The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-08

Ellis Parker Butler, who became
famous through his hilariously funny
story of Pigs Is Pigs" is seen in a
new light in a little book just publish
ed by the Century COMPANY. 1t is call
ed THE Confessions of a Daddy"
This new book of Ellis Parker But
ler's has the human touch in it, and
humor and pathos-the humor and
pathos of real life Marthy and Hiram
prided themselves on their care-free
state, and, as they watched their
neiGhbors worries and burdens with
their children, they thanked Provi-
dence that they had none:
We'll, little woman" L says, cheer-
full like, 1--WE don't need lot of kids
to bolster up our love, do We"
She gave my hand a soft squeeze in
And about that gown-that silk
gown 1 says gaily. Have you decid-
ed what color it is to be yet? Won't
you be fine? When L think how fine
yon,H look; I'm glad we haven't no
Marthy didn't answer. and when I
lifted up her face to kiss her what d
you think2 She was cryin'-
Afofe the kid come, me and Marthy
used to sit UP nights tellin' each other
how much we'd like it if it turned out
to be a boy. 1 said everything that l
knowed that was nice about boys. and
drawed on my imagination for what
didn't know, and Marthy spoke the
same; so L convinced Marthy, thor-
ough, that I would be terrible dlsap-
pointed if it wasn't a boy and she
didn't leave me no doubts about her
hankerin' for a baby of the male sect.
Course we was both tryin' to square
ourselves in case it should be boy
Come to find out we was both of us
tickled to death that it was a girl.
Then came a little daughter, "9S
per cent of sweetness to revolution
lie their theories and enrich their
lives:
Ana 70 think fbara was once a time
when me and Marthy thought kid
was more bother than it was worth;
there amt no child. nowhere. that
amt worth more than everything else
in the world all put together. No,
sir a baby has got more human ma
ture in it than man has, even. You
take your big, rough hand to II, and
YOU chaStiSe it. so that 1T screams out,
and the next minute it takes time in
between sobs to hug its soft little arms
around your neck, and kiss you.
Amt that the reallest kind of human
nature2 Why, that's the kind that
makes the world worth Twin in at all. |
I don't seem to recollect ever hearin'
that heaven was set aside as sort
of place where married folk could
hang about by twOs. Them that has
had experience knows that that would |
be a mighty poor kind of heaven
one without children in it, It's the
child kind of human nature that
sweetens up the world. The give and |
take" kind-take your spankin' when !
it comes, and give back love in return
for it.
1t is all told in the first person, with
a certain naive unconsciousneSs of the /
humor of the situations that makes
them all the funnier.
The Harpers are this week to pub
lish an invaluable book for boys. The |
object of the book is twofold: it is to |
add keen zest to outdoor pastimes, and I
at the same time to be of great prac-
teal value. .t
The book is profusely illustrated with /
cuts and diagrams, explanatory of the
directions in the text. Its title is Har-
per's Outdoor Book for Boys.
1t vastly widenS the scope of outdoor