Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1914-11-27
A Happy
Thanksgiving
A Story showing THAT There Is
No &ule Without Exception
By OUNCE BLAKE

sorry you're so impractical If you
were content to come down to hard
work we could remain together We
could be 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 go
ing to seek your fortune Do you sup
pose you can 6nd a fortune anywhere
easier than right here? Indeed. you
will have more difficulty in attaining
it where You are not known and where
you have no one to give you lift
when yOu most need it than here"
So spoke Amy Tarrant TO John Es
Textbook the day he left her to go out
into the world, as be told her. to make
his fortune de was indeed Of that
order we call visionary He believed
be would succeed, but be had no def
mite idea of how he would succeed
He had no aptitude for drudgery.
"T'N admit. sweetheart" he said
:'that it looks pretty dark ahead-that
is, for me You will doubtless make
up 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
family and make you comfortable. |
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, clothing and a place to live in.
There are persons whose business il
is to instruct. others to amuse, others
to excite the imagination.
"'Oh, John. there you go again! Such
persons have just as hard a time as
usually harder time than-thOse who
buy and sell molasses or boots and
shoes"
Nevertheless | am one of that class
and must take my place with them
If find something whereby can
make money that is pleasure to me
as well, you may hear from me. Till
then farewell"
John Esterbrook was wrong in his
reckoning. Yet it is questionable if he
was wholly wrong. For ninety-nine
persons in every hundred the only way
to be comfortable and lay up com
petence is hard work. whether they
like it or not. However, John look
ed for employment which might lead
to work that he would enjoy He had
a literary taste and considered news
paper WORT part of literature. That
led him IT, seek employment in an edi.
t;r)al room and he found an inferior
position i'll. the service of the SPOTS
wood Eagle
Of 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 60 the work assigned him
but because his heart was not in it
He was also careless. and carelessness
is fatal trait in making up material
for the press He managed, however
to keep in harness because be was
liked, his popularity coming from an
infinite good nature and dry humoI
with which he caused his and other
persons mi%haps and shortcomings t.
appear amusing If taken to task fol-
a blunder he would soften it by a joke
so apt that il assured his forgiveness
Then, too. John had in him a keen ap
probation 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 al
amusing way
One day one of Johns fellow work
men said to him, Why don't you pu
some of these funny things you say il
the paper|'
have never thought they wer
worth it." John replied, but it CAV
him an idea. For a month he KEEP
memoranda of what seemed to anus
others and, putting the best of then
in proper form. offered them for tn
humorous column. They were used
and more appeared the next week
Then some one suggested to John tina
he put his name to them The wor
did not appeal to his ambition, so, in
stead of using his own name he chos
a substitute Uncle Bill From tina
time forward something funny appear
ed in the Eagle every week signe
''Uncle Bill. and after awhile thes
bits Of humor began to be copied i
other newspapers. Their receptio
was slow at first because there wa
an especia! 2est in them that require
a little time to percolate through tn
skulls of those who read them Thei
author had been quite awhile in edU
eating his associates to catch on t
them, and il would have required a
equal time to educate the public ha
1t not been that they appealed to eel
tain persons who introduced them t
others and they grew in favor
One day John was asked now b
would like Ia devote himself TO the q,
elusive work Of writing humor for til
Eagle He replied that he didn't Thin
he could write funny stuff to ordp
but he would try il He found thu