Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-09

second man still insisted that he was
right and for proof he pointed to a
chroGometer i'm a jewelers. window.
which showed that the time was fif-
teen minutes of II. The dispute
ragged hotter. until suddenly the first
man said: 20. we're both wrong.
It's nine and half minutes to
twelve. There goes abraham Bro
kaw home TO dinner"
Mr.. Brokaw. while never accused of
being cross and cynical in his DISPOSE
ton. is not given TO indulging in
smiles. 1t is on record that Abra-
ham Brokaw only laughed once since
1886. Nobody was ever known to
have said anything that could cause
Abraham BTolaw 10 smile. let alone
laugh, and everybody had given up
trying, when suddenly the city was
thrown into great excitement by the
circulation of the startling story thai
he had not only smiled but that he
had actually laughed so loud that he
woke up John Dawson. the pioneer
settler of Mclean county, who lived
i'm the next block.
The manner of IT was this: Across
the street from Mr.. BrokaW's unpre-
tending brick house on East Wash
inCton street lives John f.. Pollock. a
well known lawyer of central Illinois.
Mr.. Pollock's son, Emmett Pollock.
now Il lieutenant in the United States
navy. was sent away To the naval
academy ut Annapolis in 1890. He was
gone for two wears. and after his first
practice cruise came home on two
months furlough. He arrived in
Bloomington about ) o'clock one
bright summer morning and ut once
hurried To his home. To dazzle his
parents eyes The cadet had proudly
put on one of his uniforms that
boosted the noblest array of brass
buttons and geld lace. 1t was not
exactly the uniform prescribed by
naval regulations 10 be worn at n.
m. but that fact did not bother a
naval cadet just returning To his
home after long two years at The
academy. He reached his house and.
finding his family all asleep. decided
TO wait out on the front porch until
they arose. Looking around the
porch he saw Il hammock strung be-
tween two posts and decided to lie in
the hammock until the household was
awake.
The cadet glanced across the street
and noticed Mr. Brokaw hoeing in the
garden and now and then regarding
him obviously. as though in doubt |
whether To call the police or not. Ca
Diet Pollock bristled in his new uni !
form and brass buttons. and decided
that some object lesson SHOULD he !
given the unappreciative Mr.. Brok4w
as To Just how talented and brilliant |
a naval cadet was. So Cadet Pollock |
decided to get into the hammock IN |
true sailor fashion in the style he had |
been taught on his practice cruise
He stepped smartly up To the ham
mock. slightly opened it. and placing /
his hands on each side of the netting. |
sprang into the air and came down
souarelv i'm thu center of the ham
mock. II was well done. but unfor-
tunateIy there was a large hole IN
the hammock. and Cadet Pollock.
brass buttons. gold lace and all went
crashing down on the porch in in
glorious confusion. Purple with lilly
wrath. Cadet Pollock
heard n grating sound and at first
thought the porch WAS falling. But
as he glanced across the street he
distinctly saw and is ready to make
oath that i'm the bright sunshine he
saw Abraham Brokaw leaning on his
hoe and laughing in loud hee-haws
Mr.. Brokaw's wife died a short time
ago. and in her memory he freed the
Deaconess hospital at Bloomington
of debt and made it substantial do
nation. and the trustees changed the
name of the institution to the Bro
kaw hospital in grateful commemora-
ton of the patrons Kindness Mr..
Brokaw has no children or near rela-
tives. and it is thought that many OF
the institutions of the city will be
substantially remembered in the VIII
of one who is the towns quaintest
and most honored citizen.