The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-06-18

Some people have had a great dea!
to say about old maids being set in
their ways, and having as pets cats,
canary birds, flee dogs and other
( things just as useless; but, somehow or
other, the old bachelors and the old
WldoWers, who are set in their ways.
have not been SO frequently discussed; :;
hence the presumption that bachelors
and widowers are jolly good fellows
always In good humor, always agree
able. always trying n please, and
never selfish nor egotistical.
I do not propose to raise any con-
troyersy; but. as l am somewhat along
In years, l may, as we'll as not, give
the readers an incident or two. from
some unwritten history, which may
enable the future historian to do JUS
tice to all concerned and let the folks
know that there is nothing in all the
world that Is harder to contend with
than a self-opinioned egotist of the
masculine gender, who always dis
agrees with everybody, about every
thing, and believes nothing is so, un-
less he says it is, and nothing will do
unless 1t be done as he says. He has
the presumption to think that his way
Is the best. and. that. if all the wis
dom of the ages. from Solomon down
TO the present moment. were crammed
into a single head. the owner of that
head would be a fool compared to
him.
Were he an old maid. of course
the people would talk about his
Whims and the rudeness of his con-
duct; but as it is, the world pays him
Jocularly: What a blessed thing for
that fellow the fool-killer has never
happened to find mimi,
Some of the most disagreeable peo-
pie in the world. therefore, are to be
found among the lords of creation;
for added to the fact, that, at his best,
man IS a pretty hard case, he can
When ne tries to, beat pig developing
into hog and making himself a dis
agreeable as that animal ever gets to
be. AS an illustration l viii intro
duce character who, for the sake of
Uncle Bob" Most of the Bobs are
very clever people, but this "Uncle
Bob evidently was a black sheen in
the flock, Notwithstanding according
to his belief, he was the only white one
In evidence of which he was never
known to second any body's motion,
nor adopt suggestion made by any
one He opposed everything that 9TH
ers suggested, and did it in such a
way as to show his utter contempt for
the unfortunate mortals who dared to
express themselves on any matter
Uncle Bob at the time of which
I write, was a widoWer, living with an
was man of even temperament and
of very amiable manners, and did his
| utmost to make the life of his Young
er brother, who had been left wifeless
and chfldless, as pleasant as possible
AS to how well he succeeded may be
inferred from a few snatches of con-
versatiOn that occurred at times
Uncle Bob had not been staying with
his brother many weeks before he be-
gan to exhibit the crank. 1t came
about in this wise. They were going
a-fishing, and on seeing the lines,
hooks and poles, Uncle Bob decided
not to go, as, he said, nobody could
catch fish with tackling like that. He
was ashamed that his brother should
keep such a shabby fishing outfit.
The older brother quietly remarked
that he was not much of q fisherman,
that his boys were the fishermen and
the outfit belonged to them. One of
the boys happened to draw nigh at
that instant. and, hearing the fathers
remark, but not knowing that Uncle
Bob had said anything disparaging Of
the tackling, said: Eyes, Uncle Bob,
these are the very poles, lines and
hooks you gave US when you broke up