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About The Wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-???? | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1910)
THE GLAD SPRING TIME r' really seems to be here at last, and of course you want that new spring suit now. No more cold spells; the real spring that makes you want to go some wheremakes you want to dress up and just saunter about and feel at peace with all the world. We have just the kind of Spring "Glad Rags" that you have been dream ing about during these cold days the kind of clothing that the Union Worker wants, because they have in addition to the cut, the ' fit, and the quality, that pretty little thing you call "the union label." We have just the styles and colors and cuts you want up-to-date neat, well made, the top of the market in everything that goes to make up gocd clothing bargains. And the price, that's where we make our special appeal after we have exhausted adjectives regarding the clothing itself. Our bargain prices are now! Not two months later. We make our bargain price at the beginning of the season, not after the season is nearly over and the stocks practically culled out. You get the choice now, and at the bargain prices others will offer after all the choice selections are practically gone. This is one of the features of our methods of doing busi ness. We commend it to your careful consideration. SPEIER SHMON 10th & O House-Cleaning Time is House Painting Time The Sherwin-Williams Family Paint is made particu larly to lighten house-cleaning labors. It is an oil paint and can be washed and scrubbed. It brush es out easily doesn't drag or tire you to apply xt ; the girls can put it on. Made in 24 good colors. Use it this year on your cupboards, pantry shelves, base boards. etc., and you'll have less work next year. Get color cards they tell more about family raint. Buy Your Wife a New Idea Gas Range It will make her work easier and your gas bill less. Prices $20.75 to $40.00. Discount on all sizes this week. Gasoline Stoves $2.75 Gurney Refrigerators, best made, $7.65 and up. Lawn Mowers, 3.00 to 17.50 Guaranteed Lawn Hose 9c to 18c per foot. HALL BROS. CO. 1517 0 Street The Wageworker Shop is . in shape to do all the printing for your union. Call in and get acquainted with us WOMAN AT THE HEAD By SADIE OLCOTT Copyright. 1910. by American Press Association III the little ba inlet of Nordhastedt. near Meldorf. a singular custom Is ob served annually. According to tradi tion, it dates back to the thirteenth century. During that era the hamlet was on one occasiou attacked by a band of robbers, and the men of the village were soon compelled to beat a retreat. Thereupon the women boldly at tacked the robbers and not only van quished them, but also took the leader and several of the band prisoners. As a token of their gratitude the men have ever since allowed the women to celebrate this great event by hold ing a festival at stated Intervals, and on such occasions they exercise no au thority themselves, but submit in all things to the will of the women. Now. there lived In this hamlet a pair of lovers. Carl Koopman and Gretcben Boucher, who had often dis cussed the relative hardship of men and women's work. Carl averring that women have a very easy time. When a few days before their marriage one of these festivals was to come off Gretcben ordered Carl to report him self at her home, where she lived with her father and mother and a uumber of younger brothers and sisters aged all the way from fourteen years to three months, and to remain there during the day subject to her direc tions. On the day of the festival Carl ap peared, good natured. smiling, evident ly much pleased at the novel situation cf obeying his sweetheart for a whole day. Be found Gretchen in care of the family, her father and mother hav ing taken a holiday and gone into Meldorf to enjoy themselves. "Wash the breakfast dishes." said Gretcben. Carl went into the kitchen, poured some water Into a pan and proceeded to wash the dishes. When be bad finished he called Gretchen to Inspect his work. " She looked over the dishes and put her finger in the dishwater. "Stone cold." she said. "Heat some water and do them again. Look at the grease oa them." Carl was a trifle sobered at this, but he was resolved to do his part and obey orders Implicitly Me heated some water and washed the dishes again, scalding his fingers at the work. Gretcben. permitted htm to put the dishes in the cupboard, then told him to do the morning sweeping. He sent the dust up into the room, and It set tled on the furniture Instead of the floor. After an hour's work Gretchen told him to stop, to get some wet tea leaves, put them on the floor and do the work over. Having given him a scolding. Gretchen told him that be was to mlud the baby while she took the children out for a walk. He was to have the dinner ready by the time they returned. Carl saw her depart with misgiv ings. The novelty of the situation was wearing off. The baby was quite peaceful for a time, then suddenly be gan to bawl. Carl took It up and walked about with It for awhile, then put It down again. But the baby was not minded to be put down. The squawling recommenced. Carl took tt up again, but the squawling being re newed be repeated the process again and again. In other words, he was obliged to keep the baby in bis arms. About noon the child fell asleep on his shoulder, and he laid It In Its crib. It was now time to got the dinner, and Carl congratulated himself upon the baby belug eliminated from the problem. Gretcben had put some ba con In one dish and some potatoes which he was to fry In another This was all the cooking he was to do. and he bad told her that be had often done It while camping and would have no trouble He sliced