St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-01-06
WRITES ABOUT HOME
Reflections Of Bill Arp on Returning
from His Trip.
Hotel Porter HAD Failed to Wake
Him, So He Was Twenty-Four
Hours Late 90 Arp's Letters
Criticised. za4


with balmy weather, moonlight nights
and good people to cheer me. / re,
tired happy to dream of home and the
little grandchildren and the light that
would be shining in the window for
he ON Saturday night.
The porter was to call me up in time
to take the two o'clock train for Chat
tanooga, but alas! he did not do it,
and I awoke to find that the train
had passed and I was left, left, left
Oh! the misery of it. Shakespeare
says that there is no philosopher can
endure the toothache patiently, and
will add, or being left by a train
when far from home. There is a
goneness about it, for the train has
gone.
The next train would not connect at
Chattanooga and would have to stay
there till another two o'clock in the
morning. But aIl's well that ends well.
About daylight reached my home.
All was still and silent. The good old
dog was lying at the door and gen.
tly wagged his bushy tail. The door
not, and / raised it slowly and softly
and was soon in the sitting room,
where there was good, comfortable
sofa. [ knew that the door to our
family bedroom was locked, and
heard some faint, familiar nasal
sounds that assured me all was well.
The diagnose was right. In a few
Aao4,> r rNlo WI
the harmonican myself. My heavy
base echoed to the tenor in the other
room and awakened one of the girls,
who whispered: Mamma, mamma,
there is somebody in the front ROOM =
Its your papa" said she. Il know
his trombone-be still and let him
sleep, for expect he is almost worn
out" 1t was eight o'clock when some
body kissed me while, was dreaming
of the soldier boys drilling and the
officer said left, left, left at every step.
Rousing up received the family en-
braces, and two little children came
running in and climbed all over me
and made me happy-Oh, it beats war,
or politics, or a dog law, or anything.
/ was escorted into the dining-room
for breakfast and saw at glance that
the room had been repapered with a
tinted olive green paper and the bor-
dering matched it beautifully. The
doors to the parlor were wide open,
and that room had been repapered,
too, and was. lovely.
Somehow / never could make as
much ado over pleasant surprises as
my female folks expect, but did my
best and have expressed my admira-
tion several times since. Before / left
they had talked about the old paper
that had gotten dirty and was failing
off and said that if / would get the
paper they would put it. On, and / as
Bented. I am glad that did, for if
I had been at home they would have
put the harness on me and made me
wait on them all day, for I am the
boy.
/ met man down in Alabama who
said that my letters were demoraliz-
ing the women of this country and
putting new burdens on the men.
'Why," said he, "just look at me
am 55 years old and weigh nigh osl
TO 200 pounds, and yet my wife want
ed me to climb up step ladder yes
terday and fix the curtains back, and
told her / couldn't, and I wouldn't,
for the ladder was old and rickety and
might fall and break my neck or
some of my arms and legs. Well, sir,
she laughed and said: Bill Arp
climbs ladders for his wife, and plants
flowers, and strawberries, and nurses
the grandchildren, too Yes, said /,
that's what he writes, but I don't be-
ieve word of it. He thinks that
vote pretty soon and he is just fixing
to be elected Now, see here, Mr..
Arp, / fought four years in that dog
oned old war and now I'm getting old
and fat and I'm not gwine to climb
ladders and tend the flower garden
just because you dos that is, If you
really do it, which I don't believe"
And the good, jolly old veteran
laughed immensely.
Next day I made acquaintance with
q conductor on the Alabama Great
Southern and he comforted me by say
ing that my letters gave good example
and good cheer and pictured what
home ought to be- Said he: ''We have
nine children at our house-all under
age, and my greatest pleasure is in
meeting them when my run is off, and
in helping them and their mother to
fight the battle of Hfe and be con-
tented and enjoy what we have got
and be thankful to God for His ten
der mercies. Running train half
night and half day is hard work. but
enjoy my home. and my family all
the more when l get with them, and
they are all the gladder to see me-"
I like that man and that kind of
talk. When our people realize that
home is the best place on earth, and
the mother is its dearest inmate we
will have an ideal commonwealth.
Coleridge says:
s. "a mother Is a mother still
The hollest thing alive
- Lyttleton says:
''Ths lover In the husband may be lost
But the wife isdearer than the bride ]"
All the great poets have paid trib-
ute to the home and to the mother,
aor home is not home without
mother. OF course there are many
married women who are not mothers
And do nnt wish IN he With them