Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1905-04-13

but it's an uncanny. measley sort OF
feeling at first. | fell to wondering
whether. in my utter interpretation Of
the fact that had attained or was yerg-
Ing upon middle age. had gone on act
ing too much the part of the young fell
low, thus giving people the chance to
crucise me for trying to keep up the
DUN that l 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
spectacle. And so, next summer. sup
pose that, after all, | shall have TO 20
one OF those straw hats that are de-
vised for the settled men,, and after
that, mayhap. even the congress CATERS.
II only to keep people from poking fur
Their fun at me under their Impression /
that ] am making frantic efforts TO act /
and look like a young fellow after my
genuine youngfellowhood had glided
helplessly far behind me.
AAS ioibeu ItdllZatl0n or the
TACT that your youth has gone and that
you've been thrust into the middle-aged
class, takes good many wistful lit
lie 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-tbe-
way corners of the world when there
was no other necessity for it except that
ionged to have a good. square look at
the world and all parts oft. Well since
I've settled down the thing that the Ger ,
mans call the 'waSder-lust' has often ,
seized me, and | have hankered TO be
On the move up and down the world /
again The fact that | had taken a |
we and had a family of children. of I
'oufse' rendered any such a thing as g
ny yielding 10 these impulses out OF 2
ne question, but | always had a sort b
u hold-out in this connection. Il
When I'd take my clothes off ia 8
'et 10 looking at the tattooed figures G
N my arms. and fall to dreaming of D
ne strange little corners of the orient n
nat was running into when | had a
nose tattoo marks made with the II
outh's pride in such foolish things 81
nd then the old longing TO up-anchor m
nd get under steam again would seize
he. Whereupon, of course, I'd be
rought up with a round turn with the
iouSht OF my settled-down condition Pr
al my wife and children. But. even
len' ia say TO myself: oh. well. I'll
'e all of those old places again one
these days-I'll have one more good
d rafting cruise in the South seas. WI
lyhow. before I'm piped out-plenty an
time, plenty of time-rm young no
IT. IA
And | was still giving entertainment wa
these vague dreams when the realiza- tn,
IN was forced upon me that | was a an
Iddle-aged man, that middle-aged men oti
not for the wandering game: that ha
old reckless years had long goneand sh'
IRE worse than hull down on the horf- COY
n-and then ii was borne in upon me an
at that little wistful hold-out of mine 9th
10 again seeing the strange. out-of- log
e-way corners of the earth was the fee
crest fantasy-that as a matter of got
T. there wasn't plenty of time as | thr
been so fondly imagining-no time brr
anything except to make up my bru
nd that was fogy and, as fogy, wo
lived and settled down for good and 'lor
my
Middle age has its compensations. YOU ant
= Yes Uh-huh. So I've heard. Bur laiC
e me just one week out az ono ~ the
se old, Wild. untrammeled years. and bae
give you five years Of the middle bre
mats upon me in exchange!"- to
shington Star. last
" the
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