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Whether Common or Not.
Duttermllk and Corn Pone.
I'vo travelled a bit In my brief career, to the west,
north, south and oast;
I've eaten the faro of a soldier's camp, and sat
at many a feast;
I'vo sat at the boards of the rich and great and
dined on the best of moals,
But when I sit down at a banquet board a-mem'ry
o'er mo steals.
Again I can see the worn old churn as it stood in
. the corner thero,
With the dasher straight and the scent of cream
afloat in the morning air.
And I think of these as I sit and feast and long
for a day that's dead,
For a brimming cup of that buttermilk and a
chunk of cold corn broad. , -
When the cream was "ripe" in the old stone churn
then I had to cease my play,
And work?' the old dasher with might and main
for no patent churns had they
While mothor would come ev'ry now and thon with
a teakettle boiling hot,
And washing the cream from the old churn lid
would notice how far I'd got.
And just as my "back would begin to break and
muscles and nerves were numb
She'd give mo a smile and cheer my heart with
tho nows the butter had come. . ,
And after she'd gathered the .golden crumbs and
. packed in jars of stone,
She'd give me a mug of the buttermilk and a chuqk (
of her good corn pone.
Then tired and happy I'd seekttie shade of the old
trees standing nigh,
And sitting in state at my humble feast no king1
was so proud as I.
Then curling up in the cooling shade I would sleep
till the sun changed place
And awakened me from a dreamless sleep with his
iiorays oh my face."
Those halcyon days in my boyhood home will
never' come back to mo,
And only in dreams as the nights drag on my
mother's dear face I'll see.
But wore f' a monarch that ruled a race and sat on
a golden throne, '
I'd barter my place for buttermilk and a chunk of
her cold corn pone. ,
S
The Commoner.
"Wo wore driving too fast. All I could see was
that sho had on the old hat she wore all last win
ter tho ono with the gray plume drooping over
a bunch of blue flowers that caught up tho brim
behind; a gray dress with four rows of flouncing
on the skirt and the overskirt caught up on tho
sido with a silver buckle I saw on Smlthson's 10
cont counter last week; a pair of pearl gray kid
gloves that had holes In both thumbs; a pair of
shoes run down at the heel; a red ribbon around
her throat and ono of those double linen collars;'
a pink shirt waist with white pearl buttons arid
detachable cuffs; link cuff pins and a glass brooch
ai her throat. I wanted awfully bad to see how
she was dressed, but Mr. Kerjames whipped up
the- horse just as we drew near them." . ,.
Another Claimant.
Weary Wilkins "Please, mum, will youse give
a reduced literary gent a small bite o' sumthih' t"
eat?"
Mrs. Oldgirl "Are you a literary man? What
literary work did you ever do?"
Weary WilklnB "Mum, I'se de aut'or o' De
Breadwinners.' "
A Woman's Reason.
"But you have never been divorced and you
have no diamonds to steal," we said when the act
ress" asked us to engage her as leading lady. .
"True," she replied, "but I made $30,000 hi
Northern Pacific and have twice been arrested for
kleptomania."
' 'Her argument was unanswerable.
Her contract reads "$500 a week and expenses."
She will get $8 ana board. i
A Fleeting Glimpse.
"I passed .Mr. and Mrs. Bijones on tho boule
vard this afternoon," said Mr. Kerjames to a
friend.
"What did sho have on?" asked the friend,
who was, it is unnecessary to state, a woman.
"I couldn't see. Perhaps Mrs. Kerjames can
tell."
"No, I couldn't see well," said Mrs. Kerjames.
NN
Comfort First.
Early to bed and early to rise . . .
May make men healthy and wealthy andLwise, .. ."
But the man who is never an early riser
May be poorer in purse, but he's a lot wiser.
Noah Webster up to Date. , , .
Stocks: A gambling device used by many.
who. shudder at the thought of cards. -t 'r
Bonds: A business term meaning a mortgage
on posterity.
Usury: What you pay; it is interest when
you collect it.
Speculator: A name applied to a man who
would bo insulted if called a gambler.
Tariff: An instrument of torture cheerfully
used by the many for the delectation of the few.
. ?&i
Dairy Item. ,
When reek meets Greek a tug-of-war is seen.
When grease). meets grease that's oleomargarine..
Uncle Ebcn.
,"A philanthropist," remarked Uncle Eben as
he replaced the cover on the dried apple box, "ac
cordin' t' th' modern way o' thinkin', is a feller
that gives away a few thousand dollars after he's
made sure he can get more thousands from th'
advertisin'." W. M; M.
Breaking It Gently.
'"What do you vant, little boy?" ;,
"Is this where Mr. Upjohn lives, ma'am?"
