The Falls City tribune., 1910-11-04

another election for an addition to it.
Guess they will soon be around for
more signers. Did you ever notice
how kind and gentle the town ~fellers
are when they want farm votes for
some improvement?
Il raised considerable of a family
here on this hill. First we had some
boys, and then some girls, and more
boys, Took a good deal of groceries
and clothes and things for a big fam
lily, but we got along. Used to be a
saloon in town when the town was
new, and | used to go in quite often.
Seemed like things was purity lone
some out here in this country, and
there always was a social crowd in
the saloon. | never was one that
took very much likker, but sometimes
mother would cry about it when |
come home. Guess it was about the
only thing that come between us in
them days. But ] kept on being
sociable occasionally till my oldest
boy got to backing his shoes and
wearing a stand-up collar.
Zone night some fellers brought
that boy home. They said he was
sick, but | knew he was drunk. 1t
nearly broke me up. | een that
night what the damned stuff meant
to mother, and What an example /
had been setting for the boys. SO
I swore off right that night, up there
under the caves in that boys room,
and l stayed swore off. All right to
say you can drink a little and not get
hurt, but it hurts you clean into your
soul when likker reaches down into
our family.
See that cemetery over on the
slope by town? | got to wipe my
glasses now to see it, Well, that boy
is buried over there now. Followed
him down this hill four years ago and
along the main street over to the
church. and out to the grave
yard. He is buried therein town,
and I've got a space over there for
the rest of us. Bought it a long
time ago, and mother has fixed it up
nice. She goes there a good deal
and she cries a good deal over the
grave stone of a little girl we put
along side of the boy the next year.
Seems now like we have more inter
est in the town than We used to
have. Seems like more of it belongs
to us than it did a few years ago.
We take more interest in the church
affairs now, and in the town school.
Perhaps we will go over there some
time and build us a house in town.
The boys are about running the farm
now and maybe running it better
than l ever did.
Il guess there amt many things 60
ing on in that town that l amt in
terested in, and sometimes I think
| want to have more say about it
than have now. I can vote for new
court houses, and l got a piece OF
land down there close that helps pay
the town school taxes, and l help pay
the wages of two preachers down
there, and | guess I am about as
good a customer as any of themtown
folks 1t the stores.
eyes, / guess I have a right to
vote on what goes on down there,
when it hits my pocket. .. and
when it hits my family"
And the old farmer wiped his glass
es again, so that he could see the
road toward town, and up the main
street, and out along the way past
the church and to the cemetery on
the hillside beyond. And he thought
about the chance that was coming
to him to vote directly on questions
where he had no vote now,-an en-
largement of the privileges of every
farmer and neighbor. And he thought
of the old period of personal liber-
ty" that was now partly buried in the
silent city over there on the hill
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