Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-02-21
NUMBER s.
ABOUT ALMANACS GENERALLY.

There are very few men who do not re-
member or cannot recall, the importance
the almanac enjoyed in his boyhood's
home. | remember il used to hang by a
tring 70 the Kitchen and the member
who took down tor reference, was re-
quired to hang 1t up again when through
withit.
1t was generally medical almanac,
with a yellow cover-and very bright
looking cover it WIS that winter but by
the next winter the corners of the covers
were rolled up, and there were convent
ences for telling pretty accurately how
many flies had enjoyed its retirement.
Over the leaf was the picture of man
clothed in the fantastic gnrb of South
Sea Islander, with a trap-door in his alb
domcn, and other appliances OF the gro
Gerry business around him.
Then there was the calendar, where
tho weather was handled and where
drunken looking moons, and improbable
suns, and highly impossible tides wore
made to go through performances that
We're intensely edilying to the family.
Interspcrsed were grammntically coE-
structed letters from ungrammatical pep
pie, located in unheard.ot towns in the
distant West, who had been raised from
the grave by pills, or drawn from eterni-
ty by plosters, and having been restored
TO perfect health, and having no further
need of either send on and order ton OF
both. Also Inducements from we'll
known physicians in unknown localities,
the whole set off with receipts for masking
puddingS that no one should cat, and
cake that no one would dare to eat. And
when receipt for either was hcdged in
by the details of fever sore on one side,
and the graphic particulars of a hemor-
rhage on the other the symmetry of tho
whole was undcniablc.
Whom | was boy | lived one wintcr
with m uncle and aunt, and they did not
keep their almanac hung up. Aunt new
er cared to look at an almanac anyway,
so my uncle took caro- of il. He kept it
in n drawer whore he did his shay
ing apparatus, and odd hinges, and nails
and screws. and a weasel skin for cramps,
and coverlcss novel, and two equally
dccrcpit song books. That drawer was a
museum. 1t was the family drawer and
the receptacle of everything handy. |
don't really believe either my aunt or
unclo or the kitchen stove had ever been
in that drawer but everything else had.
There was hank of black thread in
among the contents, or, to be more exact,
the contents were in among that thread,
and when whenever anything was taken
out, that thread had to be consulted.
Sometimes the drawer would come all
the way out and nearly bury my uncle
in the contents. IIo was not profano
man, so he did not swear. He merely
observed that it was sealed book to him
why woman never had any system,
and then left me to pick up tho things,
and continue the argument.
lie had three or four years almanacs in
that drawer, and when he went to con-
suit about the weather, ho was just as
likely to pore over IA three year-old al
manac as the current number. Not that
it made any particular difference, only
there was something especially instruc-
tive to see him looking over the wrong
almanac, aud drducing facts that appear
ed to be Of great comfort to him.
Bat then, you have had just such ex-
perjcnco- yourself, and there is no need
dwelling upon thcm.-- Thc DaRbury
Ne'es NaIta 1imanac (or 1874.