mrs. Tupp reminded me of what the
doctor had said about my sedentary
habits and the need Of exercise 1t did
me good, she said
1t certainly did the kid It's an ac-
tual fact you could see that boy Fred
grow. He wasn't stupid either I'm
little bit haZy about dates, but l
think he read me the Declaration of
Independence when he was 1, and do
remember distinctly that his mother
gave me 4 great surprise on the sew
enth anniversary of his birthday 1t
was then he recited "Arma Vrumque
Cano." etc.
Fred was Il great boy and good
boy. The wonder to me is that with
all the petting he got from his mother
and I'll have to admit | did Il little
bit of it myself-he wasn't completely
spoiled. But he wasn't Now and then
Ia hear reports from the neighbors
about his licking one of their sons,
but of course that tiattered me-
The boy must have grbwn like the
deuce. The first l knew of it was when
he celebrated his birthday He was