The gold leaf., 1911-01-26

arrdVed III her sunday togs. L
remarked on her radiant appearance
and hoped she felt rs good as she
looked She dropped her eyes de-
murely. bluahed like ii sixteen-year-
old maiden, and doubtless aiming TO
return the compliment she stam-
merpd: "YOu YOU look better
since p0u shaved" Now wasn't that
a compliment? 4 blind man could
have seen that.
Writing last week about Frank
WOOdsOn recalls an article he wrote
several wears ago that was as fine
A piece OF reminiscent work az | have
read To have been the author OF
cold Frank .JOhnsOn's Band entitled
him to ''credtabIe mention" il not a
gold medal But one had to know
-'Old Frank JOhnson," who lived
and fiouri>hpd in Halifax and War
reu counties, North Carolina, and
furnished music for all public func-
tj0n-, picuicS, tournaments and balls,
when WOOdsOn and | were boys, to
appreciate the article. The great
bandmasters OF tO1ay-SOusa, Crea-
tore. Herbert and the rest Of them
are not a a"patching" to Frank John
son. the cymbling headed old negro,
so far as real music and melody Is
concerned That is rs it impressed
my youthful mind and ears. He was
lacking in technique and didn't know
"b from bulls foot" asfar as ''nOte5"
are concerned, but he could snatch
a fiddle bow baldhpaded" and blow a
horn to "boat the band"
The finest ball room fiddler [ ever
heard or danced after was POmp
Long. of Weldon. He was gentle
man in black, n Chesterfield in man
ner. a good dancer himself and a
master OF the viulin Then there was
John Dabney, another celebrity in
his day, but nothing like the equal
of POmp Long, with whom he was
cOntempOraneOus. | am not signing
for the "gOOd old days" because |
am not old enough to be living in the
past, but it strikes Inc that the mod
ern ball room music and the new
fashion dances with a hop. skip and
a jump, and half hug that is unsat-
isfying, are not as good as they used
to be. But if the young folks get the
same amount of pleasure out of it
what difference does it make?
| was very much ''put out" in read
ing the census returns giving the
population of North Carolina towns
having 5000 and more, to see that
Henderson did not get in that class.
| am not saying that any mistake
has been made in the enumeration or
injustice was done US, but by pri-
vate or school census made a few
years ago it was ascertained that we
had approximately Y $500 people
within the corporate limits, and be-
tween $500 and 5000 outside (the
suburbs, really part of the town in
every essential with the exception of
paying corporation taxes and voting
in the municipal elecUion.) 1t is not
known to outsiders that the cOrpOr-
ate limits are very small-much
smaller than the average town of any
cOnseguence-Only POO yards in a
circle measuring from the centre. Ii
| all OF Henderson was included in the
corporation limits the census would
have shown 5000 or $500 live, en-
terprising, progressive, peaceful, law
abiding people. Bnt it doesn't, and
there you are. What are you going
to do about it? Extend the cor
pOrate limits and unite all those
good people in one big family. In
| the mean time print on your letter
| heads or cards to enclose in business
correspondence something like this:
| Population of Henderson
Corporation (census) ............
Suburbs, 2,75O
TOtal, ,..............
This it impresses me is one way of
giving TO outsiders a better idea Of
what the town is and get credit for
what really belongs to us.
My doctor tells me he is going to
let me sit up some now and take a
little exercise,-which being inter
preted means that may walk in a
rolling chair (abOut the building. J
| was delighted at being told that |
would be allowed to sit up, but when
the invalid's chair was mentioned
was "stung" 1t made me feel that
this must be serious business after
all. Up to this time it has seemed
more like a Joke to mel had been
bad and was put to bed for punish
ment: or | was lazy-''just making
tend as an excuse to get a good
rest. But that invalid's chair Well,
the thought is not pleasant one.
True am little shaky on my pegs,
and my head feels dizzy when stand,
but that is quite natural. A we'll man
would be somewhat weakened as a
result of staying in bed very long:
and | may have been Eight headed
before | came to the hospital. |
drew the line at being shaved in bed
am not dead enough for that-and
do not care to sit either in the seat
of the scOrnful or the invalid. How
ever, it is not what we want, but
what we get in this life that we meas
ure things by.
| walked up the other night and
got to ruminating, as Bill Arp used
to say. For a while my thinking
apparatus refused to stop work anG
let my eyes go to sleep. While wish
ing for a sound of the town clock il
Henderson and the cheerful call o
the cuckoo at home, | Invented
and dedicated q couple of toasts
which the persons concerned will
understand, if the reader does no
appreciate. One OF them:
Here is to the little girl in blue.
The little girl to duty, faithful and true,
Who with elixir of rest" my back Otter
rubbed
BY whom old man ! have been dubbed
Long and gratefully will remember you.
And the other:
Here is to the little girl in pink.
; The little girl who gave me medicine an
drink:
; Who my comfort looked after
And applied the hot mustard plaster
Often and pleasantly OF you will think
NoTE.-The probationers, youn;
I ladies who have to serve a certai
period to demonstrate their adapta