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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1901)
TH5 COURIER V N rags, of democracy, and grasp for the ermine and purple. If I were talking to you instead of writing, in this almost traitorous style, I am sure the sunlight of your smiles would be in eclipse and I should feel like emulating the provibial ground hog and crawl back in my hole. But I can not see you, and at this long range I do not feel your reproach. I am not in a very angelic mood, and have half a mind to go back and hunt up a needy Lord or Duke, buy him a new suit or armour, get a little fresh gold leaf for his crown, bring him over, stow him in a flat on Farnam Btreet, and take to type writing for a living; only my typewriter can't spell. I wonder it this isn't the mood in which maids write letters to the news papers, mix a teaspoonful of rouge on rats with their pafe de fois and thus lose their laBt chance for a crown? All last week I hung over the fashion plate try ing to decide in what style the pile of cambrics beside me should be fashioned, in order that I might have prettier shirt waists than any one else. I went into ecstacies over the diaphonous sweep of organdies which the gentlemanly clerks with well directed flourish placed be fore me. I trotted all over town to find where I could get lace by the bolt cheap eat, and had fatuous dreams of myself, an airy, fairy figure beneath the sweet June moon, all frills and puffs and laces. Alas! the windows of my room this morning, together with the temperature, suggested that I bad pitched my tent at Cap 3 Norn", and my dreams had been the unstable ones of the seeker after fairy gold. The jeering north wind bore down and seemed to say, with the frozen humor of an artic explorer, "Do you Buppoee I think more of you than I do of the Ice Man? Do you suppose 1 intend that the ammonia machine shall do me out of my job? You and the south wind, together with some of the would-be senators, are getting a little previous." I called down the tube to Mary to know it she wouldn't abake down the furnace, that a little more heat might come up to my room; then I crawled un der the friendly cover of the blankets to shut out the Bound of that tnockiog voice and to think There in the world I had put my fur cape. Yesterday, while I was writing, I told my email, restless brother Bob it he would tit on a chair perfectly quiet for 30 minutes I would give him a nickle. He promptly climbed up and pat so still that only the blinking of his blae-grey eyes and the rise and fall of his sailor collar, betrayed life. When I told him the time was up, he came to me solemn ly for bis reward and looked at me with the light of a great resolve on his face "I'm glad that's over and I wouldn't do it again, not for ten cents." I cannot be quite bo positive as B b, but if you will forgive me I will try, "never to do it again." Yours as ever, PEJfELOrE. LINCOLN LETTER. Lincoln, Nebr., March 7, 1901. Lear Penelojw: I am indeed delighted to see again your fami'iar, large, angular, very ele gant and illegible handwriting. I read your letters by the eye of affection and admiration rather than by those large blue globules which before we were married Jack called his 'stars." (The eje of affection iB single; "two eyes of affection" is impossible, somehow, isn't it?) I missed you horribly when you were in Europe. You and Mr. Morton Smi h were my only litirary acquaint ances and when he died and you went abroad I felt that my only connection with "literature" was dissevered forever. Morton Smith was kind enough to say after be had read one of my really pri vate letters to you that it was interest ing enough to publish in The Courier. I had dreamed of writing stories like CorrelH or Mrs. Holmes but everything I sent enough stamps with had been re turned, so I had begun to lose hope. I really thought my letters were silly but Morton Smith said the people really liked hem and he knew more than the men that mailed my rejected M.S. back to me, I think. Jack said that people read them because they were so impos sibly silly. But at that time I occasion ally dreamed of a literary career to con summate which, would have made mar riage impossible and then besides Jack bears to literature, the same relation that tone-deaf people bear to music. You know, Penelope, I like your name. I pronounce it and the vision, the mirage of your elfish, whimsical, curl framed face appears to me, I have only one fault to find wth jour name, Lin coln people do not pronounce it correct ly. In spite of the dozens of colleges in and around this academic seat, my friends, who did not know they were talking to the famous unknown of the Penelope Letters uee to call you Pen-elope, in three syllables instead of four and the last two just a