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Show i; fj FATHER OF A BOY BABY AT SEVENTY-THREE; THIS MERRY OLD MAN I ,;jl m I TELLS HOW TO RAISE A LARGE FAMILY OF CHILDREN AND BE HAPPY. I )J I j TVr "' 'rs of "e John Harding , ,! j fl" M Is the futhei nf n fat an 1 B if S ! Ail health) bah) Iki) This Is his M (j .M tenth child The oldest Is now 50 )t tra ' V, t V ' H il In his crnt fort able home at If"? H ' I'niail atlcct. Trenton N J Mr Hard H t ,' if lug talked to a repoiter about the n. w Hj ' J j bib), nnd dlaiusseel the most appinve.1 H J w ty of raising a family. "There Isn't Hj I i n tiling wonderful In nt) being a H l , j fithcr nt 73, he exclaimed "An) man I'i j ' cut have the sumo distinction, pro- M jj Mdcd he haa llveil aolierly anil steadily H iM fl'id taken tare of hi health during H ' is earlier v ears" H Then he led the tailor Into the room H ' ' tvlere his )oung wife and Imhy lay. H i. ' '.lust 5 on look here" he cried with a Hj ' ' , note of tilumphant aclilevement in his B ) ,1 J Ihe caller looked, and saw n lle, B f'in 1 1 otty woman of 29 with wavy chest- iH JS?n5' i ut hair and deep gray eyes A sr.llle l lilll'lls'' iMutulnate.l her fate ss she pioiluced H it W$ I fr,u lj0,u'uth tl" neJ elothes a siniill B '5ll 1 t bundle of humanity B . ' 'j S 'Just give him to me' tho old man H i ( 1 ' H r "iimauded aa ho nasched nut his arms H I , it i nd took the bah.. l ' A 4 .,$) j here now ).u never siw a nicer iBn ' ii ! i! ene," lie declared with lonvlciton as H!k ,,'.i In held his ofTsprlng up to i. vv 'There sB'l ri J '! never was a ntiei one lies n boy, H ! ti i"M t"' Not but what I'd have loved him H I 'Ilk' Ml a henp If he'd been i girl, hut. then, bbbB It'lii ill -'jU know," upologtti nil), 'a glil la H ' l ,ni e nl) a girl and a boys a bo) every bbbbbsI i I ,1:J' ! thne " H 111 I 'Isn't he groat? Don t ou think lie a iH ll it t f- fine?" and with the bob) In his arms H illl I the old niun actually began to dume a H 'lit i J' fiu iy H i,, r"j ' I Oh, hut that wont do," o mttrred 1 tl'p i tho nuiae "Vou mustn t shako that H I-. (il , ilitld up so" H ill) ;' , '.N'onwinaH." replied tho vein ruble M ,)j. III1 , il patent with loft) scorn Lion I tell me I sH JS'i T" H don't know liow to hnii.ll. a 1ml y- H M ( 4 li Iciinw all ubout It heron mo tin nut i.f H il i el! you folks hero weie lion, ibis is my H ,t". 4 fll t nth. I've not 'tin tnls i ly .1 v H VJi i fll ranultlKull thu way up to r.oeais mid rlf 2 hi 111 not allow anybody to gtv mi, sHfiK ' 'I (li polnttrs nbuut children m il r? iii , Ami then he begati wiom ng s lily BBBssi li (m "I to tho ( lild iiml cuddling It i i I I i Mfl.l ' JJ lovvof hlsaini, for it tiavbi n. ni I U j Kill of wtiklng up. sssssllllf'i Ii 'll -'Noierinmaint'locs wal hsl IeI SetSif lv on second tin u,ht for lh"n you II have u chain i to m its Thrilled with i xpe t itinn over am h n uioiiHnloiia ivuu ih. vlsltoi wilt d nnd watiheil ' ihere I knew bod open em the old mm deilared In n moment aa ir pluming hlmatlf on hie wonderful pre- Novv, nov, just see how nice he looks' as the lwb) a wondering blue )cs stared about the room. ' And he a got hair, too, most aa much meiibe as Im got." The old man laughed lils Joke, us he rubbed tile bit Id spot on Ida own head The bah) did look nice," too aa dlmbled and pink and chubby as It toi '1 be . won Id nt take his weight In gold foi him," the father continued 'Ho weighed twelvt pounds, you know, when he reached here at o ( look on Tueada) tnoiirlng. April 15th Ob. no Indeed, I wouMut mk a fortune for him IAr nith him I in richer than many a millionaire who a mourning because be-cause he can't havi any suih fine son and belt aa this llj and by the baby liegan tn whlmpei a bit, nnd, In spite nf his lwtcd exieilente tho fathtr hundid him over to thi i uiae, with the oommtnt that Women folks after ull, haet womlerlul wa)s with ihlldtcn ' " hat are we goliiR to tall him" he repeated In r,s mse in a qjestion "lll, now I wanted to t jnie him after af-ter tha l'resldent i f the I'tilud States hut ni) little glil there, aha wotlldn t have it an "In sale! he'd got to ha tailed John Harding Jr ami what she o goes, he aided with a thuckle "Blie ahull nlvna have her way. I'd give her an) thing on earth that's within with-in my power l.oid love you ahe de. serves It' Just think of a pteit) gilt like her niairvlng an old fellow like me 'III tell ) ju hoiv It was T lamo to mairy her M tl st wife and 1 adopted I.lllle 1 hompson when ahe na a little glil 7 yetws old He- mother had died I knew hei fa thi r and I told him my wife i on Id bring up hi little girl bet-ttr bet-ttr than he ould Hu we took hoi Hhe waa a lot younger than our own ihillien nnd when titty Wa all mit. rb 1 and gun. we had Mill loft tu ,m. I on us In our old age "I had money at Uiat time ownei rial putiitp werth 110 000 so . il I ' II lllle t i silw i ' n I I , . r a u i i ! two )i irs ago uij wife died Ullle keiit h u for me th u I li Kill t thought of such a thli i, as iuati)lng h.r until i little ov. r a v ur ago I d n i kn in how It hapi , tie 1 but snnithuw lov, . im. to us both IMdn t it 1 lllle ' he asked golnif ov ii to the bid ind kissing the pile, fine un the rlllowa lea John she aswered sltnpl) ' I (lldn I marry yon for )our money or anylhlna like that as auyhnly can s.e' . sild wltv shining eyes "I mi irUd )oa bicauij t loved )oti" "I know what you think, volunteered volun-teered the old man to the v Isitot. Vou think It a mighty strange a pretty girl like h"r dldn t marr) some smart young man but she never earod a atraw for an) nf the young fellows "It v. as when i found thnt out that It first diwned on nit that maybe she taied for me Hhe sal on m) knee one night, patting nt) cheek That ttunl anything new, for she has sat on m knee since she wasnt bigger than a irlcket Hut this night Im 'e'lln' you of I had told her that I supposed some time I d lews her foi she d be getting married before long "Bhe anawertd that there wasn't an) body she liked better than me Iho way ahe aald it made tne look at her. I undei stood then, und well, I guess oti ve hiard hi rest Wo Vint to the Methodist parsm-age parsm-age and waa married and here we are, and best of all here a John Harding, Jr ' All Trenton knows this stnr) nnd knows old John Harding Ilea a veteran vet-eran of the ilvll war, drawing a small pension ln spite of his 7S jenrs, lies aa bright nnd a.tlvo aa many a man a deeade or two )ounger" .North Ameriian |
