EASY-CHAIR MEMORIES 131 



at least twice a day morning at their uprising 

 and evening at bedtime. Well ! I tried an 

 experiment one day I purposely did not 

 shave, and when they came one after the 

 other to give me their morning salutation 

 every one of them cried out, " Oh ! grandpa, 

 that's too bad ! " and that was because I had 

 given each of them a little twitch of my rough 

 chin! "If," said I to myself, "such things 

 happen in the green tree, what will happen in 

 the dry ? What will happen in a week's time," 

 when, to slightly misquote Shakespeare : 



" My chin new reap'd 

 Shows like a stubble land at harvest home." 



I am sure they won't kiss me any more ! Am I 

 then to deprive myself of these daily sweet kisses 

 for evermore ? These sweet osculatory opera- 

 tions which have been the solace and pleasure 

 of my old age for many a day? No, I won't. 

 That settles the question. Shaving will go 

 on as heretofore. 



