Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-06-20
Melancholy Days
By James J. Montague

MONT believe the sentimentalists
~ who tell you that youth is one
grand sweet song. Maybe it is
more tuneful today than it used to
be. You'll have to. ask somebody
younger than I about that. 1 was re-
minded Of what are sometimes referred
to as the days Of happiness when a
man called me on the telephone and
said:
I'm sending man around to you to
get ten dollars"
"Lsten," I inquired, where would
get ten dollars"
II don't care where you get 1t, as
long as it comes back with the man."
"But what is it for?"
tits for a Boys club"
"a what?"
"A club for boys, you stupe. A club
where they can swim In a pool and
play baseball on diamond, and play
indoor games in the winter time. We
can't keep it up without money, so
have your ten ready"
So perhaps after all this is an age
when boys are considered. They were
not seriously considered back in
well, hate to think how far back that
was.
They had fun, Of course, but 1t wasn't
supervised fun. They went out to
look for 1t, and I admit that they
found it pretty often, especially If
they lived near river or creek, with
a stretch Of woodland on either side,
or near enough to the railroad so they
could make friends with the engi-
neers and firemen, and get ride on
locomotive now and then.
But they had their troubles
troubles which, as far as I can see,
are today nonexfstent. The worst Of
them-the very worst, came In house
cleaning time.
People do not clean house today
like they did twenty-five or more years
ago. If family hasn't mechanical
cleaner, a machine backs up to the
door once ever so often, runs out
hose and proceeds to extract the ac-
cumulated dust of weeks or months.
When chairs and tables get weak In
the knees they are sent to shop where
the fractures are reduced and the
varnish is made smooth and shiny
again. A man in van comes for the
carpet and bedding, and it is back
the next day practically as good as
ever. In the process of houseclean-
ing nobody misses a meal or radio
hour. The cool sequestered vale of life
is as comfortable as ever. But years
ago? Goshl
I would rise from the table at the
sound Of "yoo-hoo" filtering in
through the window, almost any day
during the spring vacation, and walk
nonchalantly toward the back door.
After three steps in that direction
a maternal voice would inquire, in
firm steady tones: where are you
going, Willief"
"Well, Ewe-that is, I mean me
an Denny"
Don't say me and Denny Say
Denny and l."
"Well, Denny and / were goin' down
to the crick to hunt for carnelians
to give to the teacher and"
"And going swimming in the creek,
suppose"
swell, yes'm. We thought If 1t was
to get hottie weather l mean, we
might maybe take little dip"
"Um. 1 can't spare you this morn
Ing. I'm going to start houseclean-
ing"
Cleaning housew For almost year
I had forgotten that horror, or If I
did think of it had INDUCED in the
hope that the President or congress or
somebody might abolish it. But mol
Here it had come again. l was cut
short In the midst of lingering long
look at the bright May world outside
while / was forced to listen to brief
but forcible instructions to start up
stairs that minute and begin to take
down the beds.
Taking down beds Is a wearisome
business, there being only one more
wearisome task, which is putting them
together again, which to be well done
requires the art of a cross word puz-
zler and the Drawn Of blacksmith.
Mattresses, though stuffed with
feathers, are heavy and unwieldy. To
get a fat one through a narrow win
dow, and aim it so that it will light
squarely on an old strip Of carpet put
out to receive 1t, requires more skill
and strength than the average small
boy can summon. When the whole six
were on the ground they had to be
taken to the gate where the renovat-