The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-18

| others scattered around thom.
The town was in an uproar, tho peo-
plo crazy, hammcring, mailing. blasting.
Buildings, stores, houses and hotels
sprang up as swiftly, as high and as
unstable as bean stalks. More unstable.
for Jack, in tho story book, elm bed to
the top of his and found there Il goose
that had laid gold eggs Wo had
elm bed our stalk only half way when IL
broke, and we hoard, for ali our pains,
just goosc's quack
Out from the very centre of tho up
roar we go to where fields Of corn waved
short timo since, on and on. whirling
past gangs of negroes making roads and
slow treading donkeys carrying dirt
o that we other donkeys could roll off
our dirt as easily and b, fod ~ nightfalI
| for our labor
What 3 place for driving, Not "oncc
around the boulevard, twice around the
promenade and thence homeward." but
always around and around the boule
ward.
When gay cousin Alice spoke to me
she WAS gaycr than ever "Oh, Frank.
what divine place u booming town is.
There are so many young men in town,
| and all with such lovely horses and SD
ni:e about taking tho girls TO ride. /
never walk any more now; l really be-
lieve 1 wouldn't know how. 1 have
lot, too; papa gave it to me as Christ
| mas present"
The next person | saw was little
"school marin" She hau saved small
sum to help educ .te her younger brother
and wished to invest and make it larger
to send him the sooner. l helped her
secure a lot. Another purchaser was q
young widow who had been reared in
| luxurious aiiiueuce from childhood. She
| had three small children and each had
grown woman TO minister to its wants.
Tho rulo OF the omnibus and street car,
always room for ono more" is equally
| applicable to any purse, whether OF
mendicant or millionaire: so the
wealthy widow was as ready for more
dollars as though her purse we're empty,
and she invested nearly all she had
| bought about half the to,n
The next one 1 remember was 4
preacher with six children. He wanted
something to support his old age and to
| leave to his children, so he thought best
to make his little sum grow. He did
not preach very we'll tho next day, as
he had caught cold standing on the
damp corner lots" of Ballahack Slope
and driving around tho boulevard in the
wind. But nobody thought of such
small thing as cold. What mattered
it when money was changing hands SO
rapidly?
When our hopes and money had been
like elastic, stretched until there was
| danger of breaking both, we tried to
contract them to even normal length,
but it was impossible. Something
seemed to stretch them moro and more
ii we felt the thread weaken and vi.
brate with pain. A. last, snap II was
broken. The boom is busted" All
wish to sell and none to buy. "a pur
chaser! purchaser. My kingdom for a
purchaser" is the cry OF every sinking
heart, as they argue and try to whecdle
a man into buying.
He only gives knowing smile, which
SAYS, in the language of the shool boy,
You don't get me in the soup, if
know myself" You feel little con-
science prick to think you are trying to
persuade man into getting what there
is no sense in his wanting; but self
preservation is the first law of nature.
Like frivolous Skimpole, we all have
our mber, and it is number one.
Well, in tho wreck the bulk of the
money spent in the town sank and from
appearances mona who have it live in
these parts. Where are they? Some
few, during tho storm, procured life
boats and escaped with rs much as they
started, their own bodies, n suit of clothes
and q few dollars and arc thankful that
they can feel firm ground beneath their
feet and are not in debt. Many are still
floating around on driftwood, hoping to
be picked up after while. They are
in the depths of debt and feel always
as If a rush of water is trying to level
them. Some few were drowned. They
either went crazy from great losses or
became so despairing and shiftless as TO
count their lives as ciphers.
| These latter DAVIS Cousin Mira loOlsa
rot so gay as of yore. When she goes
out now she walks. The brother OF the
little school teacher is still waiting to
enter college. The preacher looks worn
and weary and his children have on the
same clothes every time | SEQ them.
Tho widow, [ heard the other day. is
taking in sewing, and her childre are
nurselcss. Love keeps her from tho
| fate of those who drowned or lost reason
in the wreck.
| II it we're not for my "Sweetheart"
| In, afraid |. too. would be as those last,
but at tho most, l can only claim to be
one OF those who always feel that rush
| OF water which makes me dizzy trying
t. keep my balance. Clinging to nv
! broken mast ] can never fear sinking,
for the bright eyes of my Sweetheart"
brighter in my distress, always light mo
from il dark and rocky shore
DO need gold? Tho coward CO Of
despair is routed when turn and sec
my little baby girl smiling as she
sleeps. AS long as she laughs TO see
nc return at night, can revcl in such
dreams of wealth as Midas would envy,
for the yellow CLEANS sent forth with
each turn of her golden haired head
rival the veins in Mexic mines.
But there are times when even these
comforts arc hidden by cloud of dark
eninG thoughts that am not abe 10