in the sentence, "John and Mary elope tomor row." I've had cold chills about it and I'll have 'em again, now I am going to write you. I dared not inform them that was not your name for it might have been a "clue." You know quota tion marks are bad form too many of them but they give a mjsterious in sinuatingnese to words that nothing else imparts and I never have been able to give up the habit that was acquired when I began to write clandestine notes in the sixth grade, just after I found out what they meant, and their peculiar ability to rescue a slang phrase from unmitigated'vulgarity. Once the teach er intercepted a "terrible" note and if it bad not been for the "quotes" she'd have Bent me home with It to "Ma." The quotes indicated to this astute teacher that I was simply being demor alized by my chum who sat next me and who was really several grades ahead of me iJ taste and moral rigidity. The teacher afterwards induced "Maw'' to forbid my associating with this chum, and thus removed from my young life one of its most vigorous motors on the ascent of the hill of difficulty. Lincoln has suffered some changes since I used to bo frankly write you about the inhabitants. Many of the set that used to form my whole horizon have married, moved away, or died and eo far as participating in current func tions, died, married or moved away has had the same effect. The young mar ried Bet, the Dorgans, Woods, Rectors, Fitzgeralds, Greens etc., are just about the same and just as gay. The older married set, the BuckstafTs, Irvines, W. B. Hargreaves, Wrights, Wilsons, Yates, Thompsona, Leonards, Beesons, Kodgers, etc., haB suffered some losses. Mr. and Mrs. Kodgers now live in Bos ton, and Omaha has drawn the Beesons. The older coterie that formerly en joyed each other bo much has been depleted by death and by the panic and long drawn-out hard times. Perhaps more than any others Mr. and Mrs. Gere represent the old-time, gracious, cultured self-respecting society. The Raymonds, the Lamberfsons, the Halls, Holmes, Burnhams etc., retain their dis tinction and subtly express its influence. There are many others whose activity makes up the constantly changing kalei doscope of Lincoln society. If it were not for them there would be "nothing doing" but buying, selling and swapping. Ten years or more ago there was a unique character in Lincoln eociaty who has "dropped out." He lives here, dresses just as well, looks aa debonaire and almost as young, hut he is no lorger quoted or copied. He is absorbed !n the management of the Oliver and al though the presence of a first-class company is always signalized by Frank Zahrung's faultless, evening dress and by his Bolitary presence in the left-hand box next the stage, his participation in functions is almost confined to this semi-professional "presiding" at the per formances of distinguished companies. It has got bo now that when a man wants to find out the standing of a show he just asks Frank Zehrung if he means to wear his dress suit, and Frank con scientiously considers and tells him, though he knows when he says, ''busi ness suit' that that settle3 it. While on the theatre, I want to tell you about the young men in this town. In the days when Ferguson, Jim Irwin, Downie Muir, Charlie Caldwell, Lam bertson and Will Leonard were "gallous young hounds" young men took the girls to the shows. The queer set, who are the beaux of unfortunate Lincoln girls, do nothing of the sort now. They are invited to happy homes, where they are fed and warmed and listened to patiently, and with a good imitation of pleasure. But they do not repay so cial courtesies. They apparently think it is sufficient to go calling and accept all sorts of favors without making any effort to return them. The pleasant old dance? given by the Pleasant Bour club are ro longer tributary offerings. It it were not for the young, unsuppressable longing of every girl to enjoy life, to look her prettiest in pretty gowns, and to just taste the cup poured out for youth and beauty the ungrateful, unre sponsive, petted youths of this town would be igcored by the very pretty girls who redeem the streets of ugliness when tbey pass through them. But this is an old complaint. The most successful public entertain ment ever given by Lincoln people was the Carnival of Nations celebrated last week at the auditorium. The only Mrs. Ogden waB the president general and she was assisted by a score and more of Lincoln women whose good nature, en ergy and unselfish energy for the city was rewarded by an attendance of several thousand people. Omaha wom en can unite in a lite effort for the im provement of the city as soon as the new auditorium is erected. Lincoln, although, of course only a fraction of her inhabitants is Catholic or Episcopalian, ia really observing