The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-08-16
Raising Ell.

They used to call me the spender
down in my town. for was one OF
the bunch that hung around; we
didn't have anything to do, nor did
we want anything TO do, we Just lived
on the old man, or were bunch that
lived on their wits as best they can.
My mother used to talk to me OF
how | was below my level, and my
| father used to corner me up and give
me the very devil; my girl "a nice
girl was she) began to lose interest in
me to such degree that I-well, why.
just put things together-such as
mothers peadings and fathers rails
ing Cain. and the way my girl inti->
mated that / was going insane, till !
took a hunch and cut the whole bloom
ing bunch of lounger-around down in
my town.
! al
per; wouldn't pay any more; boarded
at home and decided that it was no
more than right that settle for my
lodging every Saturday night.
Somehow got to staying home at
nights, and they way used to study
ran up the bill for lights.
Mother told me that now was get
ting on my level: and father, well, eh
ceased to raise the devil; and my girl.
one Sunday afternoon when We were
walking round, looking at the sights
of the town; as she held on to my
hand, kind of confidentially said TO
me, IF you keep a-going along the
same route, why, ] wouldn't be sur
prised to see you the fellow I'd like
You to be-"
But the bunch of loungers-around
said all sorts OF things to me, but
what they said didn't bother me.
They said ] was gutter and the
like; a tight wad like "Uncle Ike"
and at nights as home they reeled,
they'd say I'd hold dollar till the
eagle squealed
So a tightwad they dubbed me,
and as tight-wad they snubbed me,
but kept on a-sawing wood-kept on
making good.
When / started an account with a
! b. AZ L.. they hunahed each other and
! said, Now he thinks he's raising
ELL" but as they talked more and
more, | just kept a going, but little
faster than before.
Days and months and years rolled
by, and | kept a-plugging and kept
a-tugging, and if every week to make
a deposit with the B. & L. was raising
ell. well, | was raising ell.
1t was late Saturday afternoon
Just the time in my town that lovers
spOon-that my girl and took jaunt
out of the town to the incest little
spot, and instead of thinking of things
which lovers sometimes do, we decid-
ed there and then, with the aid of the
B. G L. to buy lot and build bung
allow for two.
1t amt been so very long since /
| cut the bunch-not so very long since
| got the hunch-but a lot OF things
can happen in so short time that
really one ould never divine.
Why, since then, some of the bunch
/ are in the pen; some who used TO
laugh and goad are now hoboes on
;he road: some who had promising
gifts are ordinary blanket stitfs, and
some who drank till they were sots
are now housed in holes six by two
in cemetery lots.
Yes, so many things can happen one
would never divine-so many things
in so short a time-why, I'm the man
ager of a store-yes, the manager and
something more; I'm the owner OF the
store.
Yes, by the aid OF the B. & L.. I've
gone right on raising ell, and I've
built the bungalow for two. but looks
as if should have built it for few.
We've got the incest kind OF father
and mother-in-laws. and they are
tickled to death at being grandpas
and grandmas; and the little tots are