The Mena weekly star., 1910-03-03
WANTED THE FACTS
LITTLE JOHNNIE ALTOGETHER
 TOO PERSISTENT
Papa Got Into Very Deep Water "ne" He Endeavored to Explain AnoNt Hercules and His Wonder
 fuI Deeds.

Say, pa, who was Hercules?" asKea Johnnie, looking up from his book anu disturbing the after-dinner reading CIT cle composed of himself, his father and his mother.
 His father laid down the newspaper with a gratified smile. Hercules Johnnie" he explained, graclousiy' was very strong man who lived long time ago and did a number oi very wonderful things. He was the strongest man in the world"
 Johnnie gave his attention to his book again and his father resumed his analysis of the stock market But not for long.
 How strong was Hercules, par" de- manded Johnnie "It says here ne killed a bull with his hands"
 q believe he did" admitted his fa- ther.
 "Say, pa, could Hercules throw Frank Gotch?" queried the student His father drowned slightly. q sup pose he could" he said, "but we have no means of knowing in these days. Gotch is a wonderful man, of course, as a wrestler"
 q wish you wouldn't direct John nie's mind to those awful prize fight CTS and wrestlers and such persons, interrupted Johnnies mother.
 Well, the child asked me a ques- ton, didn't he?" protested his father. q don't see any harm in answering 1t. Anyhow, the prowess of our modern wrestlers and other strong men prob ably is as fit subject for discussion as is that of Hercules and Samson and those old chaps"
 Hercules was a mythical charac- ter" insisted Johnnie's mother, stern ly. That makes it different"
 Silence followed for a few minutes while Johnnie's mother followed the fortunes of Lady Gwendolyn. and his father tried to figure out why c o D stock had lost two points Then John nie returned to the attack
 Say, pa, what's a miscal charac- | ter?" he asked.
 What's a what?" asked his father ! What ma said Hercules was" | Why, a mythical character, John. nie," began his father, lis one that never existed. A myth is a faney-a sort of legend or story, you under stand. And mythical character Is a person that is told about in such a story"
 He returned to his paper with 6 pleasing sense of duty we'll performed but Johnnie was far from being ready to quit
 Well, if Hercules was a mythica character, then" he said, there nevel was a Hercules, was there?"
 Well. mo-" Johnnie's father grudg ingly admitted. Hercules is a sor of myth or fairy character"
 Then, if there never was any Her cules, he didn't kill any bull with hi own hands. did he?"
 No, no. it's just story" explaine his father, shortly, turning his new. paper over and trying to find som. thing interesting.
 But you told me he could thro' Frank Gotch," he persisted 'If ther never was any Hercules, how could h throw Gotch?" "There!" interjected Johnnies mott CT, laying her book down. You SC the trend of the childs mind since yo . introduced your friend MT. Gotch int his studiesl"
 Johnnie's father found the interes ing article he was looking for an 1 buried his nose in it for a few SC, 1 onds. Then his son and heir fire another shot
 Say, pa, if there wasn't any He cules then all this about him killin the bull isn't true, is it?"
 No" admitted his father, crossl, Well. what did you tell me ths stuff about Gotch for?" demande Johnnie. Is Gotch myth. too?"
 Here Johnnie's father ended the di cussion.
 Young man." he ordered, you g to bed!"