Rocky Ford enterprise., 1903-09-25

Thompkins.
The Thompkins were about To start
on the annual Sunday school picnic
given by their church. Mrs. Thomp.
i,ins had finished putting dainty little
sandwiches into a large hamper has
i.et and was tuckins the cloth that
covered them nicely down when Mr..
Thompkins entered.
He had on n winter suit Of clothes
and was carrying half dozen life
preservers on one arm. Behind him
came n boy carrying rain coats. blan'
kets. = medicine chest. n half dozen
umbrellas and numerous mysterious
looking packages.
Mrs. Thompkins. said the head OF
the house. imprcssivciy. this Is one
picnic at which there will be como
ono who had brains enough to pre-.
pare properly for emergencies. Pic.
MICS are always wrctchcdly Gisappoint.
Ing affairs. That Is because the pco-
Pile who go to them content them.
selves with taking little slices OF bread
stuck around microscopic pieces OF
ons. and fan. instead Of taking along
things that are really essential.
= propose to-day to demonstrate
how one can 20 to a picnic and enjoy
oneself and make others have a good
time. Il Invariably rains at \ picnic.
Yct. how many think To provide them.
selves with umbrellas and rain coats!
II always turns cold n, picnic: yet
people 80 out wearing the thinncst
clothes they happen To have. Chill.
ircn 20 boat rldin. and fall into tho
water and are drowned because no
enc had sense enough To put life pre-.
servers on them. Some one In sun.
struck because they had no parasoi
over their heads. and there Is no
blanket for them to lie down on In the
shade as there should be. Some one
takes poison. hut there Is no one
handy with an cmctir. Some one Ia
accidentally shot. and there IL no one
standin. by ready tn remove the hui.
let. I have taken the prccaution to
guard against unpleasant incidents oc.
currin. Mt this picnic. As supcrin.
tcndcnt OF the Sunday school I shall
sec tho children are safcguardcd
AGAINST accident. We Will proceed"
Mrs. Thompiins would have protest.
cd. tut she knew II would do no good:
so she mcckiy gathered up her basket
oI sandwiches and led the way. while
Mr.. ThompiinS. loaded down with life
prcscrycrr. blankets. and coats. fol.
lowed. and the hoy and one OF the
Tho.ipkins' maids brought up the rear
of the procession with all the rest OF
the bundles and packages that Mr..
Thompkins had provided. The neigh.
bors looked out of the windows and
said they were awful sorry that the
Thompkins were moving. and asked II
the tcamstcrs were ON strike. and II
not why didn't they hire moving
van! MIR. Thompkins 'sily scowlcd In
reply. and the procession moved on to
che church where the children were
Waiting. II was found that after all
of Mr. Thompkins' stun was slowed
away In one %. the hacks there was
little room for the children. Finally n
grocery wagon was leased and the
Thompkins baggage was put into that.
Arrived at the picnic grounds Mr.
Thompkins called all the children
around him and informed them that
no one was to GO boat riding without
putting on a life prcscrver and carry.
ing an umbrella. so there would be
no danger of their either being sun.
struck or drowned. There was a wall.
Ing protest. but Mr.. Thompkins stood
firm. and SO the children put on the
life preservcrs aud took their umbrcl
las. The boys who had to row the
boats pointed out that they could not
row and hold umbrellas over their
heads at the same time. and SO an.
other boy was appointed to sit behind
the one who rowed and hold the nm.
breiia. The boats had no sooner got
out into the stream than there was a
collision between two OF them. The