The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-12-30
SQUIRE BARNES PENCHANT OF
PLEASING WHiNS OF CHILDREN

SQUIRE BARNES PENCHANT OF |
PLEASING WHINS OF CHILDREN
Buys Trombone and Drum From
Grand Children and is Sorry He Did
SO, For They Seem to Multiply as
Fast as Chatham Rabbits.
(By II. b. EVANS.)
Wilson. Dec. 27--If there is any
one thing that Squire Elias G.. Barnes
enjoys more than another. it is to
please the Whims of children-espe-
cially his grand-children-and he al
ways has nickels and dimes 10 give
them with which they invariably buy
candy on a stick The old gentle
man doesn't consider it a waste Of
money for the little fellows to buy
something for a sweet TOOTH know
ing full well that boys will be boys
and he lets it go at that. 1t seems
to do his old hear good to see their
faces as notified as a checker board.
their fingers as sticky as fly paper, and
| their clothing torn from stem TO stern
| and their shoes as muddy as the char
acter of a confessed blind tiger-yet
he loves children, and not only his
little ones, but all good little boys
and girls cling to him as close as
paper on the wall. He is a foxy DID
grandpa" nevertheless his pets, now
and then put n over on him.
On Christmas Eye night, while as
sisting Santa Claus in stuffng the
stockings of the youngsters at his
home with all kinds Of goodies" and
toys, he exclaimed:
Don't leave yet, Santa: wait a min
ute. ] have something in the capaciOus
nav Of my dog house trunk tina
has been stored away for this happy
occasion, some things that l SNUG
gied in u~nbeknOWn to any one, anc
| want to ask your opinion whether
or not it would be we'll to give then
to the little rascalS-a trombone an6
a drum-do you think the boys would
appreciate them"
THE very things was Santa's re
ply, the little dears would be ticklee
some" So, the articles were labeled
with merry Christmas cards. and tn
old man found out the mistake h
had made long before it was time t
: sip his Christmas "nogg.'
Way before the peep O day the boy
/. made the find" that rendered then
: the happiest children in the neighbor
hood, and it wasn't long before deaf
: ening blasts from the trombone an
'.rub-a-dub-dubs' from the drum go
= tIt lie "4ti = III LII ~ W.
kept in fidgets all through Christine
day and until late in the night.
+ The next morning he made thl
proposition, saying: Come. here, Chi
e dren, | should offer each c
S you a dollar for those noisy thing
would you be perfectly willing to pa,
with them?'
Yes. grandpa" came as one voic
from the kids-and into each littl
= A~-l .s ~1yor Dpi,oo1
and the, boys went scampering o
down the street.
Z The Squire took the instrument
out to the backyard and when he g
= through trampling on that trombo'
. it looked like a train OF cars ma
passed over it, and taking out his Jac
= knife he rendered the drum headle'
!, and sent the frame over the garde
:, wall, muttering: II guess III be alb
to read my News and Observer
peace now conSaTn the little. bra2s.
AS stated. at times the old man
a little foxy, but on this occasion tt
- boys saw his hand and went him OIL
better. When the old gentleman ha
.; bought them out" they went in Il
shopping district and saw displayed
s a window this sign: Trombone
d drums and all Christmas tricks now
D. half price" Into the store tn
ie rushed and asked the price of the i
IA struments they had parted with, a.
e. when they were told thai each or
ID for his dollar. could be the. possess
le Of 2 and q dram. ouick
q they gave instructions to wrap e
Up" And the next morning when {
Squire picked up his paper for a Iui
y half hours reading-he did not knC
> il. bat the boys, with TWO little COZ
panions. We're setting for him.
- stead of two. there were four lit
~. a~5Gra&atogs. ~a-blowing and a-beati
Tor dear IL anu ~ sodho9 II
eYnenated from those instrumeT
;f would pat 10 shame any Little vi
III man Barn. The Squire would W
tipgly "buy out- a.a'n but he fear=