The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-04-20
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OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
Another Ideal Shattered
Observation-Disclosures
NICHOLSON took his feet down from

Il THINK l. IL take Il run over 10 MICH
gan tomorrow, Smith. / haven't Wis
tied the old folk in winter for ten years,
and I've been thinking of them all day.
Strange this beastly cold weather al
ways turns my thoughts to the old fire.
side, where on such day as this we all
used to snuggle around the big coal
stove in the sitting-room and eat APP
Piles, drink cider, spin yarns, yawn, loll
around as we pleased and go to bed be-
fore ten o'clock.
''Ah, Smith, we haven't anything like
that old freside in this big, artificial
city. Here everything is done for you.
You get your fiat ready heated,
delivered by speaking tube, sidewalks
shoveled by the janitor and yourself
carried down almost to your office door
by street car. Artifciality every
where. 1t is a life that tends to make us
lazy, to relax our muscles, to breed dys-
pepsia and liver complaint. Give me
the good old days when we had to hus-
sle to be comfortable. That was when
we enjoyed our little luxuries, because
we knew we had earned them. Now
picture the cid folk beside that big
stove. l have an overweaning desire to
step in and share its comforts with
them, if only for day. 1 guess you
can get along without me?"
Certainly" said Smith, ''stay longer,
IF you wish. L should say that such
prospect would make you long to spend
at least week at home. 1 can get along
for that time. And 1 may say I envy
you the pleaure you are to have. Alas,
/ have always lived in this city, and 1
know nothing but the artificial COM
forts of steam-heated fiat. 1 wish 1
were going with you. Take a week, old
man, and tell me all about it when you
get back
Thanks, oil fellow" said Nicholson,
rising briskly. eff you can stand it
guess I'll stay away till week from
Sunday. See, this is Saturday. I can
catch an afternoon train, get to the old
home early this evening and surprise
Che old folk while mother is setting her
batter cakes for to-morrow's break
fast. Ever eat any of those homemade
batter cakes? Haven't! Well, my dear
fellow, you haven't lived more than
three-eighths of your life. Now I'm off.
See you in week. You know my adj
dress should be wanted sooner"
Sunday the thermometer dropped
away below zero, and Smith found no
trouble in following his inclination to
remain in his cozy, heated fat, reading,
smoking, doing and playing with the
children. He had nothing else to do,
for the janitor kept the steam at
proper pressure, there was no coal to
carry in, kidding to split, no early fires
to build-nothing in short, to do but
rest, or, rather. as he called it, loaf.
He pictured Nicholson in fancy, and
the picture actually made him envious.
A dozen times during the day he
wished he had been born on farm
or in a small country village, so he
could have enjoyed the old fireside, the
roaring logs in the CRATE, the cider and
apples and the strenuous life which
all this implied. To have everything
done for ones comfort, and by some
one else, was not in keeping with his
ideas ofproper enjoyment. Nicholson's
graphic picture had made him trife
Mscontented.
Sunday night the mercury took a
crop few degrees lower, but there
was no snow, and the janitor did his
duty nobly. Monday morning was col
loquially termed ''corker," but as
Smith had only block to go to his
train he suffered no inconvenience and
reached his office with but a vague i'm
preston that it was cold day.
At three o'clock that afternoon
Nicholson walked in, dropped his grip
In corner, kicked the cat over the
transom, lighted a small gas heater
and sat on it.
Smith was so surprised at first he
could do nothing but stare at his part
ner. Then gradually he found his
tongue. whats the matter, Nick
Didn't find anything wrong with the
old folks, did you? Cider run out?
Old freside covered with icicles?"
Look here, Smith''-and there was
a world of pathos in Nicholson's voice
81 wouldn't tell you a word about
that trip if 1 was not convinced it is
my duty. I may have set your fancy
going with my description of the time
] was to have. I may have made you
disconnected with your hard and bar
rem lot in this city. want to be square
and honest even at my own expense.
i am the originator of that expression
sd rather be right than be president
want you to listen to me while re-
heve my mind and incidentally rend
sne of the biggest myths on EARTH"
Then you didn't find things as you
sancied them?" began Smith, but
Nicholson waved him to silence.
''You just listen to my plain, unvar-
aished tale and draw your own con-
illusions. No schoolboy ever started
out on his long vacation with lighter
heart than I had when boarded the
train which bore me away from Chi
eago. The pleasant hum of the car
wheels played an accompaniment to a
varied assortment of day dreams in
which I, as lanky, half-developed boy,
played a central part. So wildly did
fancy play that I could actually taste
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