The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-02-17
Clever Work BY a Mankato
Young Man With Pen.
Scenes on the Farm and in
the Busting City.
Humorous Sketches, Bits of
Verse, Well Executed.
From Thursdays Daily.

Gilbert FLETCHER mas real family
history portrayed with pen and ink by
his own hand in one good-sized book
comprising the events of the year 1904.
Every one of the drawings is labelled
with the date and contains some home,
school or business scene, with which
some member of the family has had to
do. 1t is indeed pleasure to look
through the book, even for the stranger,
but for anyone who knows the house
hold and has visited the farm and the
bank, a chance to glance through the
book is quite delightful privilege.
On the first page is portrait of the
artist himself, coming home along the
country road from Funk's card party
on New Years morning at four o'clock.
He is repeating to himself the follow
ing stanza:
"The night was growing old.
As trudged through snow and sleet;
My nose was long and cold,
And my shoes were full of feet"
Another scene is that of the artist
as an inventor. He has taken the
pedals and sprocket wheels of a BIZ
clcle and attached them to grind
stone in such a way that he can sit
and run the stone in the manner of
riding a bicycle, and use both hands to
hold the tool he j, is grinding. Nearby
stands a young friend, who holds up
both hands in amazement and admira-
ton. This cartoon is dated March 80,
1904. 49,
George Goettel's wedding celebration
of May II, 1904, is commemorated on
another page. This an outdoor scene,
with the Dukes addition charivari
crowd on duty before the family dwell
ing. In another quarter is the town
charivari band. 1t is rural scene,
with corn crib, COW and other aceou-
trements.
Another page gives six scenes with
reference to the hiring of farm hand:
Saturday, My father hires a man."
Sunday, the man spends saying good
bye to his friends" in the bar-room.
Monday afternoon, he walks out from
town to see if we still want him and to
tell us that he isn't ready to work yet"
| Monday afternoon, he takes ride to
Kasota after his Clothes" in box car.
Monday at p. m, he returns from
Kasota, finds good seat and watches
me do the chores" Tuesday, he reports
for work and gets his first instructions"
with hands in pockets.
| How the artist built his first hay
stack is shown by another series of
drawings, the last of which is one of
l.. G. M. Fletcher remarking, 9TH do
for now. P. S.. When I get good
stacker, I'll have him fix it."
Another page shows morning and an
evening scene on the farm, each with a
stanza:
"Oh, see these seeds as they walk
the pike;
Out to the harvest they go;
Young and fresh and mighty they feel,
AS swiftly along they hike"
"Back to the farm house, back to the
stable,
Back for meal at the supper table;
Humped-up, weary and foot-sore too,
But you just ought to see the meal
! they'll chew"
A pair of pants form the theme of a
series of drawings and verse on an
other page. Driving a hay rake:
"Iron machines on pants are tough
And strongly remind you of someth-
| ing rough"
Ploughing:
| "With nice new pair OF trousers on
Out to the field go forth to plough;
| but ere couple OF days have gone,
My pants feel more like mosquito bar
| now"
| On new seat:
"But now that trouble is past and
| DER.
And OH that rough seat l ride no
| more.
| Mid cushions and easiness / roll along
And life slips by like a fancy song.
No longer my pants wear thin as a
sieve;
Here's to my trousers, long may. they
live"
4 \ y
1t begins to appear that the author
l<~c h. . -