" Perish the
thought! And yet, if he _should_ take the notion,--you never can
tell with the devil so busy all the time,--there's the barrel they
kept us in at school when we were bad; I told of it before. Putting
the lid on was a sure preventive; with our little short legs
we couldn't climb out. Don't think I recommend it. It just comes
to me, the way things will. It was held to be a powerful means of
bringing children up "well disposed" in those days.
[Illustration: Christmas Eve with the King's Daughters]
Looking back over thirty years it seems to me that never had man
better a time than I. Enough of the editor chaps there were always
to keep up the spirits. The hardships people write to me about were
not worth while mentioning; and anyway they had to be, to get some
of the crankery out of me, I guess. But the friendships endure.
For all the rebuffs of my life they have more than made up. When I
think of them, of the good men and women who have called me friend,
I am filled with wonder and gratitude. I know the editor of the
heavy responsibilities would not have approved of all of them.
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