The Tupelo journal., 1903-05-08
COW In THE GARDEN.
ARP Left Gate Open and Now Be-
lieves in Eternal Vigilance.
Bill Entertains the ChiIdren-Ad-
vises n Young Man to Read the
PrOpGhet Micah-COncerning
United states History.

~ cOiiliGol SdltH. ~ COW - 1t WHY |
good animal in a field, but keep her
GU of the garden Late last night
as the girls upstairs were going to
bed and were closing the window
blinds they saw, in the dim moonlight,
something moving along in the gar
den and sure enough it was a COW
our OWL cow-and she was not far
away from the rows Of English peas |
that were in full bloom. The alarm
was given and my wife lighted the Ian
tern and with the girls made haste to
eXpel the intruder. Everything was
wet and of curse | was not allowedt to
go. All | could DO was to hold the
lamp to the window and feel ashamed
that ] was sick and no account in an
emergency like this. The cowboys in
Texas never trotted around with more
alacrity than did my wife and these
cowgirls after that COW. keep her
away from the peas" cried a maternal
voice. And | echoed the speech of
Patrick Henry who said: at is in
vain to cry peas when there is no
peas" The old hussy ran by the gate
three times and took the grand rounds
with half a dozen calves visible and in
visible following her, but finally gave
1T up and went out and was put up in
her den. Old Aunt Dolly is our milk
woman and declares she fastened dat
gate good but the COW and the gar
den say she didn't. But the garden has
a gate o and / remember now that
my wife told me in the morning before
it rained that / might go and cut
the asparagus for dinner and l did and
| reckon left the gateopen. But "alTs
well that ends WELL and now there is
peace in the family and peas in the
garden.
Eternal vigilance is not ONLY the
price of liberty. but itisthe protection
of n garden for almost every dan the
little grandchildren come up To see me
and comfort me and Eow they want 10
pick some straw berries and pull up
some radi>heS and | say YES, Of
course, and they will leave the gate
open and il Is my business 20 shut IL
and they have an idea that / an Just
here for their plasure. They always
come hungry, for they know that
grandma has got some apples or cake
hid away and grandpa will get them.
Even the little two-year- old boy
knows where the sideboard keys are
hung and which door has the good
things inside and he takes me by the
hand and leads me there. \ biscuit
will do these children at home. burt il
won't do here. We don't keep tavern,
but our house is a free and easy place
and the children of the town know it.
On Easter Saturday about $50 of them
gathered here to hunt the pretty eggs,
and it was a big frolic. and the mothers
and aunts came with them, and it took
20 dozen eggs to go around, and every
little tot got some. They played
games in the grove and tennis in the
court, and we old people were happy
because the children were. Almost
everybody, old and young, came to
salute me as l played patriarch in the
big chair on the veranda. and some
brought flowers and some brought
fruits and all brought smiles, and so
it is not SC bad to be old and sick after
all. Every mail brings me good let
tiers, kind letters from far away and
unknown friends, and they give me
comfort, and | answer all I cam, but
must tell the school children once
again that l cannot write any more.
compositions or essays or debates, and
they are wasting their time to ask me.
One young man wants my opinion On
the immortality of the soul, as though
L was Addison or a preacher, and so /
sent him a postal card and referred
him to Prophet Micah, sixth chapter
and eighth verse. There is creed
enough for anybody's soul. Another
mother wants a United States history
that is reliable and also a biography
of Gen. Lee and "Stonewall' Jackson.
Write to DR.. ]. William Jones, Rich
mond., Va. the grand chaplain of the
confederate veterans, the historian of
the confederacy, the grandest man
now left, a beacon light, a synonym Of
wisdom and truth, and the gifted biog-
rapher of Lee and Jackson and Davis.
| rejoice that he has lived to give US a
United States history that is beyond
the reach of criticism, and will. / hope,
be adopted by every school in the
south and be found in every household.
| rejoice that Alabama has passed a
bill for uniform ext books. and trust
that the governor will appoint a com
mission that can't be bought. We
know that in some schools in Georgia
southern authors have been displaced
to make room for northern textbooks.
and it was done with money. A friend
writes me that our own Maury was so
displaced to make room for a northern
work, and it took large money to do
it, and that it was not possible for
Georgia to pass a bill for uniform text
books.
But there is life in the old land vet,
even though a clerk in a bank can steal
a $4,000 before he is found out, and
even though athletics are now the
most important thing of "a young
mans education. The race problem
seems to be ~assuaging down and our
president can take a month off to go
hunt bear and shoot lions. MAY the
good Lord help us and save us from
utter disgrace. Just think for a mo-
ment of Adams or jefferson or Mad
ison or Monroe or Van Buren, or Blu
chairman or Jackson hunting bear or
shooting ducks. The dignity of the
presidency has departed. When will
| Z at.r D.tI 49, - -.- o.