t '
ff v * * * * '
TI1K NOKOL.K * KKKLY EW-SJOUNAl , KKIDAY JANUARY 1 1'JOS ' )
The Norfolk Weekly News-Journal
Tlio Joiiriuil. Established 1877
P U D Lj 8 H I N 0 CO M P AN Y
"
W. N l7uHO. N A. Huso.
ProHldont. Hoe-rotary
Kvop Filday. lly mull PIT year. $1.00
Entered at llio pdHlolllfo nt Norfolk
Noli. , IIH Hccoiid class matter.
ToloplmncH : rldlfaflaink'
No , I ! ! ! Business Olllco and .lob Hootni
No. II iii ! _ . _
It IH Hiild tlmt hog cholera never uf
foclst lilliul pigs. '
Mon are too apt to Hliapo tholr ru
llglon liiHtead of letting tholr rollgloi
liapo tliom.
A teed ; many distinguished Htatow
moil now will lie extinguished HtatoH
iiion after March 4.
Why should Hryiui fool discouraged
Ilo not liOM)00 : ( ) more votes thai
Alton B. Parker.
The Irlali potato gets a fresh boos
every day. It trots In the same claw
xvltli the huttor and eggs.
Ail exchange patly pitta a whol
Bormon Into this sentence , " (5oil neve
KOCH Into partnorHhlp with a loafor.
"Ability never amounts to much ,
snya a modern sago , "until It acquire
two moro letters s-t-nbillty. "
Castro did not go to Kuropo for
Biirglonl operation but for a diplomat !
oporatloa. Ho needed help along thn
lino.
.1. I'lorpoiit Morgan owns SOVOIT
hundred rare Hlblos. Most of his vis
tors lll < o his cigars hottor. than hi
Itlhlos.
This year's farm products ? In th
United States are ostlmatod to b
worth $7.500,000,000. Quito a bund
of money , boy ?
John D. Archbold Rooms to have o >
l.auatlvc Unowlodgo on the trust bus
Ing subject Why not nwko him a
tiirney general ?
Maine doesn't propose to take
Lack seat In the progress of events
During the recent hunting season sl >
teen men wore shot for doer.
John L. Sullivan has at last mot hi
match. His wlfo says she Is goitii
to tight that i.-ult for divorce. Join
might as well admit that ho Is llcket
The United States Stool corporatlo ,
lias just placed an order for sixty ne\
locomotives which Is the largest sir
Klo order given by It In the past tw
years.
President-Elect Taft will deliver ai
address before the University o
Pennsylvania on Washington's blrtli
day as did his predecessors McKlnlo ;
niul Roosevelt.
Congress now plans to pull the sof
pedal In its answer to the president1
rather caustic reference to that hod
In his annual message. It evldentl
doesn't care to bo Pulltzerlzed.
With Venezuela in the throes of
revolution and Brazil and the Argei
tine Republic getting ready for
fit.ap , things begin to look interestin
In our slstoV republics to the south.
Castro seems to be more popula
In Berlin than ho is In Caracas. Som
men are obliged to go a long way
from homo In order to got recognitlo
and then they rarely deserve It.
The "Uplift Society" is defined b
one of Its members as "a place wher
we talk about dreadful things and sa
Isn't It awful ? ' " There Is a heap c
that kind of mushy reform In th
world.
"Ike Marvel" Is dead at eighty-foui
For more than half a century Donal
Mitchell pleased and entertained
largo number of readers by hi
dreams , reveries and practical sugges
tlons.
Harrlman says that In fifty year
the coal will bo gone. Maybe he's ge
a good sized bin , but wo looked i
ours last night and If It lasts lift
days we shall consider ourselve
lucky.
One of Secretary Hay's wlso saj
Ings was : "Who would succeed 1
the world should bo wlso In the us
of his pronouns and utter the wor
you' twenty times where he one
uses the word 'I. ' "
The German kaiser offers live llttl
used castles at bargain counto
prices. Hero Is a chance for , :
Plorpont to purchase and transplan
thorn stone for stone to America. W
are short of ruins of that caliber hen
Congress In session Is likely to b
a regular thing for an Iiuleflnit
length of time. When the presen
short session closes the extra sosslo :
will convene. Uy the time the extr
Is fairly disposed of it will be Urn
lor the regular long session.
