The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-07-06
SHORT STORIES.
HE WHO KEEPS QUIETEsT
KEEPS COOLEST.
A SCHEME With MILLIONS IN It
What the People Road-An OId-tiIne
Policeman Tells How Offenders Were
Confined I'm the Old Days of Roam
oke-Tree Planting.

Confined I'm the OLD Days oil hoah
oke-Tree Planting.
1t is getting almost too warm fol
suburban saunterings now, and tie
average Roanoker keeps in doors on
Sunday and contents himself with the
TIMEs, pitcher of lemonade and a
big palm leaf fan. Truth to tell there
is but little pleasure or profit to be
derived from Sunday school vita
the mercury nearing the hundred ana
not a leaf astir. The man who keeps
quietest, keeps coolest, and that
what we all want. A hammock is a
mighty good thing if you have porch
or a yard with trees. This is the
refuge of the man His wife, sister Or
sweetheart can resort to the Mother
Hubbard, but not he This is pleas
ure denied the lords of creatures, and
5hey vent their spleen by making III :
kind remarks about the loose anG
comfortable garment. But it is the
old story OF the fox and sour grapes.
X
Ina new city like Roanoke, real
estate cranks abound, and thei-'
various schemes are sometimes anus
ing. A TIMEs man WIS speaking t."
an agent the other day, and in the
course of conversation, at least one
good story was told.
"Ne meet with plenty of cranks il
our business said this broker
"They all have some wild scheme will
millions in it," One came into III.
office today with a great scheme. H'
assured me in seriousness that h
would make my fortune. AS | was
not busy, listenedto him. His plaI
was to buy the space above buildings
of moderate height. OF course, sale
this crank, 'wewon't tell the property
owners what we propose to do with
this space, and they will think they
have struck snap and that we are
fools when we offer them few hun
dred dollars for the alt above their
buildings. When we have obtained
this space, we can build as high as we
please. Don't you see!
Il failed to see, and he left, mutter-
tering how many fools there are left.
~
Dropping in on book seller dur,
ing the week, TIMES man CHANGED
to ask him what the average Roanokei
read. His answer was brief and to
the point:
Nothing much" he said.
"Why %
well I'll tell you. They havnt the
time, and the newspaper is about
as much as they can tackle And they
only need that because it is necessary
that every business MA should Know
what is going on in the world. After
the newspaper, comes the novel OF
a lighter character. They like Ouida,
and the writer's of the French school.
Nothing heavy or laborious will SUIT
them. They seem to read for rest and
relaxation, nothing more. OF course
the ladies are excepted. They are, by
far, our best customers. and If 1t were
not for them it would not pay us TIC
carry a stock of novels.
Nv
Speaking Of literature reminds the
writer that this section is a great Held
for the coming novelist. OF course IL
has been more or less used by the
fictionist, but as yet it has never been
touched by the hand OF a great master.
John Esten Cooke, who lived hun
dred miles from Roanoke, down on
the Shenandoah road, has done more
for it than any other author, though
before the road was ever built The
Y ,i,bts of the HorsEoen had been
written. This volume is the chronicle
of O. Journey through the mountains
of Southwest Virginia by a party OF
cavaliers from the Tidewater section
Of the State. They explored all this
region and camped for while on the
banks of the Roanoke near this city.
Governor Dinwiddie, the royal ruler
of the State, was one OF the party and
when they returned he had a number
o. miniature horsoshoes made of gold
and presented each Of his friends with
one as O. souvenir. They are pre-
served by many of the L. f. VS. to
this day.
NV
Mention was MADE g. moment ago Oh
John Esten Cooke. This reminds the
writer that he met Wilmer Yelling
ton couple of days ago. The young
gentleman is himself an author OF
ability and is now taking horseback
ride through the State. He knew
Cooke personally and has a number
of delightful "reminiscences to tell OF
him. The greatest of Virginia writers
died last year. He was passionately
fond of tobacco, and when he passed
away he had his favorite pipe in his
mouth. This pipe is now in the pos
session of Mr. Wellington, the sister
of the novelist having presented 1t TO
him.
NV
In the old days OF Roanoke, when
the town first began to feel the effects
of the new regime, the policemen
had o. hard time of it. There was no
iail. but there was no scarcity OF
tough characters in the new city.
The question was what to do with
them. On pay nights, the little
wooden building in which they were
confined, would be as full as its In,
mates, and then the prisoners would
have to be chained to q big log out In
zone night" said an old policeman,
Yesterday, 1--WE chained too many to
this log, and they picked 1t up and
walked off with it. We never saw
it afterwards, but we did see our one
time-prisoners the next day. A ma
chinist had broken tie links OF the
chains, by which they we're held, and
they laughed at us the next day. But
now we have a jail that they won't
carry off with them"
The planting of trees dosn't seem
to have great many advocates In
- -uo.,lI mall If fhn