Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1912-06-27

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K 10 be helpless. didn't either
until ! undertook to find a present
to send to the new baby belonging
to my sister. That was one place
where the grand hailing sign Of dis
tress did me no good.
- -
/ have kept track Of the time for
the past year and figure that ] have
lost nine hours and fifty minutes
waiting for men to walk across the
floor, lift the lid of the stove ana
spit out a COB Of tobacco juice be-
fore they could tell what they wanted
Old Bill Shiftless is again making
his yearly announcement that ne Is
going to leave this internal country
Bill says he has made up his mind
that the Almighty never intended
that decent people should live here.
once in awhile we get a crop OF
wheat, but generally a man simply
loses the seed what he puts intoatne
ground. Bill put out a few acres
OF wheat last fall. He didn't hair
prepare the ground and did a bum
lob putting It in. He didn't get q
very good stand. Bill don't know
where he will go, but is going TO
leave. He got a couple hundred
miles away and then had to send
hack to his wife's folks for money
to come back home on. Bits idea
ia to leave his wife and kids with
the old folks this summer, while ne
gets a Job as canvassman with
circus. This will enable to see
lot of country at no expense to him
self and by fall he can have mis-
mind made up just where he wants
to locate. He will then also have
enough money saved up to send for
his folks and get started right. Just
give me half chance" said Old
Bill, "and / will show these knockers
around town here that l can cut
some ice. They've got it in for me
here and won't let me get ahead.
Bill has written to three circuses
for a Job and in every instance sign
ed his name rHon. William Shift
less" Bill claims he has right to
use the word Honorable" because
he was an applicant for a job be-
fore the last legislature.
- -
overlook lots of things, but here
is one fact that hasn't gotten away
from me: 1t is a whole lot easier to
sit back in the congregation and
criticise the sermon than it is to get
up on the pulpit and preach a crack
erjack sermon yourself.
Somehow or other people just can't
get the idea out of their heads that
way down at the bottom OF. every old
maids trunk is the photograph OF
the man She Could Have Married.
dislike altogether too many peo-
pie who never did me the least bit
of harm. find that the people !
imagine l like always do me more
harm than the fellows imagine I
don't like.
have noticed that when girl de-
liberately bats her hook and goes to
fishing for husband, she is more
apt to land crawfish than black
bass.
The other day | saw two boys with
short fishing poles on their shoulders
trudging down through an alley to-
ward the river. wonder Il the kids
have the same kinds of times we used
to have. Do they leave their clothes
d some tree and go in swimming
and then come back and find their
shirt sleeves tied into knots? Do
they still keep secret the place in
the bend where they get the most
bites? Do they hold up two fingers
when they want to ask another kid
to 60 In swimming? Is there still
one fellow who can dive farther than
the rest? Do they go down fishing
early in the morning and so without
eating all day get back home just
in time for supper with two or three
little dried up sunfish? Is there
one kid that always has q stone
bruise on his heel and another who
can't keep from stubbing his big toe
and always walks on his heel as a
result? Kids, those boyhood days
down on the banks Of the old creek
are the happiest Of lifetime. Wealth
and influence may come in later
vnara lint M r0ha eaf nurnlA and.