The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-07

American, but it is not necessary to
cite examples here.
WONDERFUL 'ONE-Hoss SHAY"
Logical story.
BY oliver Wendell Holmes.
Have you heard of the wonderful one
boss shay,
That was built in such logical way
1t ran a hundred years to day,
And then, of sudden. it-ah, but stay.
I'll tell you what happened without
delay,
Soaring the parson into fits.
Frightening people out of their wits
Have you ever heard of that, 1 say?
Seventeen hundred and fifty-five.
Georgius Secundus was then alive
Snuffy old drone from the German hive.
That was the year when Lisbon town
Saw the earth open and gulp her down,
And Braddock's army was done so
brown,
Left without a scalp to its crown.
1t was on the terrible Earthquake day
That the Deacon finished the one-hoss
shay.
Now, in building of chaises, tell you
what,
There is always somewhere a weakest
spot
In hub, tire. felloe, in spring or thill,
In panel or crossbar, or floor, or sill.
In screw. bolt, thoroughbrace-lurki
still,
Find it somewhere you must and will
Above or below. or within OF without
And that's the reason beyond a doubt,
| A chaise breaks down, but doesn't wear
out.
But the Deacon swore Gas Deacons do,
With an II dew vum." or an II tell
yeou,'O
He would build one shay to beat the
taown.
n the keounty'n all the kentry raoun';
1t should be so built that 1t couldn't
break daown:
Fur" said the Deacon. ats mighty
plain
Thut the weakes' place mus stan the
strain;
m the way t. fix it. uz maintain,
Is only jest
T. make that place w strong uz the
rest"
So the deacon inquired of the village
folk
Where he could find the strongest oak,
That couldn't be split nor bent nor
broke
That was for spokes and floor and stills;
He sent for Lakewood to make the
thills:
The crossbars were ash, from the
straightest trees,
The panels of white-wood. that cuts
like cheese.
But lasts like iron for things like these:
The hubs of logs from the Settlers
ellum''-
Last of its timber-they couldn't sell
em,
Never an ak had seen their chips,
And the wedges flew from between
their lips.
Their blunt ends frizzled like celery
Step and prop-iron bolt and screw,
Spring. tire, axle, and linchpin. too
Steel of the finest, bright and blue:
Thoroughbrace bison skin, thick and
wide;
Boot, top, dasher. from tough old hide,
Found iii the pit when the tanner died.
That was the way he put her through"
There! said the Deacon, "naow she'll
dew"
Do! tell you, rather guess
She was wonder, and nothing lessi
Colts grew horses, boards turned gray.
Deacon and Deaconness dropped away,
Children and grandchildren-where
But there stood the stout old one.hoss
AS fresh as on bon-earthquake
day.
EIGHTEEN HUNDRED-it came and
found
The Deacon's masterpiece strong and
sound.
Eighteen hundred increased by ten
Hahnsum kerridge" they called it
Eighteen hundred and twenty came
Running as usual: much the same.
Thirty and forty at last arrive,
And then came fifty, and FIFTY
FIVE.
Little Of all we value here
Wakes on the morn Of it's hundredth
Without both feeling and looking
queer
In fact, there's nothing that keeps it's
youth,
So far as know. but a tree and
truth.
(This is moral that runs at large;
Take it, You're welcome. No extra
CHARGE.
FIRST OF NOvEMBER-the Earth
quake day
There are traces OF old age in the one
boss shay,
A general flavor Of mild decay,
But nothing local. as one may say.
There couldn't be-for the Deacon's
art
Had made II so like In every part
That there wasn't a chance for one to
start.
For the wheels were Just as strong as
the thills.
And the floor was Just as strong as
the stills
And the panels just a. strong as the
floor,
And The vrhiDple-fFee neither less NOR