The Detroit times., 1914-06-09
whsn David and yonathan FIshed.

WnGn DdNlQ dnQ JONdhnoh
My Oldest boys name was Jonath-
an, and the youngest DaFid-=lhoukh
they weren't called that anywhere
but I'm the family Bible-just Jon ana
Dave. Except when people got the
Bible and the boys mixed up and
called them David and Jonathan
sometimes David and Goliath!
Jon was the Oldest and Dave the
youngest and there was four years
between. Jon didn't seem TO care
mach for anybody else after Dave
WIS born, and Dave never inquired
If he had any paTents-as long as
Jon took charge OF him. Well
have 10 acknowledge that Jon made
q better daddy to Dave than did
DIVES mother died when ha was
born and / took II hard. Didn't no
tice. like / ought, what was going
on. But Jonathan took entire charge
OF Dave He'd carry the little chap,
before he yet could walk, couple
or miles on his back and fix him
fast In the fork OF tree while he
fished. And when they got home
he'd swear that Dave had caught all
the fish And they'd all have TO be
cooked--mfnnies Just an inch long,
sometdmesi which always Mage a
7 fuss between Jon and Betsy the
cook.
Yea Jon was a good fisherman.
and a good boss. He always got his
way. But it was by gentleness. He
used 10 preach TO me-, his own dad
DIV. when he got older. about gentle
ness being stronger than anger, be
cause, I suppose, used TO break
glass when got mad.
Only one ever got away with Jon
gntleness by kicking, and that was
little Dave. Why, when he grew old
enough TO fish himself. he never
caught thing and he ruined ions
REPUTATION as a fisherman. He couldn't
keep quiet a minutei He'd sing songs
and tumble suInmersets and scare
the fish away and get tangled in the
lines-sometimes come home crying
with the hooks in him. Jon used 10
call him the King. But | called him
Parliament / expect he was both.
Always, on the farm one went TO
college 10 learn and the rest stayed
at home TO work-if there was more
than one son in the family, as there
always was So II was since seven
teen hundred and ten-when we first
got the farm--so IL was with my
brother Henry, Evelyn's stepfather
and me, and so IL had TO be with my
sons Jonathan and David. Germans
like TO obey the ways OF their an
cestors from generation TO genera
ton
II was decided by lot, and begun
way back when they used TO leave
everything TO the Lord Mostly,
they'd put a hoe and a Bible on
a or ms .hah fsaa orr yIfl
for EN-. II we took the hoe we were
10 be farmers II we took the Bible
we were 10 be students, The Bible
was nice red morocco and gold, and
the hoe was kept bright and shiny,
and both had come straight down
from the ancestors who got the farm
in seventeen-ten.
The first born had always the first
choice. and SO, when IL was between
my brother Henry and me, ecrawled
and took the hoe-which, | seem TO
remember, looked so nice and shiny
& I'm fond OF shiny things now, yet
OF course, Henry had to take the red
Bible; there wasn't anything else
That's how 1t came that stayed at
home, which was literary, I expect,
and Henry went TO Virginia, to col
lege, which never liked four walls
about him. Anyhow, he learned moth.
ing the first year except
''Ich liebe,
Du liebst,
Wir lieben--"
and the second year was married TO
Evelyn's mother, already widow
with a child! which he met when his
class went on its annual tramp from
Virginia TO Tennessee. He never even
came home-he was so In love with
Evelyn's mother-but went and lived
in Tennessee, because she wanted
him to- with niggers and planta-
ton, and spent more money breed
Ing funny horses than my daddy and
me could squeeze out OF the old farm
10 keep Manufacturing chickens. but
ter, eggs and milk
My Jon and his Uncle Henry were
both born in the Inter Gehenda (that
Is the undergoing of the noon, which
Is bad time TO be born, and sad
and gloomy and unlucky But Dave
and me were born in the Uber Ge-
henda, (the overgoing OF the noon,
which is happy and joyous. So you
can see how the signs fool US some
times.
When it came to deciding which
WdS W 20 10 COlleBe Oh my TWO boys,
Jon, OF course, being the Oldest,
crawled first and took the shiny hoe.
like me, because IL was shiny. / ex.
pect, and Dave was not only satisfied
with the red Bible, but chewed the
edges till he got colo. But tire signs
were no more right with Jon and
Dave than they had been with Henry
and me. Dave didn't care anything
about college when he grew up, and
Jon took all the learning he could
gether up-mostiy by himself in fence
corners-and wanted more.
Even when he minded the cows
used to see him sit under the trees
and books come out OF his pocket
and his nose go into 'em forgetful
That's how we came to lose Shalom
she wac COW. While ions nose
was in a book Shalom's nose was fool
ing with blast Schwartzs men had
set In the quarry, which went of
before she stopped. Jon was sorry
for Shaiom and got the pieces and
gave them decent burial and put up
wooden tombstone. She was the
only COW living which ever came
TO misfortune through Jon. And Il