Lent. Society ia taking a nap and a fast, a part for the sake of their complexion and di gestion unhandsomely affected by mid night ice-cream, coffee and salads and the other part is in genuine "retreat," seriously repenting sins, renouncing real pleasures,giving up favorite fleshly dish es and mortifying their own flesh. These will receive the rewards of conscience and appear on Easter in resplendent chapeau and renewed youth. This is a long letter. It is tho joy of writing jou again, of being en rapport again with one whom I love. With all the fervor of nineteen, Eleasok. Grace White, in her new paper, "The Reasoner," published at Woodbridge, N. J., 6ays: "No commoner thing, jour nalistically considered, ever got past the press to the public than Mr. Bryan's new paper. There is not a new thought in it. There is not an old thought in bright phrase in it. There is not a new subject treated nor an old subject treat ed in a new way. It isn't even 'Bryan esque.' It is dull, platitudinous, stale, lacking in everythidg that people expect in a paper written by Bryan, the Bryan, the only Bryan, the Fountain of Living Waters, as he practically describes him self." Of course as women have no business with ideas, this will have to pass as one woman's opinion but ! ! ! THE DOW I HI. Three Months Services are Given Free to All Invalids who Call Upon Them Before April 13th. A stbff of eminent physicians and sur geons from the British Medical Insti tute have, at the urgont solicitation of a large number of patients under thoir care in this country, eBtubliabed a per manent bianch ot the institute in this city in the Sheldon block, at the corner of 11th and N streets. These eminent gentlemen have de cided to give their services entirely free for three months (medicines excepted) to all invalids who call upon them be fore April 13th. TIipbo services consist not only of consultation, examination and advice, but also of all minor surgi cal operations. The object in pursuing this courso is to become rapidly and personally ac quainted with the sick and alllicted, and under no condition will any chargo whatever be made for any services ren dered for three months, to all who call before April 13th. The doctors treat all forms ot diabase and deformities, and guarantee a cure in every case they undertake. At tho first interview a thorough investigation is made, and, if incurable, you are frank ly and kindly told so; also advised against spending your monoy for useless treatment. Male and female weakness, catarrh and catarrhal deafness, also rupture, goitre, cancer, all skin diseases, and all diseases of the rectum are positively cured by their new treatment. The Chief Consulting Surgeon of the Institute ia in personal charge. Office hours from 9 A. M. till 8 P. M. No Sunday hours. SPECIAL NOl'ICE-It you cannot call, aend stamp for question blank for home treatment. The Annual Meeting of the German Bap tist Brethren will be held in Lincoln, Ne braska, from May Twenty Four to May Thirty-One, Nineteen Hundred and One. For this meeting a special rate of one fare for the round trip will be made from Chicago, Peoria, St. Louis and all stations on the Burlington Route Tho roads east of Chicago and St. Louis are also expected to make a very low rate for the Brethren, and sell through tick ets to Lincoln and return. Tickets will be on sale May 23 to May 27, inclusive, and they will be limited f jr return to June 4. The charge, therefore, for a round trip ticket to Lincoln and return for the brethren Meeting will be: From Chi cago, 814.40; from Peoria, 312.90; from St. Louis 812.55 Brethren who wish to stay longer in Nebraska, can have the limit on their tickets extended by depositing them with the railroad "joint agent" at Lin coln who will issue a certificate of de posit on or before June 3, and charge a fee of fifty cents for it. Tickets will then be good for return at any time until June 30. 1901. Many of the Brethren will probably want to visit some of the numerous Ger man Baptist settlements in Nebraska before returning home. Any one who presents a certificate of deposit to the Burlington Route agent at Lincoln will be able to get a round-trip ticket to any place on our line in Nebraska for half fare. These tickets will be sold on May 28 to June 3, inclusive, and will be good for return to Lincoln until June 25. We publish a folder about the Ger man Baptist Brethren in Nebraska. In it is a very large sectional map ot the state, with reference marks which in dicate where the Brethren settlements are located. It tells about the crops and prospects, and contains letters from resident Brethren, giving their experi ences in Nebraska. A copy of this will be sent without chargo if you will ark P. S. Eustis, General Passenger Agent, C, B. & Q.R.R., Chicago, Illinois. .