"Yes." '
"The Mr. Upjohn that runs the bank?"
"He is an officer in a bank."
"The Mr. Upjohn that went down town on a
trolley car this morning?"
"I presume he went on a trolley car. What"
"Is he the Mr. Upjohn that was in that hor'ble
street car accident?"
"I haven't heard of his being in any street car
accident."
"Didn't hear 'at he'd sprained his ankle, jump
in' out o' the car when the train run into it?"
"No. Little boy, you frighten me. What
has" . '
"Didn't hear how he run to a drug store fur
a piece o court plaster to stick on a little cut he'd
got over one eye."
"Not at all. For mercy's sake "
"He isn't in, is he, ma'am?" ' ' '
"No, he's" . . '
"Name's John U. Upjohn, isn't it?",
"Yes, that is his name."
''Then he's the same man. He won't bo here
for an hour or two, I guess, 'cause he's stoppin' to
have ono 'of his teeth tightened that got knocked
a little bit looso when he was jumpin' out o
danger y'.know."
"Little boy, tell me the whole story.. I think
I can bear.it now,"
"Well, ma'am, he's in tho hosspittlo with four
ribs broke, an' one legs in a sling, an' his 'noso is
knocked kin do' sideways, but he's gettln' along
all right, n' he'll be out again in about a month,
an' here's a letter f'm the -doctor, tellin' ye all
about it, ma'am." Chicago Tribune,
Falling Price Level.
r" The recent declaration of Prof. Shaler that
gold was becoming so plentiful that within forty),
years it would be useless as & standard of value,
has no present evidence to support it. With all.
the now gold fields and the improved methods of
extracting gold, its value, as shown by tho gen
eral price level, is Increasing. Since the end o
1900 quite a pronounced fall has taken place in tho'
average price of commodities, which were then at
a lower level than at any period during the year.
As measured by the London Economist's index:
number, which shows the net result of the move
ments In a number of selected commodities, tho
average is now lower than at any time since tho'
end of June, 1899, up to which time it had been
gradually advancing. It will be seen from tho
following index number that tho spell of high"
prices was comparatively short-lived, lasting only
for tho first three-quarters of the year 1900:
February, 1901 2,075
JJecember, 1900 2,125" -
. " September, 1900 , 2,235
June, 1900 2,211 '
'-March, 1900 -...'.' 2,240' -v
December, 1899 .'. 2,145 l ,
September, 1899 2,085
June, 1899 2,028
March, 1899 ; 1,973- ,
December, 1898 1,918
December, 1897 1,890
December, 1896 1,946
The reaction so often predicted by the Sentinel
Is occurring. The fall during the two months is
exactly 50 points, equal to 2.4 per cent. Among
articles of consumption wheat has not moved ap
preciably, but declines have occurred in tea and
tobacco and in butchers' meat. As regards metals
iron and lead have fallen heavily, while. copper is
practically unchanged on balance, and tin has
moved up slightly. There has, as is well known,
been a drop in the price of coal, though this is not,
yet apparent to London householders. Textiles,
have moved somewhat divergently- Raw cotton
is slightly cheaper, but the fall is very small com
. pared with the decline in the price of yarn. Flax
and hemp havet firmed a little, and a partial recov
ery has occurred in colonial wool. It would be
absurd to claim that these movements of the same
character in-so many diverse lines were the re
sults of special causes affecting each line. The obr
vious explanation of the fall of prices is the ap-.
preciation of gold. Indianapolis Sentinel.
a.
Stock Watering.
Stock-watering by New Jersey corporations is
made a delicate, not to say a dangerous, opera
tion by the recent decision of the court of errors
and appeals of that state in the Smelting com-i
pany case. We know, h. fact, that counsel for
some of tho great New Jersey corporations are
reading Judge Dixon's opinion with searchings of
heart and much inward quaking. It is to the ef- '
feet that, under the laws of New Jersey, "when
an original issue of corporate stock for property to
be purchased is contemplated, it is the duty of tho
directors- to see that tho real value of the property
is at least equal to the face value of the stock."
Furthermore, even "tho bona fide judgment of tho
directors" is not to bo held as conclusive, but
"may be rtviewed at the Instance of existing
stockholders;" and if a court of equity finds that
the value of the property purchased is "less than
the face value of the stock, tho issue should be re-strained."
This, of course, is a remedy available
only before the stock is issued as full-paid; after
it is issued, the transaction cannot hs set aside ex
cept for "actual fraud." But the general and
sweeping principle is laid down that "an increase
of corporate stock, voted for l)y the board of direc
tors and by the requisite majority of stockholders
In order to issue such stock for property worth
less than the face value of tho stock, should be re
strained at tho instance of dissenting stockhold
ers." New York Post.
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