The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-04-24
HEN was l born? Oh, long,
I long ago; but so many vi
cissitudes have engrafted
fhon,coluoc into wv l;fo

themselves into my life
that l have almost forgot
ten. The very first thing l remember
was swirling sensation and then of
pressing, flattening process that left
me breathless. l had barely time to
realize that my personal structure con-
tanned preponderance of straw and
lime, when l was hurried off to great
~electric-lighted basement and run
through grinding, clanking monster
that linked me over with characters in
Vulnerable
Then small boy seized me, rushed
into tie crowded thoroughfare, and
commenced crying: Heres your
mornin' poiper, all erbout a big fire on
BrOadwayw An old man bought me,
scanned my headlines with watery eyes,
blew some vile tobacco smoke in my
face, lurched in between two swinging
doors-O'Grady's pIace-and slouched
ap to the bar. "What'll you have?'
asked he of the big white apron. "Oh!
a little of the BEST" replied my late
purchaser. Such a dirty, ill smelling
place, faugh! Here was doomed to
stay; for he forgot me, never thinking
of my feelings for an instant. After
being thumbed, worked over, and COM
mented upon by every morning Gus
toner, my rescuer came at last and re-
lieved me from an ennui which was
rapidly dissipating what little interest
life so far had evolved for me. He
was a young fellow with big round
eyes. Stufing me into an overcoat
pocket, dark as Erebus, we arrived at
what subsequently found was pa
per mill. Disgusting! And there had
but just come from one that morning.
Verify, life appeared to be at that mo-
ment nothing but round 1t pleased
my vanity bit to find out later on
that this was not an ordinary mill; for
they only manufactured note and fancy
writing paper. Here l received my
first lesson as to artistic discrimination
good form in letter paper.
He laid me carelessly on bench, and
just as was becoming interested
gust of wind carried me from where
lay, tossed me into huge vat, filled
with lovely shade of lavender pulp.
AS L turned over and over, a man
rushed up and yelled: "Yez young imp
OF Satin! If the boss saw that, yez ID
get the can sure" didn't know what
that meant, but it must have been
something awful by the way he said it.
My youthful owner leaned ever and
tried to seize me-toO late-I had dis
appeared forever.
Then all became vOid-as blank
Consciousness, and with it new birth
broke in on my lost senses at last.
dimly remember ceaseless roaring and
compression. Fully alive now, L found
myself rolling along over bright steel
cylinders. Click, snap i looked my
person over. What a metamorphosis
"a TRANSPORTATION, a transformation
from an old newspaper to the most
delicately tinted note paper. Well, I
always did like lavender, its my color
anyhow. True, there was a slight
blemish; but it was only part of my
old self, just touch of the old lime,
straw and ink showing on my glossy
surface. Packed in dainty box, trans
ported to the stationer's, life again be-
came somewhat monotonous. I realize
now it was all for the best, for it was
there received my real education in
life.
Tier on tier of bookshelves, lined
with treatises on metaphysics, theology
and philosophy, they talked to me all
day. Obi l assure you I soon became
erudite. One day, and that was the