The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1924-01-03
HOW 1T FEELS TO BE
CALLED GRANDFATHER
Makes You an Cid Man Overnight
Joy Comes Later.

On first becoming q grandfather a
with symptoms Of collapse. A. grand
mother In the first flush Of her joyful
pride pays no heed to the mOurnful
implications of her new dignity. but a
man, transformed in a twinkling into
a grandfather. thinks Of little else.
You have hitherto gone your way.
blithely humming to yourself in para
phrase of Holmes. I'm 40. I'm 40;
who says | am more?" perhaps cajOl-
Ing yourself into thinking that you
may even yet make @ fortune or write
q best seller" or run successfully for
congress. But now q small, waver-
Ing, pink finger points at you from
the nurses arms and all your dreams
dissolve into a gray mist, You are
a convicted grandfather. and no grand.
father ever yet set the world on fire.
You may thank your stars if you can
go on doing middling well the tasks
that you did quite well ten years ago.
You have become an old man over
night.
But II IS just In that sad realiza.
ton that the germ lies of a hitherto
unguessed happiness-a happiness be-
yond the experience Of adventurous
youth. The halcyon days do not come.
however, with the birth of the grand
child. Only when after nearly a year
the small mOrsel of humanity begins
TO distinguish the different members
of the family and to exhibit endear-
ing signs OF dawning intelligence does
the grandfather discover that he still
has a place in the sun. Your own
sons and daughters have long since
come TO take you as a matter Of
course. They are freer with criticisms
than with Establishments. You suspect
that they often enjoy themselves most
when you are not with them. You
are necessary to no one. Then some
morning you awake to find that you
are altogether Indispensable to the
most important, the most adorable
member of the household. Every look
and gesture Of affection on your part
Is met with OutStfetChed arms and a
smile of rapture. You may be shabby,
wrinkled. possessing mere vestigeS of
the teeth and hair with which nature
fitted you out long years ago, hut the
child is as blind TO those defects in
you as Titania was 10 the aSinine fea.
lures OF the bewitched Bottom. When
you attempt To sing your own children
may scurry from the room, but your
grandchild will listen TO you by the
half hour and beg for more-some-
thing that even your hest beloved never
did in the most indulgent hours of
courtship. And you have found al
last an ~unwearying listener TO your
twenty-times-twice-told tales. is II
any wonder. then, that grandfathers
are the most doting of relatives, that
they find an ineffable charm in the
companiOnship of those little ones who
know nothing of politics or literature
or sport, yet have such a lively com
mon interest with you in the wonders
Of the natural world?
Experience may. warn you that as
the years go by these grandchildren.
too, like their parents before them.
will become sophisticated. that they
will find your songs and stories dull,
that they will prefer companions of
their W age-the hulking heroes Of
the football field, the light and airy
champions Of the tennis court. New
e~rtheless, for a little while yet they
reveal to you a new and kindlier earth.
with heaven a little closer to il than
! you had ever dreamed. You may know
In your heart hat the winter of your
discomfort is approaching, but" for the
present vog 5ask In a veritable Indian
summer Of old age.-Youth's Com.
panion.