Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-10-29
A NIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE

A NIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE.
"Why didn't Idly come along with
you?" inquired Mrs. Budd Hospitality, as
the Lantrys, husband and wife, fat and
good natured and careless, overlooked the
narrow rockers hastily dragged from the
front room to the side piazza.
Ben Lantry chuckled: SCOT other fish
to fry!" and prepared a capacious pipe
for the lighting Joshua Budd silently
offered him match Mrs. Lantry saved
the topic in an audible aside to Mrs
Budd. "Jim Waring had Just dropped
in, an father an well, we just
dropped out Don't do no good for old
folks to hang around all the time, just
a-gettin' under foot, S you might say"
"Jims good boy, an smart. too"
Joshua remarked, but his wifc's lips
frightened.
II d'know," she said, Seems if all
anybody about nowadays is the young
folks, an if they're havin' good time,
it don't matter about anybody else.
Twan't so when / was young: we had
to mind our p's and q's, tell you'll"
"Well," Joshua spoke slowly, and as
one unaccustomed to discourse, Il
d'know as it does matter much about
anybody else. All the young folks will
be old eff they live long enough, an then
they won't think, lookin' back on it, ez
they've had more'n their due. An eff
they don't live long enough, wy, nobody
ought to gredge it to 'em.
"Matildy, where's them grapes /
picked this afternoon 20
Mrs Budd rose obedient, and dispensed
the dull bossomed grapes upon her sec
ond- best china. While her guests ex-
claimed upon their size and sweetness,
the harvest moon began to show, low
down on the horizon, its ample curve en-
arged by autumn haze, until it glowed
like dull fire at the end of the world.
But Mrs. Budd had not forgotten her
husbands defense Of youth. She could
have forgiven it in a stranger, heresy
under her own roof deserved to be Crap
pied with.
you're talkin' to hear yourself talk,
guess, Joshwy," she said contemp
tuously, you know as well as / do that
the human heart is deceitful and des-
p'rately wicked, an if the weeds amt
rooted out of it in youth, the chances
are that they never will be An those
that talks so much about young folkses'
happiness, as if happiness was the be-all
and end-all of everything, fergit that
happiness an righteousness don't often
run in the same rut. Idly is good girl,
an knows how to take care Of herself"
with a late thought that her words
might be construed as reflection upon
the absent-"but there amt one girl in
10000 that's got that much sense. |
never seen the day yet that l cleared
out an left Alma sol" She was inter
rupted by sudden crash.
Land, Joshwy! If you amt tore
down the matrimony vine, leanin' your
chair back into it! What ON earth-l"
She busted herself with the injured vine,
that, wrenched from its upper fasten-
ings, beloved down from the plaza rail
ing.
Ben Lantry welcomed the diversion.
"What dye s'pose they call it matri-
mony-vine for?" he queried.
Joshua had moved his chair back into
the shadow and did not answer
"'Cause it's as hard to manage as
man isl his wife observed "Come, Zen,
it's gettin late"
"Ill tell We why" he pursued. rising,
>
because it's why, and We can't get rid of
it, once it's planted, an it chokes out
other stuff, an it amt got no scent, an
its flowers is insignificant, an moon
lights the only light it looks good int"
Here, here!" cried his wife. "You
come along home with me an let me
learn you manners! You know better
than to talk that way, after all my
trainini"
He suffered himself to be led away.
feigning reluctance. and the couple went
with linked arms, by the short cut
across the lots, until the vagueness of
night and the misty moonlit fields swal-
lowed them up.
Mrs. Budd carried the chairs back.
lifting them carefully, one by one, over
the threshold.
"Of all the foolsi' she exclaimed did
you ever hear anything to beat it?
Comm over here SOS Jim Waring an
Idly could court comfortable!''
They are only jokin'. Matildv."
Joshua pleaded Twas a cool night for
walk an Ben wanted to see how the
shocks was standin' in the south field.
"Jokin or no iokin', they did it. didn't
they2 AIebbe your folks had such loose
notions when you was young. but mine
didn't, 'Tain't proper an faint right.
| en- see myself lettin' Alma do it'll" Her
voice rose higher as she went inside.
where she moved about, putting things
to rights for the night and preparing for
bed, without a lamp. Once she looked
out
"Ain't you comm in tonight. Josh'wy -
she asked
"Bye'm-bye,' he replied briefly.
Don't be foolish, Josh'wy.s she
warned. "You can't burn the candle al
both ends, at your time O. life"
He did not answer, and she left him
to the contemplation of the ruined mat
rimony wine.
Once at least there comes to every
man night of remembrance; night
when he stands apart and looks upop
himself as he is and as he might have
been, as upon a stranger. looks, and
wonders, and pities. This was old
Joshua Pu6d'S nioht He ,on,-oa L..