The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-02-20

odd slrs smith. uv neiGnb4r. came
over aud asked .l.c So END II 10 hel
4 few days. didn't like la 4o ia
Lot, THINKS /. Is mighty little in ms
not 70 be wiling - accommodate q
neighbor IL the loan of q book. ne
/ said - her. Mrs. Smith. III le-
you take il for 4 few days. bat rlea~.
don't let i be abused. aad she -aid
she wouldn't. Wei, about Il N.eh
age, 1she mad then had HE book
about three uon1A~t. | sent oyer after
T.. and q message came back from
Mrs. Smith that She had lent il II heI
son. joseph. sent immediately to
her son Joe, and he wrote me a very
polite note saving that his sister.
Uho married Nick Spicer, and lives
over tho river. ABOUT ten miles. Dor
ro"e' the book @bout a month ag0.
and. he reckoned. that If / would
write To her she would send It TO me
ny mail. wrote TO Mrs. Spicer ana
asl1e ed h"r 10 SEND me The book, and
this il the answer ! received.
Dear Madam Your note was
duly received and contents noted. I
know nothing of amy book belonging
To YOU. Ny brother Joe lent me n
book called 'Whitaker's Reminie-
cences," which he got from nv moth
e., and after | read il ] sent it TO
m| sister. Who married Peter Snipes,
living in West Tennessee. didn't
know anything about its being your
bOOk."
$ you see, | We lost my book and
| =! write 70 ask YOU what / must do
about il" SAYS the distressed sister.
Buy another. | answer. by all
means, and then put yonl foot down
on lending it out You see what YOU
have done by lending that one Mrs.
Smith has read it, her son joe has
read it, Mrs. Spicer has read it, Mrs
Pete Snipes, Who lives in West Ten
nessee, has read il, and all Of Mrs.
Peter SniDeS' husbands kin viii read
il, and All West Tennessee viii read
it. and thus FL be cheated out of
a thousand dollars, more Of less, al
on account Of letting Mrs. Smith have
your book instead q teiing her to
buy one for herself, as it is Il book
tnat everybody ought to own.
and thus it is. even the publisher
of Il book has his troubles. Il troublcs
him to think that peoDle-peoDle Of
means-people who make out like
they believe in a square deal" Will
condeScend to the book-horroWing
business and thereby beat the pub
fisher out of the pleasure which q
reading of mis- book is sure To give
70 the reader h bOrroWs and pays
nothing for what he gets. it is clear
Sain, of course. bat it troubles the
publisher to know he viii do such Il
thing.
Yes, the world is full of troubles.
and we all have them, for there are
troubles peculiar TO every condition of
life, and there is no use in trying to
flank them. The best way is to
Glin ana endure. and he thankful. !
when troubles come, they are no
worse.
l used to hear a story that is some |
what applicable, at this point, illus
trative of that philosophy which al |
Y NC Cnan tho h1ioh riIa- Of 1i,o 1
A neighbor went over to conso q
maD whose cotton gin had just burn
ed down. "A pretty heavy loss he |
said, but it might have been worse" |
It's bad enough, | am sure re-
piled the man who had lost his gin. |
Another neighbor lost his dWelIing |
and all his furniture When the con |
soiing neighbor rode over to ssmpa-
thize with him and said: "A bad |
loss, indeed, neighbor, bat it might !
have been worse"
a neighbours wife died and to him |
The sy~mpathizing neighbor went over |
and said: It's a very sore aff1iction, | |
am sure it is, but it might nave been /
Worse.'
He had SO repeatedly used that
form OF eXpression-'it might have |
been worse" it got to be a sort of
Joke, and to offset it, another neigh
Dor, meeting him in a crowd. said to
him, in a very serious way: L had
a bad dream about you last night
What was the dream?' he asked.
Il dreamed Q We're dead, and /
saw you riding on the DEVILS back.
right down to the door of the bottom
list pit"
"Ihat was a bad dream, sure enough,
but it might have been worst" aid
the philosopher,
I don't see how it could have been
any worse for you the dreamer re
piled.
why, it would have Deer a sight
worse if the devil had been riding on
my back" the philosopher replied. "A
whole sight worse than my riding on
his back"
Mai. Fleming 'phoned to me. a few
nights ago to tell me how much Major
Mrs. CrenshaW, of Wake Forest.
enjoyed my article on the old time
singing. Dozens Of good people have
stopped me on the street to tell ne
how it amused them. OF course I am
to know hat l contributes
to the happiness of the pee
pie, and especially does it please me
to know that there is enough of the
old time spirit in the land to appre-
clate old time stories written by an
old man.
By the bay, as a matter of friendship,
| would appreciate it beyond measure
if those who have bought, read ana
"Whitaker's "reminiscences"
would speak Of the book to SOM
n encourage them to bus
it. What's the use Of having friends
if they won't be friendly? /;
[ am being asked. frequently. if
am going to publish another volume. !
and my reply is, Yes, if the people
wish me me to do SO" Several per
have said they will buy copies
Of it, and | am inclined to believe that
there are at least three hundred who f;
would like to have the letters Of the
past year and a half in a book. To
the matter, | ask all who will take {
. book, TO tell me so by postal cards.
1t Will be about the size and price of /
INhitaker's "reminiscences, but more :
fully Illustrated. l.
One gentleman has promised to AXE :
sixteen copies. or TWENTY-FIVE dollars
That's a good start. Others i,
have said they will axe two or more !