The British-Japanese alliance wa
first formed for five years , for the 1m
mediate purpose of saving China fron
Absorption by Russia. It was re
lowed at the end of the llrsl term for
ton years. It may yet prove neces
sary to nave China from Japan.
It Hoenm to bo the opinion of those
who host understand the situation
that the withdrawal of the United
States troops from Cuba will only
result In anarchy on the Island. If
HO Undo Sam's mildlor hoys will bo
summoned hack again this ( Into to
stay.
Senator KIIOX'H selection to the
place of premier of the cabinet moots
with general approval. Mr. Tuft's
judgment Is commended and It Is con
ceded that Mr. Knox will make an
Ideal head for a conservatively pro
gressive cabinet.
The frequency of rases of ptomaine
poisoning all over the country shows
that the pure food law has not yet
effected a divorce between the prepar
ation of food and commercial Indiffer
ence to the crime of making money
by man slaughter.
Champ Clark , who will bo the
Democratic loader on the Hoer of con
gress , Is from Missouri. Speaking of
the result of the November election
ho said It was brought about "by a
concatonotlon of unusually unfortu
nate circumstances. " This Is a very
lucid and dollnllo explanation of the
situation.
Governor Hughes , In an address to
the citizens of Troy , pointed to a
group of children and said : "Fellow-
citizens , we desire to conserve our
natural resources. These are our
natural resources. Wo pride ourselves
on the riches of our country in mine ,
forest and Hold , but these boys and
girls are our true resources without
which all else falls.
Some newspapers contend that the
suit brought for twenty-live thousand
dollars by a woman who was caught
In the ropes of an ascending balloon
and dangled by one foot for fifteen
minutes over the heads of a largo
crowd of admiring spectators Is ask
ing too much , but no woman would
call It moro than a fair equivalent for
services rendered.
The day when the editor was a
mighty force because of his person
ality and when he was not obscured
by the business office seems to behaving
having a renalsanco. With Hrynn
handling the Commoner , Roosevelt
contributing to the Outlook and La
Follotte launching a weekly of his
own , the year 190 ! ) promises some
fresh and vigorous reading , in the
editorial columns.
It will bo a great relief If the Pana
ma canal Is ever finished satisfactorily
and found to operate successfully. The
gloomy predictions of those French
engineers is disconcentlng to say the
least. But then since the French tried
and failed perhaps it is too much to
expect that they should take an
optimistic view of the outcome.
Mayor Hlbhard of Boston will ask
the legislature of Massachusetts to
pass a pension act for all civic ser
vants who have been with the city
twenty-five years or more , but as yet
no provision has been made for the
men who have spent twenty-five
years trying to get Into olllco ana
never landed.
Late advice Is to the startling effect
that Mr. Bryan Is to become chancel
lor of Texas University. Really , this
problem of what to do with ox-candi
dates Is much more serious than what
to do with ex-presldonts. The ex-
presidents gracefully subside to be
come regular contributors to the Sat
urday Evening Post , but the ox-candi
dates prove not so tractable.
Americans who have attempted to
carry on manufacturing Industries In
Japan and employ Japanese labor to
run their machinery find that In spite
of the extremely low wages paid the
Japanese were expensive because of
their inefficiency. As a superintendent
of a big wire factory said : "In Amoria
one man will keep four or flvo ma
chines running while here It takes
four or five men to keep one machine
running and then they don't keep It
running as It should. "
And now the Iconoclasts and histor
ians who are fast taking all the ro
mance out of the world have pulled
down another popular Idol and shorn
another historical romance of its il
lusion. Cleopatra , so says an-eminent
Italian historian , was neither beauti
ful nor attractive and the truth of the
matter was that Antony wanted Egypt
and her treasures and not Egypt's
queen. One by one our Idols perish.
