The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-07-09
BILL ARP'S LETTER
Barlow Sage is Under the
Weather, But Undaunted-
is NOW SEvENTY-SEVEN
Walks Out into His Garden fer Firsf
Time In a Month-DepIores Re-
cent Horrible Disasters
Wrought by Terrors OF
the Elements.

When Ahashnorus was king Of Per
STA he got SO mad with Haman one
day that he walked out into the garden
to let his choler down-not his shirt
collar. but to cool off his anger, for
fear he might do something undigni-
hed. Then he came back and had Ha-
man hanged ON the gallows he had
built for Mordecai.
Well, I walked out In my garden yes
terday, the first time in month, but
| was not mad with anybody. In fact,
ann pleased that I am allowed once
| more to walk outdoors and peruse the
COVERS and vegetables and pick few
| strawberries April "a and had good
| 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-
| tul poppies before-all colors-all
| Sizes-double and treble and as large
| as saucers. We had our first mess of
| strawberries Apri "a and had a good
| mess yesterday, and have not missed
| day. Our vegetable garden supplies
the table bountifully, but the garden is
not mine The girls planted it and
with little help have grown every
| thing.
| The world was sad, the garden was a
wild;
| And man, the hermit, sighed till wo-
man smiled
l 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 extraVa-
| CANT either. bountiful dinner for
1 twelve persons costs not more than 50,
| and the grandchildren consume half Of
that, bless their hearts. I do love to
see them enjoy a good dinner, and
they love to come here, and always
have kiss for poor old grandpa.
was " years old Monday. June is
FULL of our family birthdays. My wife
was II on the LIST and was n on the
18th, and my oldest grandson, who has
my name, has my birthday. Ny
| mother has the oath and our grand
daughter, Caroline, is named for her
and Las her birthday And there are
some more in June that have forgot
ten. Two little Cranddaughters brough
me some nice linen (h'dk'fs) before
breakfast. These little gifts are
| sweet and help to smooth the wrinkles
from an old mans brow. Our little
2-year-old loves to climb on my knee
and pat my old cheek and call me
g'anpa and that gives me more pleas
Ire than gold mine. May the Lord
4 keep the little ones under the shadow
| of His wing.
Oh, the horror of horrors away out
in Oregon. Will cloucbursts 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 I would say, Lord.
| good Lord, am fool to speak to
! Thee, but save the children from the
! storm and food and fire and pesti-
lence." When l read the days disas-
tiers my old heart throbs with pity.
| and. like the weeping prophet, / ex-
claim, "Oh, that my head were waters
and my eyes river of tears that
| might weep day and night for the
slain OF the people"-40, so, 100, 200.
400. Every day adds to pain and mis-
cry and anguish and desolation. Loved
! ones are gone and homes. Somehow
when 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 at the
| COW grazing in the pasture, / fee. like
| 1T is amost sin to be happy while so
| much grief and heartache abound all
| around us. 1t did not use to be so.
In nay youth we had no suicides; muir
ders were rare; no crazy people to fill
| the sanitariums; no chaingangs: no
| crime of any consequence What is
the matter with the world and the PEG
pie? Even women have got TO hand.
| ling pistols and poison, and grave dig.
gers have gone on a strike and we win
have to dig our own graves before We
die. Lord, help us all. Now let all
the people say Amen.-BILL ARP, in
| Atlanta Constitution.
To Look After Soldiers, Feet
r,pd Dbl