The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-09-06
SKETCHES FROM
EVERYDAY LIFE

| from childhood, being unable to wait until
| the latter could earn a competence, ran
away and were married. For six months
they shut their eyes to the wolf at the
door, finding in each other all the joy and
| mystery that come to hearts attuned. At
the end of six months the woman died and
| the man mourned her with helpless grief.
He was injured shortly afterwards in a
| railroad accident and recovered three thou
| sand dollars. All of this he spent in erect
| ing a monument over his wife, and when
| the work was finished he killed himself
| The tomb is in shape Grecian temple
| Over the facade are carved these words
| from Juanita
I'm thy dark eyes splendor
Dwells my souls delight
Few of the thousands who have laughed
/ with and at Bill Nye knew him personally.
/ He was kind-hearted and was liked by all
his friends. He Is buried in the churchyard
| of a little Episcopal church about twelve
| miles from Asheville. There is no tomb
over his grave A little tree growing by 1t
marks the spot. His house is on the banks
| of the beautiful French Broad, about three
| miles from the nearest station. No one
| lives there now but a care-taker The spot
| is lonely and inaccessible.
| The curse of the mountains is the spell
| of laziness they fling around all who dwell
| among them.
| Nye did not live there long enough to
| succumb to this influence. With his keen
sense of American humor, the inability of
| the English to appreciate joke was
constant source of amusement to him.
| While in England he attended a certain
banquet, at which we're many of the Eng
| fish nobility. The presence of the distin-
| guished American humor1st acted a
| stimulus on the humorous faculties of these
| children of William the Conqueror, and
| they began to tell, IN their own dull and
| aristocratic way, what they considered to
be humorous anecdotes, hoping when it
| came Nye's turn that he would tell them
| something funny. Nye knew what they
| were after, but like Brer Rabbit he lay
low Each one of the Englishmen would
begin his story by saying: 1.-THE incident
| related by my friend, Lord -, reminds
me-" etc. Each one apparently was re-
| minded of his own anecdote by what his
neighbor had just said Finally the man
| next to Nye began story. He was huge,
| ponderous, overfed and stupid duke. and
| he, likewise, was reminded of his story by
| what his neighbor had just said. He told
something intolerably stupid and sat down.
| 1t was now Nye's turn, and all eyes were
fastened upon him, expecting something
| good. Nye arose and said: Gentlemen,
the story just told by my distinguished
| friend, Duke -, reminds me of nothing
that have even seen or heard e,
| Then he sat down.
| 1t is safe to say that few of the English
| present saw any thing funny in this at the
| time. 1t may have occurred to them later.
| There is a story told of an Englishman
| and American who were driving together
near Liverpool. They came to a sign on
which was written liverpool 10 miles.
Those who cannot read, inquire at the
| blacksmith's." To the Englishman's sur
prise the American began to laugh He
asked his American friend what was the
joke. The latter told him to think over it
and he would find out. That evening the
American heard the Englishman ohuckling
to himself. Well he asked, do you see the
point Yes said the Englishman, the black
smith might not be at home
Nye knew that the serious business Of
| life is to be foolish In writing his history
| of the United States he expressed deep re-
| greet that few facts had crept into the
| book in spite of the care he had taken to
| keep them out He was fond of epigrams.
| In speaking of the trying days of the Pill
| grim fathers, he said they were subject to
| Indian attacks by night and bilious attacks
| by day. In speaking of the friendship be-
| tween William Penn and the Indians, he
| said that Penn and the Indian chiefs would
| lie in bed and talk-Penn doing the talking
| and the chiefs the lying. He tells of the
| discovery of New York by Hudson. Hud-
| son, he says, sailed up the river far as
| Fourteenth street, where he received
| by a deputation of Indians, who informed
him that they were now prepared to be
| discovered.
In writing of the Indians he cites two
| books authorities. They are ''Why am
an Indian" by Sitting Bull, with notes by
| Ole Bull, and an introduction by John Bull
| Also the poem Where is My Indian Boy
| Tonight" by half bred lady of Winnl-
| peg.
Science and exploration have banished
| romance and mystery from the world. The
| light of the Nineteenth century is pitiless
| torch that penetrates every recess of the
| world. A hundred or two years ago there
were mysterious corners of the earth
| which the imagination could people, and
| the adventurer penetrate. America, Africa
and China were dark and unknown mys-
| teries. There was something then for the
traveller to do, some place to go where he
| could be by himself. There was romance
clinging to these far off lands, an air of the
| weird and unknown. Ships that sailed
from world to world spread their wings to
ha nj nd Oxrioi cIxyx 1,od tla baou
When a man set sail, he bid a long good
bye to his friends. 1t was more than
probable they would never see him again.
Today steam monsters pillow the sea regard
less of weather, the telegraph has banished
privacy from the world. The allies are in
camped in the sacred city of China and