Judge Hanford of Seattle objects 'o
the selection of jurors whoso minds
are so positively unbiased as to he
vacuous. In these days twelve men
who do not read newspapers , who
think that "edition do luxe" Is negro
dialect and that an accomplice is a
fancy drink , as happened In Chicago
the other day , are poorly qualified to
referee a dog fight. The judge who
objected to the acceptance of such
jurors has adopted a sound sensible
policy.
A new slogan for reform of the na
tion by its women might be "Let me
cook the dinners and I care not who
the ballots. " In spite of the fact
: hat the president of the federation of
women's clubs In Pennsylvania , pro
tests against the hard work of women
In tholr homos as degrading , It Is
nevertheless In the hands of these
women In the homos who work as
iithor women work only for a higher
purpose , to determine the morals -if
the country.
Many amusing stories are told of
the Illegibility of public men's hand
wilting. It Is said that Itufus Clioatc
wioto throe different hands , one which
his cleric could road and ho could not ,
one which ho could road and his clerli
could not ii ul MHO which no one could
road. Another story Is told that I hi
managing editor of a largo dally penned
nod a note to the editor who was In
another city. The editor In reply
telegraphed asking If there was any1
thing Important In the letter an hi
could not read a word of It. The
managing editor In turn wired that hit
letter was a request for a typo writ
ten copy of the editor's first letter at
that was also Illegible. Think what r
boon typewriters and telephones
must bo to such writers.
Judge Gary , head of the steel corpor
atlon , was moved with an honest desire
sire to help suffering humanity , whoi
ho saw , In one of the poorest slun
'districts ' of Now York , over a thousam
men standing In "the bread lino. " I
scorned to the benevolent judge
that If those men could he transportei
to the western states where then
was land and air and work , it wouli
solve the problem. Ho and his frlendi
arc talking over a transportatloi
scheme , lint there conies a decldoi
protest from the west that those 11101
are few of them lilted to got thel :
living from the soil and would bo as
badly off In the west as the oast. Tin
west welcomes any man who is able
and willing to till its soil , but has IK
place for the ignorant , Improvldon
and incompetent.
The News' suggestion that the com
ing state legislature should abolish the
open season on prairie chickens in this
state for a period of years , and in
crease the open season on quail , Is
meeting with favor throughout the
state. The prairie chicken is verj
rapidly disappearing , owing to the pro
traded open season during whlcl
hunters are allowed to bag this bird
A continuous closed season for severa
years is all tlmt will save the prairie
chicken to Nebraska. Quail , on the
other hand , are never materially decreased
creased by hunting , the hard winters
being alone able to thin their ranks
In New England , whore the quail has
been shot for almost a hundred years
the bird is as numerous today as II
ever was. Sportsmen should be al
lowed to hunt quail legally moro thai
fifteen days. But the prairie chlckoi
should be protected by the mosl
stringent law , and that Immediately.
During the past few years greal
changes have taken place In the methods
ods of fishing with trawls or drag nets
Small nets drawn by fishing boats
have given place to great machines
drawn by steamers , which scrape the
bottom of the sea and make a cloai
sweep of everything Including the
telegraphic cables. It has cost the
Commercial Cable company $100,00 (
during the past three months to repali
the damage done by trawlers Tin
cable companies demand laws prohibit
ing trawling In the vicinity of tholi
cables and the fishermen complaii
that the cables Interfere with theli
work and damage their nets. So the
fight is oir between cable men am
fishermen. It seems as though the
ocean was large enough to accomo
date both lines of business withou
conflicting , but oven the ocean seemi
to he getting crowded.
THE GOMPERS CASE.
There are two diametrically opposite
views In the Gompers case. Judges
and attorneys see only justice In the
jail sentence as a result of Gompers
flagrant violation of the Injunctloi
granted by Judge Gould. Whether the
Injunction was right or wrong , 1
should have been binding until re
voked. The judicial mind will see thai
if the example of Gompers were to be
followed by all persons ordered by the
courts to do or not do certain things
there would be no law or respect foi
law. Willfully violating an order o ;
the court is defiance of the law. Law
lessness is anarchy.
