The Washington herald., 1906-12-30

pardoned a little laxness just now. Good
resolutions aren't in season till the list
of January
Yes you do" she insisted You said
/ something last Sunday, and I've looked
for the things all over the market, and
at every stall they told me that nobody
ever ate them. You just made il up"
Ate WHAT ] asked. disregarding the
aspersion.
You know well enough" said she
/ Guinea pigs"
"A bloodhound is a terrible thing TO
read about" says a man from North
Carolina, but in reality he isn't mucn
more dangerous than an Irish setter, and
you can't rely on him any more than YOU
can on woman's watch. My uncle was
sheriff one while down home. and re-
member that one OF the first criminals he
had to hunt down was negro man who
had robbed a house. There was no doubt
as to the mans guilt He was recognized
by the owner of the house, and it was no
trouble at all 10 get some old clothes of
his to familiarize the bloodhound some
body loaned my uncle with his scent
Uncle took the ferocious animal TO the
scene Of the crime and put him on the
scent The sagaciOus creature nosed about
bit and then gave chase down the pike
Uncle lOped along in his rear. sure Of his
prey. The criminal hadn't much Of a
start Of him, and uncle felt that he WAS
as good as handcuffed already. on went
the noble dog, uncle following With UNI
erring scent the intelligent creature
tracked the fugitive, and caught up with
him. What did he do them Did he tree
the man? Did he tear him limb from
limb? No, he took such a fancy 10 that
negro man on sight that when uncle over
took them the negro simply 'sicked' the
dog on him, and uncle had the time Of his
life protecting himself He had 10 shoot
the dog, and, Of course, he had 10 REIN
burse the man who loaned him for the
loss Of his valuable services. The crimi-
nal got away. BloOdhOundsi Why. q
yellow coon dog is worth pack Of them %
It isn't very often that find reason 10
criticise the government. On the whole,
it is conducted as well as anybody but
the discussion committee of the village
grocery could conduct it; but I do not
at all approve the recent decision that
letters addressed to Santa Claus are to
stay in the dead letter office. in face Of
the request made for them by many gen
erOus persons and several societies. Any
body who's is willing TO answer a Santa
Claus letter ought 20 be allowed TO have
one on application at the nearest post
Office. Its nonsense to say that since
there is no such person as Santa Claus.
letters addressed to him can't be deliv-
cred There are hundreds of Santa
Clauses. Anybody can be one simply
by putting on a white beard and a fur
coat, and ] venture 10 say that if any
properly attired Santa Claus went 10 the
general delivery window and asked for
his mail, the man who refused il TO him
would start a chain OF trouble that the
Supreme Court would have 20 settle in
the end. On the other hand, is a man
obliged To prove his Identity when he
asks for a plain. unregistered letter? Do
YOU have to look like John smith before
YOU can get letters addressed TO John
Smith? What IS the postal service of
this country for. anyway, if it isn't to
make children happy?
II 1 write TO the Post-office Department
and say I'm Santa Claus regularly APP
pointed agent, is II either polite or Just of
the powers that be to refuse me my en-
pioyer's mail? Certainly not Il is uncon-
stitutional, because 1t interferes with my
pursuit of happiness. For the credit of
the nation, hope that the matter viii be
attended To before another Christmas.
Everybody who wants to answer Santa
Claus letter ought 20 have one. Goodness
knows, the spirit isn't so general that the
government can afford 20 discourage It.
a southern woman saved Il mans life
in my presence on Christmas Day. /
don't know whose the life was. exactly
but it belonged to one OF three men. The
youngest Of the trio struck a wax match
and held it while another Of the three
lighted his cigar. He held it for the sec
ond mans cigar, too, and was about TO
light his own with IT when the Southern
woman, with great presence Of mind
blew it out. Afterward the three men
trembled when they learned the great
danger they'd been in. When three men
light cigars from the same match, the
lady assured them, instancing several
cases to prove the truth of what she said.
one Of the three invariably dies within the
year She said, too. that il isn't a mere
superstition. It's a thing that has been
proved over and over again.