Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-23

going to be one of us tonight in Tad'a
den, and he's going to be speaker OF
the evening. Seer
Say, you have your nerve scowled
May, looking her disapproval of Arch !
lie. You were not on the invitation
committee, and so you just sneaked In
ahead. l like your nerve, | do
Then grandpapa asked for an eX-
planation and after the situation had
been put before him he said: We'll,
Archie has not given me an official In
vitation So the committee Is not too
late" There was an indulgent CLEAN
in the old mans eve as he addressed
his pretty and very ladylike little
granddaughters, aged, respectively, II
and 13. Archie was 8, and Tad was
Is.
So, in due form Stell and May ten
dered most dignitied invitation TO
their aged grandfather to spend the
evening of that day with them in Tad )
den, place so full Of boys traps and
odds and ends that grandpapa, who
had peeped into the place the day be-
FORE wondered where the company
were to sit. But of this he said moth
ing.
That evening, just few minutes be-
| fore s o'clock, Tad had all in readiness
for the distinguished visitor, Grand
| father Bowers. And at the exact time
stated grandpapa knocked at the door,
and was ushered into very decent
| looking room, for Tad had gathered
up the odds and ends from tables,
chairs, sofa and floor and piled them
in corner behind a great screen. So
there was place for the little COM
pany to sit in ease round the cheerful
CRATE, in which glowed a gas log.
| AS grandpapa was the last to arrive
the party began on the instant of his
appearance. Stell poured out some
delicious tea and May handed it to
the guests in tiny china cups. Archie
was quite sober and was entrusted
with the sugar and lemon, though
Stell kept her eye on him, for he was
handling her pretty Japanese sugar
bowl.
After the tea had been drunk,
grandpa drinking toast to his little
granddaughters first, and then to his
genial host and hosts distinguished
young brother, the story telling be-
! gan. And the thrilling Indian story
just as grandpa related it, was as fol-
lows:
Nov, my little ones, you know
grandpap isn't very young. He has
liver his three score and ten, and fif-
teen years added to that. So, you see,
he has many memories to call up to
mind, many interesting events past
and gone before the present busy
world was BORN
"Oh, gran'pap, how could that be?
The world is very DID," cried Archie.
Il said the present busy world, my
son." smiled grandpa. 81 speak Of the
men and women, and the children
too, bless them, who run this old
world today explained grandpa.
"And l will tell you of time when
: was youthful and helped to run this
world which has now Crowded me tc
corner in the background. The
event Of which l am going to speak
, took place when l was 20 years old
: With my parents l lived on the west
f ern frontier, and the red men were al
about us to the north and west, and
; some times they made things pretty
lively for the settlers as the from
: tiers men were called.
We'll, it was the fall of the year
about this time, if I recall it rightly
and we had gathered in all our corr
. and had it ready for the husking. 81
my mother and sisters made grea
preparations for a husking bee to b5
: held in our immense log barn"
"a what, grandpa?" asked May
deeply interested.
e "A husking bee said grandpa. =
party of young folks to come in ant
husk the corn, and after the huskin!
to have barn dance and supper. On
al that sort OF entertainment was abou
the only kind of social function tn
settlers had when | was boy. 0
course, we had our Christmas an
!, New Years dinners, and we simetime
had taffy pulling. But the huskin
bee was the years event in the house
And every farmer Of any standing i
= the community had husking bee
J Sometimes there would be two 0
three week, and then the youn
z folks had grand social time Of it.
well, we had our huslIing bee tina
= il was telling you about There was
= great crowd, about thirty young pc;
6 most of the men were armed. The re
" men had been committing some depr'
10 dations in the county west of u.s. an
at we didn't know but they might com
,r in ~unon lis at any day-or night, rat
er. So the men went about their wor
,e armed and ready to fight if called upo
is to do So Oh, those were brave day
re my lads and lassies." And grandr
ty nodded his gray head emphaticall
Mt There may be much of interest
life now the accumulation of propert
pa the gaining OF power, but can SUE
- compare with the spirit of those da.
yo l speak of, when every man was hel
IN ling to build up a new world, deVelt
Eher resources, make her bosom
ie. blossom with rich fields, to drive Il
Ia savage out and to invite civilizatit
an in?? All those days were wor
pa while, my children!
a "Well, after about twenty or thir
e. bushels OF corn had been husked
to corn chosen for the grinding into me
to- for our bread the real fun of t