The Injunction did not concern the
right or wrong of the boycott. The
Injunction merely restrained Gompers
from prosecuting a boycott pending the
time when the courts should decide
the merits of the boycott case. The
injunction was temporary , to protecl
the stove company until the final do
clslon should bo rendered. Gotnpen
deliberately violated this Injunction
Gompers contends that the Injtinc
tlon interfered with free speech anil
free press. His viewpoint holds thai
It Is unconstitutional to Interfere with
free speech and free press , and that
therefore , the Injunction Itself was
Illegal and wrong. He probably be
lieves the United States supreme
court will back him up.
From many sides comes opinion that
the Jail sentence wil never bo served
or that If it is Gompers wll become
a hero Instead of disgraced. Should he
serve , it is forecasted that changes
will ho wremght In the boycott or In
junction laws or both.
The deplorable feature of the whole
affair Is that the employer and em
ploye should not ho able to co-operate
Instead of make war upon one an
other. Tholr Intorents , In the last
analysis , are mutual.
THE CHRISTMAS STAMP.
You've soon the Christmas stamp ,
Poi haps you knew what it meant , per
haps It was a conundrum. News from
Boston and New York Is that the sale
of these stamps will continue until the
end of this week , for the purpose of
raising finthci funds with which te :
con.bat tuberculosis. E. P , Blssoll
writes a piotty story In the Ladles-
Homo Journal describing the motive ,
behind the Christmas stamp. Ilo says :
"What Is the Christmas stamp ? '
This question was asked by tons ol
thousands of people In Delaware ant :
Pennsylvania last December. It wll
bo askoel from one end of the Unltce
States to the other this Christmas
That Is why this article Is written
For to understand what the Christmas
stamp moans will surely bo for al
readers to desire to help It along , am
to add It to their Christmas as part o !
the spirit of the most beautiful day litho
the year.
On December 7 , 1)07 ! ) , the Inhabl
tants of Wilmington , Delaware , fount' '
staring at thorn from every trolly-cai
fonder these words : For sale now ;
the Christmas stamp ; ask anybody.
This was quite enough to rouse pub
He curiosity ; but , In addition , ovcrj
prominent drug and department store
had In Its window , or somewhere
along Its counters , the legend :
"Buy the Chi IM mas Stamp. "
And in the- corridor of the post office
a young girl , dressed as a Hod Cioss
milhesat bi hind a table with a rol
of stamps , the like of which no one
bad seen before : each stamp bore i
wreath of holly , a tiny red e-re > ss , am
"Merry Christmas. "
What sort of stamp was this thai
had come to town ? First ami fore
most , questioners found out that ii
was issued by the Rod Cross , thai
great organization that comes to the
rescue In times of war , pestilence
famine and disaster. But what war
pestilence- , famine or disaster was
there in prosperous Wilmington ? The
answer to that sot the buyers think
Ing. There- was a pestilence in Wil
tnlngton , claiming one death out ol
every seven. It had reigned for years
claiming the best and brightest out ol
many a family. The Delaware Ret !
Cross had Issued Its stamps to aid Ir
attacking this pestilence the white
plague of consumption and to "stami
It out" In conjunction with the so
cloties already at work.
Every Christmas stamp cost ti
penny ; every penny from its sale waste
to go for active work against con
sumption paying for nurses , ills
pensary and sanitarium work , rellev
Ing the consumptive poor , preventing
infection and educating the public
The little stamp was not good foi
postage. It could not carry a letter
but any le'ter or package could carry
It , and It bore with It a message that
was good for those who sent and foi
those who received it. It was a con
crete expression of "good-will tc
men. " It meant help and healing "In
His Name. "
No wonder all Wilmington bought
It. The newspapers took It up. The
women's clubs all over Delaware
at'npted It enthusiastically. The pub
He school children did the same.
