Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-11-14
AN OLD ACQUATTANCE.

Winter, Attended by HIS 1nseperabie Com
panions, Snow. Ice and Cold, Among Us.
The old reliable Winter combination is
again on the road, and is booked for a sew
eral months engagement here. Besides
their old stock of stage fixtures and prop
critics the company have taken advantage
ofthe latest discoveries in meteorological
science, and no effort or expense will
be shared to make this season a most sue
cessful one. The services of the Weather
Bureau have been secured at great ex-
pense, and cold waves will be furnished
with their usual regularity. Several old
fashioned snow storms will also be intro
duced during the engagement. Not
w~ithstandiDg that a rival combination has
been organized since its last appearance,
in the shape of a natural gas CONSOLE
dation, the company will not lose any Of
IFS old-tlme force and effect on this ac-
count.
That veteran advance agent Beautiful
Snow" was in town on Friday night ad-
vertising its coming and by yesterday
morning the streets and house tops were
white with his posters. Hand bills in the
shape of cold blasts were freely circulated
all day, reminding every one that winter
was very, very near. The brisk pace at
which the foot passengers scudded along
inspired REGISTER reporter
with wild wish TO
rush ont and sniff the biting wind as
it whisked around corners and through
the streets, slamming doors, blowing OF
hats. freezing ears and otherwise disporting
itself in o manner ut once exciting and
exasperating. One of the REGISTER coli
lectOrs was Just starting out upon mis-
weekly tour through the city, and the re-
porter, yielding to his impulse, hustled on
his overcOat and set out with him.
As he stepped out the door the bleak
wind came wandering by and whistled
past his ears with a mournful wall, like n
Young man filtering his soul through a
flute for the first time, and Tor a moment
he felt like turning back-but only for a
moment. With q quiet courage, for which
he kicked himself after he had gotten back
and thawed out his knees sufficiently to
render such q proceeding in any way eff
fective, he pulled up his coat collar and
faced the blast.
As they passed the corner, a b%lue-nosed
boy was standing there with a bundle of
papers unders his arm, trying with
patience and perseverance to sell a copy OF
a newspaper and to crowd his
head down into his vest collar to keep his
mouth warm. Everyone seemed to have
important business at the other end of the
street, and as they rushed past with over
coats buttOned up to the chin the day
looked colder and gloomier than ever. One
man came wandering along dressed in a
| shabby suit of light summer clothes, and
with an old cotton hat browning his
tangled locks. His eyes had n cold steely
glitter in them, but rs the wind stopped to
blow through his whiskers his counter
ance was lit up. by the
warm rosy glow which radiated
from his "smeller." AS the pilgrims passed
him he seemed to be looking for something
and when the reporter glanced around and
saw his coat tails ilutter through the door
of a saloon with q card in the window
Hot free lunch" he knew that his
longing heart had been satisfied.
Now and then they passed a group of
children who were playing with their
sleds and deluding themselves into the be-
lief that it was fun and as the news-gath,
erer rubbed his ears and watched q boy
sitting on a sled slowly dragging himself
| along with his heels he almost wished that
he could be a boy some more. Every thing
seemed conscious that winter had at last set
in and rs the chickens stalked sOlemnly
around in the snow the thought irresisti-
bly, presented itself to him that they had
forgotten their overshoes. After they had
walked about six miles, as he thought, and
he had stood outside the gate and watched
the collector sign receipts and warm him
self by the fire as he chatted with tho sub
scribers, the reporter began to yearn for
the office and the cheering society Ofnatur-
al gas. And when at last he did
get back with a hectic flush on the tips of
his ears and fingers SO stiff that he couldn't
wiSgle them, he was fully prepared to as
sert that yesterday was u ''bracing day."
Yes, it was, n very braclng day indeed.