Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-01-02

"Well, can't do it,"
You can do it. You may not want
to very much"
Suppose fail?"
"Try again"
Suppose Tom tells me to take a stiff
neck so / can't nod?"
Don't hear him."
"Yes, I will, and pound him. too"
"Well?"
why, OF course, when you look at me
like that I'll try if I die in the at
tempt" and, taking a pencil from his
pocket, he recorded his two vows.
On the following day Jimmie went
down town and bought half-dozen
white shirts and as many collars.
II don't want any half-high collars,
either" he said to the clerk. 81 want
regular chokers. Death can't come
any too soon to fellow that has to
wear such things. I want good points
to them, too"
~ hen he appeared at dinner, his head 4,
held high and his chin scraping the
the entire family looked the amaze
ment that it did not dare to speak.
Something in Jimmie's expression for
babe il.
With unfailing regularity, his an
swers fell: Eyes, mother" No, father"
and if at times his head moved sus-
piciously, as if the nod or the shake
were coming, he always caught him
self and the words came in time to
save him. Eva declared to her mother
an hour later that her head and neck
ached for Jimmie, and on each sue
ceeding day through the week she
wished for Saturday.
Surely Jimmie would put on his old
cotton shirt for Saturday" she told
her mother in another outburst of suf-
fering. "And If he does, I'll Just hug
him. l like our slouchy old Jimmie a
hundred times better than I do this
high-collared 'YesEva-ed' boy we have
now"
But Saturday brought no change in
Jimmie'S attire, and still no one dared
speak to him about it. Jimmie went
to his room earlier in the evening now
than he used to~dor ~ .su:;sIs,~al.mu
summer he spent many aBl59yf alonS0
in his room with his door locked. The
year wore on and finally the 31st of De-
cember, 1899, had come and was almost
gone. A party of young people had
gathered at the house of the Wilson's
to watch the old year out but just be-
fore the clock struck ~ Jimmie
touched his mothers arm, and togeth-
er they slipped off to his room.
Going to the table drawer he took
out the little book, and, opening it
to the page on which he had written
his resolutions, he spread It on the
table and waited for the clock to strike.
When the last sound had died away
he took his pencil and wrote across the
page Victory" Then he slowly re-
moved his high collar and threw in
into his mothers lap. Standing d.
rectly in front of her, he said:
Mother, ask me if am glad that
1900 has arrived"
She repeated the question, and jim
ME deliberately nodded his head three
times.
"Now, ask me if am going to make
any more New Years resolutions"
She asked this question, and he
shook his head three times, from right
to left. Then he broke into a hearty
laugh.
81 just wanted to see if knew how
to do it," he said. 81 used to come off
up here and take off my collar and rest
my head and neck, but never once did
| nod my head. Now, think can
remember to say yes and no, but I've
bought a box of new collars, and they
are not high ones, either"
He produced a box filed with the
comfortable turnover kind, and, Sc
Letting one, put it on. Then he said:
eve had better 60 downstairs. They
have missed us. But don't say word
about this"
Tell me one thing MORE" said his
mother as they started down. "How
did you manage to remember not to
nod your head?" Jimmie laughed
again.
"Oh, my collars always managed that
for me-" he said.-Chicago Daily Rec
ord.