Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-01-30

testify my respect for them. Especial
" for the first named-old "Sar-archin'
Cold"
| suspected he was proving around
Outside, the other morning when l was
Weakened from a dream of being scalp
ed by cold blooded Indnan with
cold bladed knife, to find that the top
of my head was nearly frozen. The
hair up there is not so thick as it used
to be- Pm beginning seriously to con-
slider the question of night-caps. Eh?-
Well. as soon as l could get the kitch-
en- fire going and my ulster on, look
ed out of the north door to see what
the thermometer said. Friend "Sa-
archin' Cold" has a long arm, for,
though. he must have been sitting
somewhere close by the North Pole, he
had my nose between his fingers and
had pinched it blue before l could
make sure in the dim morning light
whether it was n or p degrees below
zero. I don't know yet. My interest
in accuracy Of observation was prompt
" eliminated. What difference did
degree or two make, anyway? 1t was
cold enough for me, in either case.
hurried back to the kitchen, pulled my
fur cap over my ears, put on my nit
tens. and waited, shiveringly for tn
fire to get going. DID you ever notice
how exasperingly slow a fire start
when you're peculiarly anxious to nave
1t blaze up? Even the iron on the stove
seems to grow colder instead Of warm
er, for a few minutes. And the draft
generally comes down the chimney in
steau Of drawing up it. just when you
want 1t to suck the hardest.
Ever since then I've been "philoso-
ohizind," in my slow country way.
about winter and the various other
chilly things in life. Do like winter?
No-I-dont. Not for itself alone, GER
tainly. I do not enjoy cold fingers and
ears and a cold nose. I don't like to
work in the snow or the slush. I don't
like to wear mittens and ear BIS, and
have to feel of my proboscis every five
minutes to see whether it has frozen
solid or is still mellow. I don't like,
when I'm in the house, to have to
spend one-half of my time feeding
wood into the stove, thinking with ev-
cry stick Of the work I must do next
fall to restore the vanishing woodpile.
I don't like to shovel paths from 8 to
10 a. m, tust to have them blow full
of snow again before noon.
But "KindIy Nature" isn't going to
reViss her statutes and make a new
code, just because their application
doesn't always meet my distinguished
approval. If I'm going TO make a livr
of it" under her laws 1 must take them
a they are, find out as near as may be
what they mean, and knuckle right
down to obedience. Nor is she run
ming any sort of kindergarten and
graded school system to instruct me in
those laws. There they are; find 'eln
out foe yourself" seems to be her ulti-
matum. If you're a grown-up and
drink water from q well fed by barn
yard seepage and inhabited by typhoid
bacilE, you'll very likely have typhoid
fever. no matter how ignorant you may
be of bacilli or how good your general
morals. If you're an innocent baby
and don't know the difference between
a hot stove and a cold table. the
stove'u burn your fingers just the
same. If you're determined to live IN
a climate which varies from 120 de-
grees above in the sun during July to
20 degrees below IN the shade during
January, why, that's your lookout, not
hers. Take 1t or leave It; bless you
she doesn't care a straw. It's your af
fair. And It doesn't make the slightest
difference to her If you've no choice;
IL you've got to take it. Then you
must take the consequences, too.
Under these somewhat strenuous not
to say drastic conditions Il would
seem as II any human being possessed
Of ordinary intelligence would recog-
nize the silly stupidity Of whimpering.
What on earth Is the use Of finding
fault with what you can't help? Mind
you. there is a very distinct line be-
tween the things you can help and
those you can't. You can build a house
20 protect against the weather; but
YOU can't make It rain, or stop a zero |
wave when II starts across the CONT |
merit. II you build a house which isn't |
safe or sanitary and discomfort or |
sickness result, It's your own fault and |
you are the only one responsible. But |