The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-04-16
"JohnnY- Arrives Again.


Since my last letter to The Dis
from Bent Oak to Artesia. Very few
people ever heard of Bent Oak, but
Artesia is known all over the world,
made famous by the lamented Child
sey, the best hotel man the South has
ever produced. Travellers from the
old world who stopped there for their
meals had to be pulled from the table
or be left by their trains. This re-
minds us of little circumstance that
occurred before the old hotel burned
down. Mr.. Chidsey took a trip and
got Mr.. Henry Fox to run the hotel
while he was absent. A high step
ping Yankee took a meal and on be
ing told his bill, replied You fell
lows down here know how to feed a
man and you know how to rob him.
too. !" ANY man who knows Henry
Fox knows what was next. When the
word rob" was uttered there was a
head-on collision between Mr.. Yam
KEGS head and Mr.. Fox's fist. When
W 1 dAAhCC EOL OAA HIS ACtb az am AAC
remarked: Il ate something that
didn't agree with me-
Artesia is on a boom just nov.
Puckett & Lindamord are building a
brick store for one of our merchants
and another is to be erected by the
same contractors as soon as the one
now under construction is finished.
Our merchants all own large and
handsome stocks of goods and sales
seem to be brisk All of the different
lodges are fourishing, more especial
ly the K. P.'s.
The farmers throughout this sec
ton are behind with their work. This
has been a season of general repair
ing, improving and a great deal of
alfalfa has been sown. The alfalfa
crop planted last year was such a
success that the acreage has been
very much enlarged this spring and
the stands seem to be good general
ly. At this date, April 4, the bulk of
the cotton crop has been planted.
The financial crisis that struck us
last fall didn't make me draw a long
breath, but the cold wave that struck
us last Thursday made me gasp and
hit the road for Major Rowan's to
borrow some winter clothes. 1 thought
the winter was over and the Sunny
South had returned and sold my win
ter duds, sox and all to my sorrow.
But the Majors clothes were a fail
ure. There were threadbare and the
coat lacked a foot of meeting in
front and the tail dragged the ground, |
and when l would shiver the tail |
would flop like the sail of a ship in
a gale. This reminds me of what |
our friend, "Dan," of Melbourne, !
Ala, said in The Dispatch about the |
carrying of concealed weapons, to the !
effect that the law of Alabama for |
bade carrying a pistol less than two |
feet long, and that a gun of that size
couldn't be concealed on a person. |
Well, Dan, you must have a small |
set of men over in Lamar. There |
are plenty of 14-year-old boys in Mis- |
who could carry a two-foOt |
pistol in each vest pocket and the |
public never be any the wiser. But |
III admit that l couldn't conceal my |
thoughts with the Majors clothes on,
much less a two-foot gun.
This has been a year for the grip,
but the old pest has lit out and our
people are on their feet again. Some
oonacrank wanted to know the diff
ference between grip and la grippe.
It is this way: If you take measles
rom a good man it will be a mild
.ase, and if from a mean man pneu-
nonia and death may follow. For
Instance, if 1 were to take the dis
ase from Hardscramble it would be
rip, but if l should catch it from
he Major it would be la grippe and
ay me out.
larry had a little lamb,
Its feet was cold as snow;
nd every time Mary laughed