Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1914-11-27
7 > A'Happllyi' -
Thanksgiving
A STORY Showing That There q
No Rule Without Exceptions
-,--- N,,. ~ -
BY EUNIcE BLAKE


"Goodby. john" said Amy regretfuI.
~. I'm sorry to part with you. In.
deed. my heart ID almost broken I'm
sorry you're SO impractical II you
were content to come down to hard
work we could remain together. We.
could he frugal and saving while
young. which would insure us com.
petence when we get old. But this
visionary disposition Of yours renders
that impossible. You say you are 60,
ing to seek your fortune DO you sup.
pose you can find a fortune anywhere
easier thin right heref Indeed. you
will have more difficulty in attaining
1t where you nre not known and where
you have M one to give you lift
when yon most need 1t than here"
So spoke Amy Tarrant to John Es-
Textbook the day he left her to go out
into the world. rs he told her. to make
his fortune. He was indeed of that
order we call visionary He believed
he would succeed. but he had no def
| u.
He had no aptitude for drudgery.
"Tll admit. sweetheart" he said.
''that IT. looks pretty dark ahead-that
Is. for me. You will doubtless make
IN your, mind to the practical. the in
evitable.' and marry some man who
will be a hard worker. He will pro.
vide the necessaries of life for his
| a, ,rtu al 4
am OF different kind can't force
myself to do what | dislike to do. and
what like to do doesn't pay. But
some day may find some way Of
making what | like to do pay. The
world requires other things besides
food. schthing and place to live in.
There are persons whose business II
IL to instruct. others to amuse. others
to excite the imagination" .f-s
"Oh. John. there you 90, againl Such
persons have just as hard time as
usually harder time than-those who
buy and sell molasses or boots aud
shoes"
Nevertheless ! am one Of that class
snd must take my place with them
Ii ! find something whereby can
Nuke money that IL u pleasure to, mo
as well. you may hear from me- Till
then farewell"
JOHN EsterbrOok was wrong In his
reckoning Yet 1t Is questionable II he
WAS wholly, wrong. For ninety nine
persons In every hundred the only way
to be comfortable and lay up com,
netence IL hard work., whether they
like 1t or mot. ~ However, John look
ed for employment which might lead
to work that he would enjoy. l. He had
a literary taste and considered news.
paper work u part Of literature. That
led him to seek employment In IN edl.
tOrial room. aud he found an inferior
position In the service Of the Spots
wood Eagle. 1910 , !.
or the first five years of Johns work
In the newspaper business little can
be said. He drifted from one depart
ment to another, not because he was
too dull to do the work assigned him,
but because his heart was not In it
He was also careless. and carelessness
Is fatal traitin making up material
for the press. He managed. however,
to keep in harness because he was
liked. his popularity coming from an
Infinite good nature and a dry humor
with which he CAUSED his and other
persons mishaps and shortcomings. to
appear amusing. lf taken to task for,
blunder he'would soften 1t by Joke
SO apt that 1t assured his forgiveness.
Then. too, John hadin him n keen an
preciation of the foibles OF. human ma.
ture He realized that all persons like
to have the shortcomings of other per
sons. except themselves shown up in an
amusing way. - zs.,.s s,y....s.
One day one OF Johns fellow, work
men said to him. why don't you put
some of these funny things sou say. in
ne. paper?"e ...q.. s,a,es. ~. ~
Il have, never thought they were
worth IT." John replied, but It gave
him an idea. For II, month he kept
memoranda Of what seemed to amuse
others and. putting the best Of them
In proper. form. offered them. for the
humorous column, They were used.
and more appeared the next week
Then some one suggested to John that
he, put his name to them. The work
did not appeal to his ambition. so, In.
stead or using his own name. be chose
substitute Uncle Bill From thar
time forward something funny appear
ed in. the Eagle every week signed
Uncle Bill, after awhile these
bits of humcrs began to be copied In
other newspapers. Their reception
was slow at first, because there was
nm especial zest in them that required
a little time to percolate through the
skulls Of those who read them Their
author had been quite awhile In edu,
.ating his associates TO catch on to
them. aud II would have required an
equal time to educate the public had
II not been that they appealed to GER
tain persons who introduced them to
others and they grew in favor ,ti
One day John was asked how he
would like to devote himself TO the ex.
r'lnsiye work Of writing huinOr for the
Eagle. He replied that he didn't think
he could write funny. stun to order.
but he would try It, He found that
by injecting his hHmor into ordinary
items which were going the rounds Of