The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-12-19
A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY, ono. a.,

Probably nine-tenths of the peo.
pie of Bloomsbury never saw me,
neither heard tell of me. / ask
your pardon Tor indulging in per-
sonal references, relating to myself
This | do because we are not gen
orally acquainted with one another.
| was born on the 10th day of
April, 1896, hence / am in my 72nd
year. | was married on the Ist
day OF January, 1889, and hence by
next New Year, will have been
married 40 years. l am hopefully
looking forward for the soth ami
versary of Our marriage. I have
grown gray with the passing years,
but am not in the least bald. My
eyesight has never failed. l always
read and do all my business with
out the aid of glasses, except when
| read by artificial light. The glare
Of the light hurts my eyes and l
protect them with glasses. l never
bought any spectacles, nor never
looked through any, through which
| could see any better than with
out them.
AT present my health is par ex-
cellent and | am stout aud vigor-
Gus for my years. This you can
judge from the fact. since my hired
help left me on the 2Sth of Septem-
Der without the possibility of get
ting any help whatever by the day.
/ was left with seven acres of corn
standing 10 be cut up and husked
and over 200 bushels of potatoes in
the ground to be dug besides other
farm work. With the aid of my
daughter at home | have gathered
and housed all. 1t was not the in
tention that either of us should per-
form all of this work, as / am Grip
pied and my daughter not stout,
but we had no other alternative,
except to let these crops perish,
and go to ruin. This we could not
permit. | would not have run the
farm this summer had / foreseen
such condition. 1t will not be
repeated.
In the winter of 1861 l had an
attack of malignant diphtheria
when the disease broke out in my
school. There were four cases OF
it in two famiiies-three children
i'll the John Ikeler home and my
own. Two of the Ikeler children
died. Happily there was no Board
OF Health, nor quarantining done,
and the disease did not spread.
Three years ago this winter l had
serious attack of pneumonia, and
my recovery was thought to be
very doubtful. Last winter l had
an attack of Bright's disease and
for six weeks did not know where
I was. The swoon of hallucination
however, was very agreeable, and
I could not recollect of people Wis
iting ME in my sickness. OF course.
everybody said l could not rally
from my sick condition, but people
never know. So long as there is
life, there is hope.
I have corresponded with various
newspapers for twenty Eve years,
and clipped every article I wrote,
and scrapped it in book. I have
now five completed scrap books,
which will be a treasure to my pos
terity in years to come. have
three daughters-two married and
one at home. My daughters both
married Ashelmans, half brothers.
One lives in Wilkes Barre and one
near neighbor to her old home.
The one living in Wilkes-Barre,
lived a year or two in Fernville,
adjacent to Bloomsbury.
This article closes my opportuni-
ty to chat with the people in
Bloomsbury. If I have not been
entertaining I at least wish you all
we'll.
Iwish you all happy Christmas.
JOHN G. WENNER,
Benton, Pa.