The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-01-05
Bill Arlp's Letter.

Our Christmas is over, but the memory
Of it will linger long. Most all the kith and
kindred gathered at the old homestead
and brought love and gladness with them.
All the far away boys save one were
here and / never saw them so happy be-
fore. OF course we had prepared Christ
mas tree for the little ones and Santa
Claus came down the chimney and filled
their stockings and then filled the tree
With beautiful presents and decorated it
with gorgeous ornaments. That part CT
Christmas has passed. The anxious ex-
pectation and wonder of the little ones is
all over, hut the old mansion is still
vide open and running over with happy
children and grandchildren and Moores
first verse was changed to
Twas the night after Christmas--the
rooms and the hall
Had the holly and mistletoe still OIL the
wall,
The Christmas tree stands in the parlor
forlorn,
It's beautiful hangings all given and
gone"
Next day we settled down to music and
song and the quiet enjoyment OF all the
good gifts that Christmas brought, lnciud-
ing turkey and oysters for dinner and
turkey hash for breakfast every day
while the boys were with us These boys
are all natural born musicians ana what
with the piano and flute and violin ana
half a dozen sweet voices we had cholr
of our own. and when they got onto the
..buzzard LOPEZ and other hilarities the
girls formed a ring and danced anu
pranced to concord of sweet sounds ana
all of sudden the maternal ancestor
lost her self-control and Joined the pro-
cessicn and bowed and curtsied ana
chased all and held out her nands III
willingly to me. What could | do but ac-
cent the uxorial banter and as was
about to take her hand in mine and fly
round she flashed her Pocahontas eyes
and declined my soft approaches. She
firted away on her No. feet as gay as
n girl and went ccquetting with one Oh
the BOYS That's the way she treats me
now in my antiquity. Time was when she
was glad enough to take my hand ana
keep it and dident dare to play coquette
at nv expense. But now | am discarueo
and so / retired from the ring singing
that pathetic old song
..1,m rho last rose Of summer left stand
NV lovely companion has left me and
gone"
INT tho frolic is about over and the
children have settled down to the calm
en,ovment of their dolls and horns ana
other TOYS and are still happy The Gay
hasoro Christmas it was touching sight
tn see some Of the old men slipping
around silly in the stores buying pretty
things for the home folks. met my sood
brother Yarbrough waddling along ABOUT
dark with some bundles and under MS
arm was a new umbrella. He said the
,nhrella was for Hezekiah. his faithful
servant who had lived with him all these
wears and was true and tried and haa
navor owned an umbrella. That was
good and kind and was proof enough
that Brother Marlborough belongs TO our
old set and had slaves TO serve him De
TO de wah."
Rut Mr.. Editor. l am still perplexed
Nv Christmas pleasure has been marred
somewhat by my pity for the poor cred
ulous dependent women all over the land
Who are the dupes of that Monticello
man. Every day brings more letters from
those who have long since sent the $50 to
nv son at Monticello, Fla, and get
nothing back. They say they trusted
him because he was my son. Many OF
them begged or borrowed the s25, for
they could not get the subscribers, and
so they made UP list of names from
their acouaintances and then they went
chair
got other women in to send more money
and be duped.
Now Mr.. Editor. beg you TO put II III
large type and print it in red ink that
Joel Smith, of Monticello, is no son of
mine, nor do / know anything of him or
his paper. / saw late issue in when
he boasts of having 10000 subscribers.
which I suppose means $4,000 that these
dependent women have sent him. he
promised them 500 a month to write
three hours a day and some of them sold
their jewelry and other precious things
to raise the SIS. Mr.. Editor, do please
lend your columns to stop this fraud upon
our poor Southern women. And now we
see that another endless chain paper has
started in Athens, Ca These frauds are
bringing discredit upon the, press and
distress upon poor women | enclose
sample circular. Please stop it. Kill it.
Crush it. 1t is worse than the cherry
tree swindle. BILL ARP.
P. S.-I'will give $40 to find out who
started that lie that the Monticello man
was my son. have received at least
fifty letters saying, Your son a. Month
cello" etc. They make me tired. l had
three from Texas this morning. B. A.