In a week's time the stamp spreael
to Philadelphia , where the Pennsyl
vanla Red Cross joined hands to helj :
It along. Five great department stores
put it on sale in the city of brothorlj
love , and girls In Rod Cross uniforms
sold It In the corridors of the Phila
delphia postofllce. One great Phila
delphia newspaper gave it a front page
"story" every day and sold It In Its
business offices. The first one to bu >
It there was one of the newsboys , n
ragged child who bought one stamp
The next was a banker who bought
flvo dollars' worth. Rloh and poor
young and old , bought the little
"stickers. " Business firms put then ;
on every letter that went out at
Christmas. They were gummed on
onckacos. stuck on parrels , put on
boxes of candy , and used in every way
The Dc-lawaro Hod Cross had hoped
to sell fifty thousand stamps at the
most. The sudden demand for inanj
more found them unprepared. Printers
and presses wcro hardly able tc
satisfy the rush for moro stamps. The
whole thing was so short and sudden
only eighteen days to Christmas
that the stamp could not be nde
quatoly put upon the market. But , ii :
spite of all that , the results wore re
markablo. Nearly four hundred
thousand stamps were sold , and ti
profit of almost throe thousand del
Inrs was realized.
One nurse was Immediately em
ployed in Wilmington to look after the
consumptive poor , and another to heir
at the tuberculosis sanitarium outside
the city. These two nurses have been
at work ever since , and drugs , mlll <
and eggs have also been furnished nil
year to many consumptives In theli
homes.
An educational anti-tuberculosis ex
hlblt was also brought to Wilmington
and attended by twenty thousand pee
pie in ten days.
From all over the union , wherevei
the stamp had gone on Christmas letters
tors , the question came hack at once :
"Why cannot we too have the Christ
mas stamp ? " So the National Reel
Cross , with the secretary of war as Its-
president , and branches In every
state , has adopted the Christmas
stamp , to make It national this year ,
The announcement of Its adoption was
made by William H. Tnft. as secretary
of war and president of the American
National Rod Cross , at a great Red
Cross meotliiB in the Waldorf-Astoria ,
inNew York , last April
These new national stamps wore de
signed by Howard Pyle , and will be
printed this year by the million in
stead of by the thousand. They can
bo found nt the Rod Cross head *
quarters in every state , or they can
bo ordord direct from the national
headquarters of the Red Cross So
ciety In Washington , for a penny each ,
In whatever quantity desired.
But whether this stamp Is sold In
Maine or Florida , Delaware or Dakota ,
It will he the same Christmas stamp
a tiny battle-flag In the war against
the white plague , a llttlo message of
good-will , bearing Its holiday greeting
on letter and package , and linking
sender and receiver in a chain of
brotherhood with those who need
help and healing. "Inasmuch as ye
have done It unto one of the least of
these , My brothorn , yo have done it
unto Mo. " Each Christmas stamp ,
with Its rod cross and Its * holly wreath ,
entries , with Its "Morry Christmas , "
that deeper message , too.
AROUND TOWN.
The your Is growing old.
Christmas won't bo hero for a year.
Did you overload your stomach ?
That was some dance Unit the rail
road boys had.
Might as well got n now chock book
and start In.
Could you find any fault with tlmt
ChrlHtmau weather ?
Be sure you label 'em so that you
won't give 'om hack to the original
givers next j > ear.
Hero's betting Washington , D. C. ,
will know the Rosebud Is on earth
during the no.xt few days.
Many a man will bo convinced ,
when the bills come In , that his wife
heeded the advice to shop early and
lato.
The new heavyweight championship
looks like n cnso of black male. John
son , the winner , Is also said to belong
to the Black Hand society.
The Chicago Tribune says Mr.
Bryan's Now Year's present to the
Republican party comes In the form
of a piomlso that ho will continue
actively In the Democratic part/ for
twenty years moro.