the potatoes and the bacon and when be considered the fire hot enough set the pans contain ing then on it. having first heated some fat for the potatoes. Botb the bacnn and the potatoes be gan to sizzle, and Carl was turning the latter wheu the baby woke up. The child cried to be taken up. but Carl couldn't well leave bis cooking, so he let tt lie till lie was afraid It would burst a blood vessel, when he went to It. a greasy fork In one band and a towel in the other, aud tried to soothe It. But the baby screamed harder and harder, as much as to say "If you don't take me up I'll commit suicide In spasms." Carl tried to coax It, then, losing his patience, scolded. Neither bad any effect. Meanwhile the fire was getting very hot. and suddenly the fat used in cook ing the potatoes caught fire and threat ened the destruction of the house. Carl tried to blow out the blaze. Fail ing In this, he seized a cloth and tried to fan It out. Then the baby ceased crying, and Carl, suspecting something wrong, looked at and saw that it was making one of those gasps for breath babies make between sqtiawls. He ran to It. It recovered Its breath and be frau again to yell In deadly rage. Carl ran from It to the potatoes, seized the blazing pan and threw the whole thing out of the door. When 11 few minutes later Gretchen came home she found the potatoes In the yard, the bacon shriveled to one tenth its proper size, and Carl was glaring at the baby as though tempted to throw It In the Ore. Seeing Gretchen. he threw the baby down and rushed from the bouse, fol lowed by a paal of laughter. WHEN FOWLER VILLE ENTHUSED Bv M QUAD. Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit erary Press SHE COULD KEEP A SECRET By ELBERT T. BENTLEY Copyright. 1910. by American Press Association -' For years William Stroug was the village cooper. He was called Bill by old and young. He was lazy and good natured lie bad been married, but bis wife bad divorced him, and be kept bouse by himself in the rear end of his cooper shop. BUI had never been known to argue. He bad never made a speech. He bad oever taken any In terest In local matters. He bad just made barrels and kegs and been BUI Strong. One evening when the usual crowd bad assembled at the grocery aud postomVe Mr. Strong turned Fow lervtlle upside dowu. Without having given a bint of his Intentions be mounted the horse block and began a speech. In the suburbs of the village dwelt Mrs. Henderson, widow, forty years old. Her husband had left her a poor old bouse aud five acres of land. There were a cow and a horse, and by hiring the horse out by the day and renting most of her land and making ber own garden she bad managed to get along after a fashion. Bill Strong's speech was all about the widow. It was au appeal rather than a speech an appeal to the uiauhood and charity of bis listeners. That's what knocked the breath out of the crowd. As Fow lervilie bad knowu Bill Stroug, a dozen people might have been starving to death any time and be would have taken no iuterest. The speaker paint ed tbe picture of a lonely widow, a grieving widow and a bard up widow. It was a case worthy of any man's charity. It bad brought tears to bis eyes aud a sadtiess to bis heart. Spring was here, the speaker con tinued. Four out of five of the wid ow's acres ought to be planted to corn and potatoes. He bad uo money, but be would give three days' work. Who would furnish tbe seed, who do the plowing, who work with him at the planting? Here was a missionary field at borne. It was because Bill Strong made tbe appeal lu such a surprising way that the crowd took bold. In five; minutes all was Nettled. Nest day the widow's acres were being plowed, and within three days tbe planting bad lieeti finished. Bill Strong had a second appeal ready He mounted tbe same horse block and thanked bis colaborers in the name of charity and then proceed ed to say that the widow's bouse was, old and tbe roof leaked. As she sat there in her loneliness tbe water drip ped down on her grieving bead. He had no money, but be would give bis work If others would give the shin gles and nulls. Others did so. and a brand new roof appeared. Then came the third appeal. Why not paint the old house and make It match the newness of . the roof? Two coats would be the thing, and such was the enthusiasm that one of the merchants Insisted on being one of the brush wlelders. There was an old fence In front of the bouse. Bill Strong made no appeal about that. He didn't have to. Others saw the need, and a new fence was built. A new roof was also put on the cow shed and tbe well pro vided with a pump. Fowlerville en thused from top to bottom. The women came to do their part. They presented the widow with dishes, carpets and furniture and gave her of their wardrobes. They clubbed then pin money and bought ber a sewing machine. The Sunday school scholars bought tbe old horse a new harness and a stack of bay for their share. The Yotiug Ladles' Literary club dis covered that the widow's cow was on her last, legs with old age. and the ani mal was sold to the butcher and a young one purchased. Never did so many gifts reach a widow's bands. She was somewhat In debt, and tbe Young Men's Athletic club insisted on paying them. So many actions, call ing for so many tears, kept her eyes red and swollen all the .time, while Bill Strong was looked upon with more awe and admiration than if he had won tbe welterweight champion ship of the world. By tbe time all these good things had been done it was time to hoe tbe corn and potatoes and weed the gar den. Fowlerville turned out en masse for that. It was made a sort of legal holiday, and over a hundred men and women turned out to make a picnic of the work. Those who didn't turn out furnished the lemonade and sand wiches for dinner. When