The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1903-09-25

but It's an uAf>-Sny, measley sort of
feeling at first FELL to wondering
whether, in my ut er unapprec1alIun of,
the fact that had Ittained or was verg-.
ing upon middle age. had gone on act
ing too much the part of the young fell
low, thus giving people the chance to
criticise me for trying to keep up the
bluff that still possessed the youth that
had slipped away from me without my
knowing it. The thought of that cha
grined me. hate to see middle-aged
man making the foolish effort to trot
along in the young fellow class-there's
something humiliating to me in such
a spectacle. And so, next summer, l sup
pose that, after all, shall have to go
one of those straw hats that are de-
vised for the settled men, and after
that, mayhap, even the congress CATERS.
if only to keep people from poking fur
Their fun at me under their impression
that l am making frantic efforts to act
and look like young fellow after my
genuine youngfellowhood had glided
helplessly far behind me.
But this forced realization of the
fact that your youth has gone and that
you've been thrust into the middle-aged
class, takes a good many wistful lit
tie ambitions out of your life. was
great wanderer over the face of the
earth in my young manhood-did lot
of sailing before the mast to out-of-the-
way corners of the world when there
was no other necessity for it except that
longed to have a good, square look al
the world and all parts of it. Well, since
, I've settled down the thing that the Ger.
mans call the 'Wander-luSt' has otter
seized me, and l have hankered to be
on the move up and down the world
again. The fact that l had taken
wife and had family of children, OF
; course, rendered any such a thing as
my yielding to these impulses out OF
the question, but l always had sort
| of hold-out in this connection.
When I'd take my clothes off I'd
get to looking at the tattooed figures
on my arms, and fall to dreaming OF
the strange little corners of the orient
that l was running into when l had
those tattoo marks made with the
youths pride in such foolish things
and then the old longing to up-anchor
and get under steam again would seize
me. Whereupon, of course, I'd be
brought up with round turn with the
thought of my settled-down condition
and my wife and children. But, even
| then, I'd say to myself: oh, well, I'li
see all of those old places again one
of these days-I'll have one more good
old rafting cruise in the South seas.
anyhow, before I'm piped out-plenty
| of time, plenty of time-I'm young
| yet
"And l was still giving entertainment
to these vague dreams when the realiza-
ton was forced upon me that was Q
middle-aged man, that middle-aged men
are not for the wandering game; that
the old reckless years had long gone and
were worse than hull down on the hori-
zon-and then it was borne in upon me
that that little wiStful hold-out of mine
as to again seeing the strange, out-of-
the-way corners of the earth was the
merest fantasy-that, as matter OF
| fact, there wasn't plenty of time as
had been so fondly imagining-no time
| for anything except to make up my
mind that l was fogy, and, as fogy,
! shelved and settled down for good and
all!
Middle age has it's compensations, you
say? Yes. Uh-huh. So I've heard But
! give me just one week out of one of
| those old, wild, untrammeled years, and
I'll give you FIVE years of the middle
i age that's upon me in exchange.''-
; Washington Star.