The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-05-27

If you've said good-by to the wom-
IN folks we'll be moving along" grim
" remarked Trad Biglow's cousin, Ed
gar. The old man gazed mournfully
at his trunk and remembered that his
next refuge was problematical.
If he could but prolong his stay for
a day-"Sunshine and storm in ones
vest pocket" he murmured, moving
slowly towards the trunk. "The wealth
er bureau tells you what may hap
pen. I can furnish the original goods.
Jim Witham was f1ggering that out
of church picnics alone we'd clear
$4,000 the first summer"
Jim Witham and church picnics!"
calculated Edgar, forgetting himself
SO far as to sit on the trunk. What
has he to do with church picnics?"
Nothing, except as he may use my
anti-foul weather tabloids to net him
neat income" gently returned Trad,
combing his whiskers. "You see the
tabloids guarantee certain brands of
weather. You keep 'em corked tight
in glass bottle. Say you have a
thunderstorm. Pull out the stopper
and there's merry Sam Hill to pay.
The picnic is spoiled; the races at the
county fair are spoiled; the hay wealth
er Is spoiled, and there you be. But
if you 60 around and guarantee seven
miles of sunshine for any one of them
rinktums and charge $50 per rinktum
why, there's money in it. You
see"
What in tarnation be you Citing
att" impatiently demanded Edgar.
Il was mentioning my tabloid
weather tablets" murmured Trad.
"And now I'll help with the trunk
Of course if it looked rainy and you
had $500 worth of hay out and could
yank out tabloid and gain a blister
ing sun, you'd be willing to pay a
fancy price. So would any one. Just
throw the tablet on the ground and
watch it vanish in steamy sort of
smoke. And the clouds is driven
away, or it rains great guns, accord
ing to which tablet you use. Witham
is planning"
"Witham!" angrily cried Edgar.
"It's always Witham. Why should he
be considered before me? Amt l as
good as Jim Witham? You kindly sit
down and don't be SO DANCED anxious
to quit. The bosses go back to the
stable Lawd! if you could have your
way you wouldn't stop here minute.
You stay here till to-morrer."
Rather than have you think harsh
ly of me I'll stay" said Trad.
That's more neighborly Now what
about these storm pills?" asked Ed
gar.
mot pills, but tablets" corrected
Trad. Il simply gather the quint-
essence of all kinds of weather into
tabloid form and then bottle it up.
Sunshine and storm can be captured
and boiled down just as milk can
be condensed. Say 1t begins to look
damp and rainy and I want clear
weather. just laugh in my sleeve
because l know have a hot, sultry
day on tap. Then l uncork a bottle
and take out my warm spell tablet.
In three seconds the mercury begins
to rise and the clouds skedaddle and
before you know it you have a bis
terer.
"Say there's church picnic in
Huzzy's grove and storm comes
shopping over the horizon. Do they
scamper for shelter? Hardly. They
send for me and pay me my fee, say
ten dollars. Then l let loose a June
sunshiny tablet from bottle No. 3,
and at once the black clouds snarl
and draw back out of sight and old
Libby Mullen is muttering: L smell
violets.' In cities when there's going
to be a big parade each bottle is
worth $4,000. I could have got a
half million dollars for just one of
them pesky tablets in Washington on
last Inauguration day. I'd have to
have 800 a week royalty for furnish
ing weather at sumner resorts. In for.
eign markets I'd charge $4,000 a week.
When there's a queens jubilee, or a
king Is cutting up I'd have to have q
fancy price, say &23o.ooo week, half
in advance" :...- II 49,. ,..-
.."D'ye mean I can make rain over
Williams farm and sunshine over
q Il e =