the hoeing and weeding had been finished men and women agreed that there was nothing more to be done. But Fowlerville made one more ral ly. It raised a clear hundred dollars In cash and placed the purse in the hands of the widow. She had shed many, many tears, but she squeezed out a few more. Next morning the town bebeld Bill Strong moving his few household goods out of his cooper shop. He had a busy air about him. He also bad a changed look. When be had gone to a clothing store and priced a twenty five dollar suit and been to the rail road depot to Inquire the price of a ticket some one made bold to ask: "Well. Bill. Is everything all right?" "Right as right." was the hearty re ply. "You seem to be a busy man this morning?" "Yes, I am. Me and the widow Hen derson were married last evening, and we start, for Niagara Falls on our bri dal tour tomorrow morning! Much obliged to you fellers for fixing us up In such good shape!" "I've got the confoundedest wife yon ever saw," "What do yon mean by tbe word confoundedest? It conveys no mean ing to me." "That's the reason I apply It to my wife. She Is beyond the pale of defini tion." "Do you use the word opprobrious ly?" "By no means. She's a Jim dandy." "Oh, you've got something on your mind something she has been doing! Get it off and have done wltb It." "Right you are. and when I ve told you you'll agree with me that con foundedest Is tbe best word by which to describe ber. You knew we live In the country and I'm a commuter. My monthly commutation ticket costs me $24.50. I have always been used to carrying my ticket in my bat. It's very convenient, you know. 1 place it between tbe lining aud the crown. If I put it In my portemonnule. which I carry in my hip pocket when I'm hurrying to my train loaded down with the bundles which all commuters are condemned to carry. I have a bard time getting It out from under my coat If it is in my bat 1 can get at It very easily. There's a ferry at tbe city end of the route where the ticket must be punched. Formerly com muters were only required to show their tickets, and we used to just lift our bats to tbe gateman. and be could see the ticket. It was comical to see a long line of passengers taking off their bats politely to tbe gateman. But the practice must have concealed some skullduggery, for the officers of the line stopped It. and now we ail must have our tickets punched. "Anyway. I always carry my ticket In my hat. Well, one morning when I went to the city I felt for my commu tation ticket, and It was gone It was one I'd Just bought, and Its loss in volved nearly $24. Thinking I might have put It in one of my pockets. I ransacked them all. It wasn't in any of them I searched 'the floor, but there was nothing there. At last 1 gave It up and paid my fare. "My wife is a very economical wo man and considers me the perfection of carelessness. I knew If I told ber of my loss she would scold me for both wastefulness and carelessnes. I made up my mind to get on tbe best I could for awhile, paying my fare out of tbe loose change I carried till tbe end of the month, when I would buy a new ticket. It was no use. A few morn ings after my loss as I was going out my wife gave me the customary kiss, at tbe same time banding me my but. She looked inside and. not seeing the ticket, felt for it. "'Why, dear.', she exclaimed. 'I thought you always carried your com mutation ticket In your hat.' "I was obliged to confess I bad lost It. My wife said: I told you so. If you had kept It in your pocketbook.. as 1 always advised you to do, you wouldn't have lost It. There's $24 gone, enough to buy me a spring bat with three big ostrich feathers.' "I hurried away, ostensibly to catch the train, but really to escape a scold ing, aud since It would be cheaper to commute even with tbe loss of four days than to pay single fares I bought a new ticket. I kept it in my pocket book In my hip pocket with a lot of memoranda, cards, etc.. my cash for daily expenses being In my vest pock et. I had no trouble for n month, when I bought another ticket. On tbe 4th of the month when I was getting ready to go to the city I clapped my band to my bip to make sure my ticket was there, and. behold, portemounaie. tick et and all were gone. Somebody must have picked my pocket. "I thought my wife would cry. 'Fif ty dollars gone In two months.' she moaned. 'We're going right down Into tbe poorbouse. Why will you be so careless?' A "If I'd kept it in my hat.' I snap ped, it: would not have been lost. I put it where you told me to put it. and there you are.' " 'Go and buy another one." she said. 'We can't afford to have you siieuding forty or fifty dollars a month to save $24.' "Well, to make a long story short. In six months I lost five commutation tickets. What had brought about such bad luck I couldn't tell. I'd commuted for seven years and never before lost a ticket. Thinking some one might be robbing me some of tbe servants I told my wife when I lost the last tick et that I was going to put a detective in tbe bouse. ' "'My dear.' she replied. 'If I say something to you will yon scold taeT "'Certainly not, pet; 'fire away.' " 'Well, I've been robbing yon of your commutation tickets.' "I nearly fell In a faint. "'You know Tom Edwards, financial man for B. & Co. Well. Tom gave me a tip on some stock that was going to be "cornered." "shorts squeezed." and all that. He said if I'd give bim $100 be'd put me In wltb tbe pool. But I must keep tbe secret. I hadn't the money, but I raised It. a bit here and a bit there, using your tickets, which I got redeemed at the railroad office. The pool sold out yesterday, and Tom has sent me a check for $1,000. "What do you think of that, eh? Isn't that confoundedest?" "Bats: The pith of your story Is that your wife kept the secret." "From me."