A Chicago man who once permitted
Mmse-lf to bo persuaded to back a
theatrical company was se'atod In his
olllce one day when ho received a tele
gram from the tnanagor of the show ,
says the Chicago Rocord-Hearlil. The
troupe was somewhere in .Missouri
and the telegram read thus : "Train
wrecked this morning and all scenery
and baggage destroyed. No mombei
of company injured. What shall I
do ? " The answer sent back by the
Chicago man was as follows : "Try
another wreck and have the company
ride In the baggage car. "
"The use of gold filling for teeth Is
doomed , " according to a salesman for
a largo dental supply house , quoted by
the Philadelphia Record. "Most of
us can remember when nearly every
one carried about in his mouth more
or less precious metal , " says this au
thority. "No one was ashamed of
displaying gleaming yellow when ho
smiled. Wo formerly sold thousands
of dollars' worth of specially prepared
gold to dentists. But that Is all
changed. The new porcelain fillings
have boon so far perfected that nearly
all dentists use them , to the almost
total exclusion of gold. "
ATCHISON GLOBE SIGHTS.
A woman would rather see a bride's
outfit than attend the wedding.
About the only heirloom most people
ple know anything about Is the mort
gage.
Women who want to marry should
keep the fact quiet ; men hate a hus
band hunter.
The newspaper a man takes is very
much like the town in which ho lives ;
never satisfactory.
An Atchison woman , who was bap
tized recently , did not get her nose
wet and made the preacher do it
again.
There should be fewer warships
built In time of peace , 'and ' moro
homes for old people negloctoby >
tholr kin.
Some men's system of reform close
ly resemble boy's method of driv
ing cattle : to "holler" as loudly as
possible.
When a wlfo hands her husband an
ash holder Christmas morning , she
expects him to accept with it her In
tentions of buying him a Morris chair
if her money had held out.
We should think a preacher would
enjoy his glad holiday season : The
sisters he meets on the street have
their hands so full of bundles that he
is relieved from shaking hands with
them.
An Atchison man was in Coolldge
recently to help got up an amateur
show , and met a number of women
who were Interested. "Let's ask
Bonny Lee to tune part , " suggcsto : !
one. "No don't , " said another. "If
you do I won't. " "But sjio Is so pret
ty. " "She Isn't pretty at all , " broke
In ten other womon. And for two
hours this Is the way the conversation
ran. The Atchison man was in
Coolidge two weeks , and , when he
loft this was all that had boon agreed
on : They would give a show. The
time , the cast , etc. , wore still unset
tled as coffee without an egg.
It Is well and good to make fun of
the love story , love of late being so
underdone In reality , and so overdone
In fiction as to bo nauseating , but what
would a married woman do If there
wore no love stories ? Her hair can't
ho so skimp , her hands so hardened
by toll and her figure so bent with
work and woo that she doesn't hecomo
In her Imagination the heroine of
every love story she reads. The love
made to her in the books is all she
gets , so don t Interrupt her if she
stops cleaning the pantry shelves to
read every love story she finds In the
paper. She will wake up to tin pans
and reality when she reaches the end ,
and that is soon enough.
< c Of All Sad Stabs of Tun or Pin ; " g
5 Johnny Dumper Talks of Married Life
Omaha , Neb , Doe. ! ! < > . - To the Editor
of The News : Do > ou remember Sadlo
from Newport ? Sho.H Pap's girl that
was going to help mo thru IIUHIH-HH |
college ami then I was going to turn
round and help her. Well I dldont noon
onny of her help 'cause Uncle Oscar's
bin paying my hord.
So the uthor day I sent Sadlo a pear
of mittens for Chrlsmus and ast her
when she was coming down to unroll
at the business colle'go ,
1 got the longest letter I over rod
and she sent one of the mittens back
and told me to keep It to remember
her by and sho'd keep the uthor ono
to remember me by.
She sod It was all over and that of
all sad stabs of lung or pin the snddlat
are these , It mlto have boon !
