Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1913-01-10
HAD PLENTY OF TIME
By CHARLES PLEINs.


son Of the year," wrote the girl tc
her best friend in town, who had
been sympathizing with her by letter
I'VE are having a perfect time, and
I'm beginning to find out what leisure
is-at least should be finding ou'
If weren't busy every minute. That
sounds contradictory, know, but the
truth is that am reveling in the
kind of leisure that gives me oceans
of time to do all the things that I've
always been wanting TO do.
lust fancy the delight Of having
four solid hours Of reading every
night and then being in bed at 1890!
You see, we have an early dinner and
the evening begins promptly at 6,
and mother and / sit with our needle
work In hand while Brother Will
reads US chapter after chapter. Don't
you wish you had chance to get ac-
quainted with Little Nell, Colonel
Newcome and Maggie Tulliver again?
While mother is working on her
silk quilt in the mornings | take an
hour, or two for magazines and mod
ern novels and I've actually found
that have taste for poetry. o-
You mustn't think, however, that
reading furnishes our only amuse-
ment. We have a great deal of other
entertainment. The bird banquet
which we have set outside our dining
room window is a constant source Of
interest We have piece Of salt pork
tied to- cedar bough and every morn
ing as we eat our eggs and bacon a
black and white woodpecker with a
dash Of scarlet in his topknot comes
and pokes his beak into this brand
of breakfast food, which appears just
to suit him. He is usually followed
by two bluejays that, not being adept
at pecking, content themselves with
the crumbs which mother keeps un'
der the cedar tree for them.
I'VE feed the squirrels also. They
fash back and forth in front of oul
windows all day long, jumping from
roof to bough and scampering across
the snowy lawn with their tails high
in the air, like graceful red plumes
Brother Will declares that mother and
| are pauperizing these little neigh
bors Of ours, but we insist that oul
donations will not interfere with theil
self-reliance.
But the recreation that Brother
Will and l enjoy most is mother'l
talk! Think of 1t, in all the year.
that I've been her daughter | nevel
realized until this autumn what {
brilliant talker mother is. Until nov
we have always been too busy will
the everyday affairs. of life to con
verse about anything more imrortan
than clothes, housekeeping, entertain
ing, lists of guests and all the othe
never ending details of existence
We hadn't stayed in the country thi
autumn l might never have know
what a wealth of Renaissance ant
anecdote is stored up in mother
memory She remembers the stirrinl
days of the Civil war, she passed
THROUGH tho great Chicago fire AM
she pioneered in Alaska before tn,
gold rush. Brother Will and | hav,
heard some thrilling stories these aft
ernoons when the snow or rain ha
kept up close to the wood fire.
You mustn't think of US as entirel,
cut off from the outside world. Ever,
once in while we see some one from
the village 1t was only night beforl
last that man went by with a Ian
tern! Brother Will and | had heat
ed argument as to whether it was tn,
hired man from the nearest farmhouse
or the village clerk who is said to b.
waiting on the farmers daughter.
This morning Brother Will Gale,
me from my book to look out of tn,
window to see how congested the trai
fic was on the highway with the rura
free delivery mans cart and a Wagon
load Of hogs, both in sight at once.
so. you see, life is far from dull.
Brother Will has just interrupteu
my writing to tell me that his mrrn
ing mail has decided him to NOV
into town early next week.
"Of course I've enjoyed every min
ute Of this long autumn here, but nov
that know I shall be back in tn
midst Of things so soon l can hardl,
wait. Why, | haven't even decided Of
a winter suit yet, and as for a hat
or, dear! / suppose the shops ar
crowded to distraction with Christina
buyers, but l shall not mind that il
the least. l shall enjoy mingling an
mixing with my kind.
"The country is all right, but
well, it seems a century since w
been to the theater. Chicago Dali