Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1941-09-05
~
from the
Democrats Pen

Well, Sir, | had a birthday ami
versary last Monday, and the entire
nation celebrated it. thought it was
real nice of them. l certainly did
appreciate it. There was one thing
they all forgot to do-all except three
and half of 'em; three grown-ups
and ten-year old boy-they all for
got to send me congratulatory card,
felicitating me on having reached
forty-five and trusting l would live
to see eighty-one.
The three grown-ups were people
I owed money to. l suppose they
wanted me to know they hadn't for
gotten me, if I had allowed them to
slip from the recesses of my cere-
bral organization. The boy was lit
tie chap who always wants me to
show him the trick of pulling nickel
from his eyes, nose, ears, mouth,
sleeve, hair; and then when get tired
of doing this, he gets the nickle. I
don't know whether his card was
friendly or financial. Perhaps it was
both. Maybe he was in hopes I would
live as long as the nickels lasted.
That's all right; he's welcome to
them.
What's that you said? "How old
are you?"
Why bring that up? To left-hand-
ed, crosseyed, pintoed, slue-footed, in
dividual, am 18; to one of another
kind, I might be-well, something
else. There isn't any use telling all
you know. You remember some time
ago, lady came into this office and,
after taking thorough inventory of
my facial outlines, came soberly to
the conclusion that / was eighty-four
years old. Ordinarily, I considered
her a lady of very good judgment;
but, of course, there are times when
we all err. So ! do not have any ill
will, so far as she is concerned.
Well, seein' as how last Monday
was a red-letter day, for me, I
thought I'd like to celebrate it; but
the weather man made it a red-hot
day, so staid in the house and court
ed an electric fan all day long. list
ened to a game of baseball on the
radio, between the Boston Bees and
the Brooklyn Dodgers, which went for
fifteen innings, and the latter won,
after every man on each team had
lost about 10 pounds in the swelter-
ing atmosphere of an enclosed ball
park.
In that game, I couldn't help but
admire the technique of one of the
pitchers, who, evidently didn't enjoy
Old Soils participation in the delights
of the day. He was called to the
mound and he pitched just four balls;
he was yanked to the showers-for
which he gave unbounded thanks, I
know.
But, started out to say something
about my birthday anniversary. You
know some people forget about their
age after they pass certain milestones
along life's highway-they don't have
any more anniversaries, but some
others are different-they don't care
how many they have. AS for me, am
willing to have lots more yet. I am
not laundering after seeing the last
one-I don't like to think about that
one; so, as the old negro said: "Leab
'em cunt"
Alexander Smith once said: "There
is a peculiar beauty about old age.
Husband and wife, who have fought
the world side by side; who have
made common stock of joy or sorrow,
and become aged together; are not
infrequently found curiously alike in
personal appearance, in pitch and
tone of voice, just as twin pebbles on
the beach, exposed to the same tidal
influences are each others alter ego."
I don't know how my better three
fourths would relish being so much
like the other fourth as that, so Pm
"lavin low and savin' nuthin',"