The Tupelo journal., 1903-07-10
ARP in HIS GARDEN.
Out-of-Doors for the First Time In
a Whole Month.
Wa. seventy-seven Years Old on Re
cent NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Disasters
of Flood, Fire and Pestilence
and Prays for the sufferers.

When Ahasuerus was king OF Per-
STA he got so mad with Hannah one
day that he walked out into the gar
den to let his choler down-not his
shirt collar, but to cool off his anger,
for fear he might do something un-
dignified. Then he came back and had
Hannah hanged on the gallows he had
built for Mordecai.
Well, / walked out in my garden yes
terday, the first time in a month, but
l was not mad with anybody. In fact,
l am pleased that / am allowed once
mor to walk outdoors and peruse the
flowers and vegetables and pick a few
strawberries. My wife and the girls
watch me and have kept me penned
up for months while the east wind
chilled the air, but now they help me
down the steps and up again and arm
me around among the flowers. They
are very beautiful from the window,
but more so when you are near to
them. We never had so many beauti-
full peoples before-all colors-all
siZes-double and treble and as large
as saucers. We had our first mess of
Strawberries April "a and had a good
mess yesterday. and have not missed
a day. Our vegetable garden supplies
the table bountifully, but the garden
is not mine. The girls planted it and
with a little help have grown every
thing.
1.-THE world was sad, the garden was a wild;
And man, the hermit, sighed till woman
smiled"
We are enjoying the fruits of their
labor every day, for we have potatoes,
beans. peas. squashes, onions, beets
and asparagus every day if we want
them or have company. A little bacon
with the beans and two spring chick
ems completes the first course, and
then comes strawberry shortcake,
which is always welcome. We live well
at our house, and are not e~Xtravagant
either. A bountiful dinner for II per-
sons costs not more than two dollars,
and the grandchildren consume half
of that. bless their hearts. l do love
to see them enjoy a good dinner. and
they love to come here and always
have a kiss for poor old grandpa.
/ was II years old Monday. June is
full of IL family birthdays. My wife
was II on the 1st and l was II on the
18th and my Oldest grandson. who has
my name, has my birthday. My moth
er has the Gath and u granddaugh-
ter, Caroline, els named for her and
has her birthday. And there are some
more in June that I have forgotten.
Two little granddaughter brought me
some nice linen (h'd'k'fs) before
breakfast. These little gifts are sweet
and help to smooth the wrinkles from
an old mans brow. Our little two
year-old loves to climb on my knee
and pat my old cheek and call me gan
pa and that gives me more pleasure
than a gold mine. May the Lord keep
the little ones under the shadow of
His wing. O.
Oh. the horror of horrors away out
in Oregon. VIII cloudbursts and fires
and floods and shipwrecks never
cease? Every day brings some new
disaster, some wreck of innocent child
life, some mother torn away. Lord,
good Lord, have mercy upon the peo-
pie and forgive all their sins. Like the
poor fisherman l would say: Lord,
good Lord, l am a fool to speak to
Thee. but save the children from storm
and food and fire and pestilence."
When / read the days disasters my
old heart throbs with pity and like the
weeping prophet l exclaim: "Oh, that
my head were waters and my eyes a
river of tears that l might weep day
and night for the slain of the people"
40, 60, 100. 200, 400. Every day adds
to pain and misery and anguish and
desolation. Loved one are gone and
homes. Somehow when l look around
me at all these happy hearts and faces
and the flowers lifting their petals to
the sun and the pigeons bathing in
the pool and see the young people
playing tennis down in the court and
the contented negro blowing my
neighbours corn and the cow grazing
in the pasture, I feel like it is almost
a sin to be happy while so much grief
and heartache abound all around us.
1t did not use to be so. In my youth
we had no suicides; murders were
rare; no crazy,people TO fill the sani-
tariums; no chaingangs; no crime of
any consequence. What is the matter
with the world and the people? Even
women have got to handling pistols
and poison, and grave diggers have
gone on a strike and we will have to
dig our own graves before we die.
Lord help us all. Now let all the peo-
pie say Amen.-Bill Arp, in Atlanta
Constitution
A Misunderstanding.
"Didn't they start at once on their
wedding Journey"
"No. There was a mistake about the