Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-02-06
Looker-O On In Iona

Allison, Feb. 6.-The month OF Jan
uary will be long remembered as a
type of the old fashioned winters In
Iowa. The travelling public has not for
years been SO completely subject to de-
lay. A Coal famine" was the real
thing in many towns. In this part OF
the state the wagon roads, or rather
the snow roads, are in terrible shape
and promise to be worse when we get
our january thaW' in February. Never
has the travelling mar lost more time
from his inability to get to the next
town. The depot agent has fully es-
tablished his reputation during jan
uary. If he was or is "a crouch" we all
know it, for we have spent hours that
added will make days, in his company.
The railroad agent that don't know"
chow late No. 8 is" where's No. l
stuck in the snow lis there a freight
train off the track what bridge is it
that has gone down. was anybody
hurt what time will No. 6 arrive"
will No. 3 run tonight" was very
much in evidence during January. and
the waiting passengers, justly or un-
justly, will have it in for him" for
several moons. Quite q crowd Of us
! SoI at q AAS$AS
north of Grinnell. Every one Of US
wanted to go somewhere. We all asked
P. G. Howard, the railroad agen, every
question we could think Of. 1t was
20 below zero, the snow blowing, no
place to get anything to eat less than
a quarter Of a mile away, SO we kept
asking questions. And Agent Howard
answered every one politely all that
1zn~ ,(%o~--~~ III 1icfaro6 IN the
telegraph keys and frequently volun-
teered information. Number 2 was at
Ackley, No. 3 has left Oskaloosa. II
they hold their own they will be here
about - O'Clock. We didn't get out OF
there any sooner because he told us
all of these things, but just the same.
when we left Newbury and Agent
Howard, we all spoke Of his politeness
and the contrast Of the don't know
agent at Blanksville.
There is a great big poultry and egg
house at Blanksville. They handle
hundreds Of carloads Of live and
dressed poultry each year They have
branch houses in many towns. They
have in their employ in one OF these
towns a buyer, an old man with a big
family, and they pay him the magnlh-
cent salary of 50 a week. He handles
many thousands Of dollars Of the com :
pany's money and puts in regularly
ten hours a day and frequently more
when business is rushing. This gen
erous firm wrote him a nice letter
about Christmas time, mentioning how
we'll and faithfully he had looked after
their interests during the year 1911,
and closed by saying he could take
home a chicken for Christmas and
need not charge it to himself. A fact.
Prairie chickens in Iowa this winter
are more numerous than for years. Out
Of the car windows near Owassa, Har-
din county, trainmen and passengers
see nearly every day a bunch OF prairie
chickens, at a low estimate 100 In
number. They are spending the winter
in Hardin county. Farmers report
quail on their premises and say many
are starving to death. Oui game war
dens in many places are asking the
farmers to feed these quail and pra3e3e
chickens and the state will pay 36r
the feed. Here's hoping the Hardin
county farmers will feed them whether
the state of Iowa foots the bill or not,
And here's hoping every farmer in
: lowe will help prosecute any naau