The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-07-20
Special Cor. ocala Banner:

was pension week III INC Cohipeioi-
er's office. The pension department
probably entails more work than any
other branch of the state work; there
are now nearly four thousand pen
sioners on the roll, drawing pensions
of $50 annually, which is paid quar-
terly. The vouchers are made out on
the last day of the month and reach
the ONCE within two or three days,
according to the distance they must
come. The work of issuing warrants
keeps the entire force very busy for
amount OF detail work must be gone
through with each voucher. Records
OF each warrant sent out are kept so
that they can easily be traced if one
should 60 astray The bulk of the
vouchers reach the Office the first few
days OF the quarter, but they keep
coming for a week or two. The work
In the pension department never
ceases, although the busiest time is at
the beginning of the quarters. The
work In IL Is a continual tax on ones
sympathies, for many are the pitiful
tales OF poverty and necessity that
come I'm the letters in reference to
pensions. There is nothing in all the
world as hopeless and as helpless as
the aged poor, and small as the sum
allowed by the state is taken sepa-
rately. in the aggregate it is approx
imately a quarter of a million dollars,
and is smoothing the way for many Of
the old soldiers and their widows
Looking at the grizzled remnant of
the army, one is forced to a realiza-
ton OF the fieeting Of time; to them
IT must seem but yesterday that they
marched away under the Stars and
Bars. That flag went down in defeat,
and Is folded sacredly away in the
treasure chest of memory, and the
veterans still are marching, march
ing, not with the buoyant tread of
manhood. but with the unsteady step
OF age-taps will soon be sounded
and our heroes will be keeping the
silent bivouac of the dead
She fioated into the Office one day
accompanied by the governor. She
was a little old, old-fashioned woman.
and wore black dress "a white apron
and sunbonnet. The face that look
ed ont OF its depths was attractive,
despite the fact that it was as brown
as a berry and wrinkled in thousand
folds. Her eyes were bright and she
was az cheerful as a cricket. The gov
ernor said, Dick, this is Mrs Hollis;
she has come to see about her pen
sion. You look IL up for her. Mrs.
Hollis, this is Mr.. Dickinson, the sec
rotary Of the board; you just stay
close by him till he looks it up for
you" Then she began TO chat, adj
dressing MS collectively. "Yes, | know
l am entitled to a pension. for my hus-
band was soldier. and besides was
I'm the war myself" Here is my dis
charge all signed IL you don't believe
t." She produced a slip of paper yell
low with age from bag she carried,
and held IL out to me. | took il and
read Il. II was a certificate that Mar
garet Hollis was that day honorably
discharged from service as laundress
OF company -, all properly signed.
Then she took out picture of young
man and a young woman, an old
fashioned picture. "This was me when
] was a young girl and that is my
husband" she explained. II may not
look Il now. but was a tasty-looking
girl those days. IL do say 1t myself"
Then she showed a picture of her
daughter, and who had died a few
years ago. Il never asked for help as
long as ! could work. but now | am
too old. I am sixty-eight, and | can't
work. and | want my pension" The
apphcation was gone over and the de-
fects shown her and she was told to
remedy them and was made happy
by the assurance that she would get
a pension. The governor who had
gone out returned Just as she was
saying OF him. They say around
Mayo that the governor is mighty
good man, and begin to believe it"
he laughed as he came up to her
chair and asked IL she had gotten her
application fixed. She was very CRATE
ful and said, 4 amt a-going TO kiss
You. for ! amt that sort. but | am
going TO love YOU, and you can tell
your wife so"
When she went out she gave us
each a blessing. Our eyes were moist
and we wished that every old person
I'm Florida had as straight a claim as