The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-08

dren. The old man from the country
you are always glad TO see him and
hear him talk. There is a breeziness
OF the woods and hills and a spice of
the bottom lands and thickets in ev-
erything he says. and dashes of shadow
and sunshine over the waving wheat
are in all the varying expressions OF
his swarthy face, The grip Of his hand
is a thing to bet on, and the undue
loudness of his voice in greeting you
Is even lulling and melodious, since il
unconsciously argues the frankness Of
nature that has nothing to conceal
Very probably you are forced TO smile,
meeting the old man in town. where
he never seems at ease, and Invariably
apologies in some way for his pres
ence, saying. perhaps. by way of ex-
planation: Yes sir. here l am. in spite
o. myself. Come i'm day afore yisterd'y
Boys was thrashin' on the place. and
the beltin' KEEP a-troublin' and delay
| In of 'em-and l was potterin round
in the way, anyhow, tel finally they
sent me off TO town to git some whang
luther and ribbets, and while / was
in. / thought thought I'd jest run
over and see the jedge about that
Henry county matter; and as I was
knockin' round the court house, first
thing l knowed I'll be switched to
death eff they didn't pop me on the
juryi And here | am, eatin' my head
off up here at the tavern. Reckon,
tho the county'll stand good fer my
expenses. Ef hit CANT, / KIM" And
with the heartiest sort of a laugh, the
old man joys along. leaving you to
smile TIL bedtime over the happiness
he has unconsciously contributed.
Another Instance of the old mans
humor under trying circumstances was
developed but a few days since. This
old man was a German citizen of an
inundated town in the Ohio valley.
There was much of the pathetic in his
experience, but the bravery with which
ne bore his misfOrtunes was admira-
bic. A year ago his little home was
first invaded by the flood, and himself
and wife. and his sons family. were
driven from IL to the hills for safety
but the old mans telling of the story
cannot be improved upon. 1t ran like
this: Last year, ven l swim out fon
dot leedle home off mine, NIT my wife,
unit my son his wife unit leedle girls,
dink dots der last time goodbye TO
dose probertyi But alder der water IL
gone down, unit dry oop unit eberding,
dere vas yet der house dere. Unit my
friends dey salt, Dots all you got yet
Veil, feex oop der house-dot's some
dingi feeX oop der house. unit you wood
still hiatt yet a homei' Vel, all summer
/ go 10 work. unit spent me eberding
unit feex der PROPERTY. Den l got yet a
mortgage on der housed Dees time here
! der water come 3gain-till wish il vas
last year vonce! Unit now all safe is
my wife, unit my son his wife, unit my
leedle grandchildernsi Else overriding is
comet All-everding!-Der house gone
-unt-unt-der mortgage gone. tooI'
And then the old Teutonic face melt
ed all over In sunshiny SMILES" and,
! turning, he bent and lifted a sleepy lit
tie girl from a pile of dirty bundles in
the depot waiting room and went pac-
ing up and down the muddy floor, say
ing CHEEKY things in German TO the
child. I thought the whole thing rath-
err beautiful. That's the kind of an old
man who. saying goodbye 20 his son,
would lean and kiss the young mans
hand. as in the Dutch regions of Penn
| sylvania. two or three weeks ago,
saw an old man do.
Mark Lemon must have intimately
known and loved the genteel old man
of the city when the once famous do
nestle drama of Grandfather White
head" was conceived. In the play the
old mana once prosperous merchant
! finds a happy home in the household
of his son-in-law. And here il is that
/ the gentle author has drawn at once
the poem, the picture. and the living
proof of the old Wordsworthian axiom,
The child is father to the man" The
old man. in his simple way. and in
his great love for his willful little
! nd Is ls~ a
| tracted from the grave sermons and
moral lessons he would read the boy.
/ As, for instance. aggrievedly attacking
/ the little fellows neglect OF his books
and his inordinate tendency toward
! idleness and play-the culprit, in the
meantime. down on the floor clumsily
winding his top-the old man runs on
something in this wise:
| play! play! play! Always play and
/ no work, no study, no lessons. And
/ here you are. the only child of the
most indulgent parents in the world
parents that, proud as they are Of you,
would be ten times prouder only TO see
/ you at your book, storing your mind
with useful knowledge, instead of, day
| in, day out. frittering away your time
over your toys and your tops and mar
, bles. And even when your old grand
] IdIner tries 10 ADVISE you ana wants
/ to help you, and is always ready and
| eager to assist you. and all-why,
what's ii all amount TO? Coax and beg
and tease and plead with you, and yet
and yet Mechanically kneeling as
he speaks) Now that's not the way 10
wind your top! How many more times
will have 10 show youl" And an in
slant later the old mans admonitions
are entirely forgotten, and his artless
nature-dull now to everything but the
childish giee in which he shares-is al
the sweeter and more lovable for its
simplicity.
And so ii Is, Old Man, that you are
always touching the very tenderest
places in our earts-unconsciously ap-
pealing to our warmest sympathies,
and taking 10 yourself our purest love.
We look upon your dropping figure, and
we mark your tottering step and trem-
bling hand, yet reliant something in
your face forbids compassion. and a
something in your eye will not permit
US 10 look sorrowfully on you. And.
however we may smile at your quaint
ways and old-school oddities of man
ner and of speech, our merriment is
ever tempered with the gentlest rever-
ence.
ua HndArStood perfac+l,r