She sos she's ingagod to ho married
In the spring to a nice feller named
Frank that wont to work for Pap after
I loft , and that 1 mustont fool reckless
and throw myself Into the Mlssoury
Rlvor ( You just bet I wont , till the
water gets warmer , onnyway. )
Frank Is a graduate of sum agricult
ural colle-go and he > 's got a lot of new
Ideas about farming and bo's bin a
tolling Pap how to make too blades of
grass grow where one grow before , and
how to make too bogs put on as much
fat as one did before , and how ho can
got more milk from too cows than he
lister get fiom one- , and Pap thinks
Frank's all rite and he's going to deed
one.of . his quarter sovshnns of land to
Sadie and four cows to start on when
sbo marries Frank.
I don't cure , Frank can have Sadlo
and welcome to her If she don't know
onny more than to swallor all the stuff
bo's bin a tolling her. I'll bet he's the
hlgglsit bluffer In Rock Co.
Sadie and mewasent Ingagod eiiny-
way , wo just kind o' thought we'd like
to lie. She's a good deal oldor'n me- ,
must bo seventeen at loest , and It's
time she was getting married. Lots
of girls waits till thoys too old.
I'm going te ) lorn to smokeanil bo a
Imtchellcr. Sadie don't like fellers
that smoke's. So whenever I was
tempted to try it I always thot of
Sadie and sod , "No , I inherrlted a to
bacco hart from my Pa and I don't
dnst to. " But now there don't ne > -
body care so I "m going to lorn to
smoke and have a ge > od time like the
rest of the men. I've scon lots of mar
ried men that will leovo their wives
fo r a good cigar einiy day. Some of
the famouspst men in the world have
bin batchollers , haven't they , Christo
pher Columbus , and Groonllef Whittler ,
and Grover Cleavoland got to be
President before he got married and
after ho got married ho got defected.
And I saw in the paper that John L.
Snllyvan Is trying to get unmarried.
And Whltcomo Riley isent married
and I got a coppy of his "Old Sweet
heart of Mine" for a Chrismiis pres
ent and I've bin reading about him
sitting smoking and letting his care
"cast her hanker in the arbor of a
THE ENGINEER.
I'm a veteran passenger engineer ,
My name is John McNabb :
I've ridden an engine for thirty year ,
And my home it is In a cab.
I love the rush and roar and grime ,
And my speed is never slow ;
I'm happiest when I am gaining time.
As over the rails I go.
I once resigned my company place
And opened a general store ;
Succeeded well in financial race ,
Could have asked for nothing moro ;
But 1 longed for the whirring clickoty-
click
Of the wheels of the rushing train ,
And my longing actually made mesick
sick-
To bo back on the road again.
So hero I am after thirty years ,
As blithe as that famous day
I joined the order of engineers
And started upon my way.
There's a fascination I can't explain ,
A feeling you'll surely note If
You ever ride at the head of a train
On a monster locomotive.
The natural true-born engineer
Has a sense much keener than sight
That gives him warning If danger's
near
The darkest stormiest night.
I well remember that awful rain
Of a night that was pitchy black ;
The wind was blowing a hurricane
Fit to hurl the train from the track.
Wo were forging along an hour be
hind
In the tooth of the roaring rout ,
When a sudden picture before my
mind
Informed mo a bridge was out :
It was not my eyes that saw the trap
In time to save the train ,
For the head-light made hut a llttlo
gap
In the shoots of the driving rain.
Like a flash I applied emergency air
And stepped the supply of steam ;
It was none too soon , for wo halted
there
With the pilot over the stream.
I backed away , while the Bloopers
snored ,
And few of thorn over guessed
How near they came to going aboard
Their train for eternal rest.
Oh give me an engine , give mo a
train.
And give me two bands of steel
That stretch away In an endless lane
Till they make the senses reel !
dronm" and that's Just what I'm going
to do about this Sadlo business. I'm
just going to let tlmt dude farmer
Frank , whatever his nanio Is , have
her. Why what could I do with her If
I did go up to Newport and cut him
out. It must cost just a nawful lot 'o
keep a woman In clothes when the
stiles changoH'Ho. Why 1 can see the
dlfToronco In the wtllos even sins 1'vo
cum to Omaha , and I se-o sum wlm-
men's fir coles In tho'windows markt
as high as $100.00 , and then when 1
think of the dlmund rings and ostrlcU
tall hats and silk dresses and house
tent , bt'sldi's all the things she's going
to eat I should think moro follors wild
resolve \\IIIMI I hey Is jomiK not to
over marry llko mo.
