The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1912-12-27

prolonged Marathon race with Time.
That was the grand old man, Methuse-
lah, and he had to give up beaten at
500 years-a foolish contest, as Time,
rare old athlete that he is, not only
knows all the rubs, but is the sole
patentee and possessor of the vainly
sought elixir of life.
1T is well there never was but one
human being who carried the burden
of mortality such preposterous num-
her of years, until 1t became an irradi.
cate habit. Imagine how two or three
Methuselahs In this age would disar
range the expectancy of life and dis
tuTb the most carefully and adroitly
arranged mortuary tables. Think
what continuing affront a terrestrial
lingerer like that would be even to
the most patient and conservative
funeral director and to the old sexton
as he mumbles his deep bass song
I Gather Them In, Gather Them In.
What a relief 1t was at last when
the grand old man was gathered to
his fathers and ceased to be the
pioneer settler and oldest inhabitant,
the last authority on the coolest win
ter and the hottest summer of whom
all stood In awe, who knew every
thing that had ever happened in
Mesopotamia and who If he were alive
today would probably be able to give
the names of all the vice presidents
of the United Statesl
"And yet how brief Is the record
Of this modest man, this first con
servative citizen of the world-Me
thuselah-the son of Enoch, sixth In
descent from Seth and the father OF
Lamech. 1t is all given in three
verses in the fifth chapter of Genesis
He undoubtedly was man of sub
stance. One may be permitted tc
wonder how many attempts were
made to interest him in various 'en
terprises' framed in the bluest of tur
quoise. with a view of separating him
from his money or its equivalent IN
cattle, OF sheep or the fruits of the
| field. For in that day as in this there
doubtless were admirable tellers Of
short stories, horse traders with g
wonderful gift of language, real es
tate men who could paint landscape
of bewitching beauty-but, alas, We
have no account of them and as there
are no precedents, when Sinbad the
Sailor and Baron Munchausen propose
to let us in on a good thing, why, We
have to look out for ourselves, tina
is all. 1t is at this season of the yeal
that the wicked magician that gave
Aladdin all his fortune and all hil
misfortune may be expected to appear
either by prospectus through the mai
or in the person of an agent.
1.-THE new lamps for old ones OF
fered by the magician is by no meanI
as seducing a bargain as these mod
ern magicians will offer you. It maj
be an orange grove In Florida or Cali
fornia, a fig farm In Arizona, a date
palm enterprise in Texas, a Gran
berry patch in New Jersey, mining
stock almost anywhere or shares
and how magnificent the prospectus
In something quite as good as those
two famous companies written abou
by Charles Dickens-"The Anglo Ben
galee Disinterested Loan and Life In
surance Company and The United
Metropolitan Hot Muffin and Crumpe
Baking and Punctual Delivery Com
pany.' So when we turn over thu
new leaf this first day OF January
1918, after turning 1t over and care
fully reading the prospectus. let Vi
warily turn back and when we 6,
forward let us go in the old way Il
which we have become accustomed