Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-02-02
~ YOU LIKE IT.
Some Stray Leaves from Reporters
 Note Book.

at being snowballed by youngsters whose training and surroundings are not of the higher order, and yet only a few miles distant, in Watertown, students from a college with a na- tional reputation receive the plaudits of the townspeople while engaged in pelting farmer with snow and call- ing him all sorts of names. We are told that education and environment have much to do in making the man, and no doubt this is true, but of course there are exceptions to the rule and from all accounts Water town has more than its share of them. The old axiom, boys will be boys, will always hold, but, even so. it is not unreasonable that one should expect something better from the col lege student than that which he sees in the street-corner loafer.
 The business of mailing valentines to friends has not yet commenced, but judging by the stock on hand in the different stores, dealers look for a brisk trade in that line this season. The usual number of comics is on hand, but for some reason they have not sold well in Waterbury the past few years. While this may not suit the artists. still 1t is an evidence that the city Is growing better right along and 1t would be a good thing if the daubs should be relegated to the rear and left there forever. They cause too much bad feeling and do nobody any good and to use common ex- pression it would be a nice thing to cut them out. The dealers claim that it hardly pays to handle them and state that they carry them because some people make a howl if they can't be supplied with comics IS well as the other kind.
 Prior to 1886 the prunes consumed in this country came almost entirely from France and the Danubian prov ince. The consumption was small and the fruit was considered deli- cacy. Now more than 100000, 900 pounds of dried prunes are eaten yearly in the United States. In 1886 American prunes first appeared on the market, and each succeeding year the supply has increased, until the importation of foreign prunes has been reduced to very small propor- tions. Most of the supply that finds its way to our tables is grown in California The large output of the prune orchards there may be judged from the fact that in Santa Clara county alone there are 3,700,000 trees growing on 37.00O acres. 100 trees to the acre. The quantity of prunes cured there this year will meet the requirements of home con- sumption of the entire country.
 For services as nurse during the civil war, the pension office has act ed favorably on the application of Sister Anastasia of St Agnes college, Baltimore county. Maryland, for pen- sion. Dating from September 29 last she will be allowed pension at the rate of SIP per month, and in addi- tion will receive $1.220 in back pay. When Sister Anastasia first applied for a pension it was stated in her first papers that she served as nurse in the medical department of the United States army, in Douglas hos pital, on I street, Washington, from July 2. 1862. until the close of the war. When she entered the hospital she was known under the name of Bridget Quinn, but subsequently, she went to Baltimore. and there took the vows of her order, since which time she has been known as Sister Anasta- sia. The delay in the final decision in the case was the result of con- fusion in names. There were two women in the hospital who possessed the name of Bridget Quinn. The other was servant. The hospital record did not show the name of Sis- ter Anastasia nor did the records of the war department. The pension was allowed on her own statement. which was corroborated by affidavit of two Sisters of Mercy who were nurses in the institution at the same time Sister Anastasia was connected with it. The affidayits were approved by Surgeon General O'Reilly of the United States army, and later by Commissioner of Pensions Warner, who. when the case was brought to his attention, took personal supervis- ion of 1t.
 'Is this one-seventeen-three?" some one called to John T. Drescher, the we'll known Grand street tonsor- ial artist, several days ago. "Yes, this is Drescher's barber shop, tele- phone number Hiring B." "Well." |" said the voice at the other end of the phone, "I see you want to hire a collector, and as 1 have had exper- fence in that line and can give the very best of references. I want to apply for the position. There is some mistake here" replied Mir Drescher. ''I am not in need of a collector: do a cash business. and collect all my own bills" Well, I saw an ad in the Democrat with your telephone number at the bottom of It," said the seeker for the collector ship. "and supposed of course you were in need of a good man." The controversy over the phone ended at this point. and the tonsorial artist went back to his unfinished supper. He thought over the matter and finally looked over few of the Dem- ocrat want ads. Finally he saw