That Frank's bin a mulling Sadlo I
about all what he's going to do for
her. She rites that he's going to blld
a nuptodato house In every respockt
with a bath-room and hot and cold
water and hay-burning furnace ( You
know hay up there don't cost Imf as
much as coal ) and bo's going to rig
a self-food magazooii for feeding
baled hay to ( ho furnace as It nooda
It. And he-'s going to have a wind
mill and gassaloan e'ligun at the- barn
that pumps water all over the homi
and runs the dish-washer bo's a going
to buy and runs the clothe's washer
and rlngor and it fan to keep the
kitchen cool in summer. They're ageing
going to keep' lot e > f cows and milkIng -
Ing cows Is Hit- ono thing Sadlo bates
wus'n eiinythlng else and I no she wild
novnr 'vo e'oimconlod to marry him
but he > 's made- her b'lle-vo that IIO'H
going to get a milking mashoon that's
run by that windmill or ongiin and II
will he awtoiuallck , so that when
a cow walk's Into the barn and Into
a stuul , that Marts the milking ina-
sheen to going and the milk will run
from the macheon into a separator
and the skim-milk will run out Into
t'other the pig or oaf troff and the
cream will run Into a can that will sot
In tin- water tank to keep It cool and
Sadlo wont Imf to do nothing except
hitch up the automobile bo's going
to buy and take the can of cream to
town. Oh , bo's smooth , that Frank Is ,
In thoe-ory , but I'll Just bet In prack-
tlco , after Sadlo has slued the constl-
tushun and buy-laws so there's no
backing out , the old cow will got a lly
on her tale and kick his milking ma-
sheen all to splinters and the wind
mill will blow down the thing urn- '
bob on the gassolean ongiin will stick 'I'
and the eiigiin will blow up and set
the barn afire and after Sadie's bin
married a few miinths she'll haf to go
te > milking cows agon just like slip's
always dun and her urn's dun tern ,
while Frank's down town In the pool-
Dumper.'I'
haul smoking his pipe and sipittlug on
the stove and tolling the uthor men
what a fine- woman he's got. That's
just what lots of fellers do and I'm
reely sorry for Sadlo , norrlpcr'n I am
for myself. But then wliat can a feller
like me do ? Ye urs ,
John.iy Dumper.
Then away wo'Il go with a rush and
roar
And the cllckoty-cllck of the rails !
No wonder I love It moro anil moro ,
For the novelty never falls !
Richard F. Marwood.
INCREDULOUS JIMMY.
They nstn tell us kids
That Santa Claws
Lived "way up north
Among the Esqulnuiws ,
And druv a lot of reindeers
To his sled ,
And when us kids
Was all of us In bed
Ho'd come down thru the stovoplpe
With his toys ,
That Is , If we'd been goody
Girls and boys.
Last year a Toddy-horse
Stood by my stockln' ,
That walks or trots or cantors
When I'm rockln' .
I don't sco how a horse
The size of that
Wont thru a hole so little
That our cat
Would haf to sflioop and crawl
If she got thru ,
I don't b'lleve he ever did !
Do you ?
This year I just portended
I's asleep
Till after Mama took
Her good-night peep ,
And then I sat right up
And chewed some gum
To keep awake and see
Old Santa come.
Well blmoby
Just after ton o'clock
I hoard my Papa
Coming up the walk.
I watched him
From the window by my lCd ) (
A carrying something
Looked just llko a sled ,
He wont around as
Quiet as n mouse
And sllpt In by the hack-door
Of the house.
Then all was still again ,
I chewed my guni
And watchedfor Santa
But he never come.
That kidding 'bout old Santa
Bringing toys
Will do to toll to girls
And llttlo hoys
That never has peeked up
Into a chimney ,
It wont go down with Jimmy ,
Now by Jlminy !
R. P. M.
