Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-12-29
Looker-On In Iona
.al to Tim es-Repuhlican.

Rockwell City, Dee. 29.-Uncle Sam
must have had a bargain counter dur
ing holiday week for the crowds In the
postoffice equalled those in the stores.
Come 20 think of it the crowds We're
after the 10 cent and 9S cent stamp
books. More likely it was the Christ
mas gifts Being sent by mail and parcel
post Strangers who We're in town and
had 10 call at the postoffice had to fall
in line and wait sometimes half an hour
before getting to the general delivery
window. The looker-on suggests that
next year this sending of Christmas
gifts. the business part of 1t at the
pos tofTice. be transacted at some other
window, and the general delivery win
dow he used For the purpose intended,
not to receive and weigh and sell
stacaps for Christmas presents. 1t gives
the reader an idea of the rush of bust
ness at the posto4fices to hear that one
manufacturing firm in Grinnell sent to
the postoffice in one day $1,000 worth
Of small packages to be sent by parcel
post the whole lot taken to the post
Office a orc !.:ne in a filed two wheel
cart With this in mind what must
have been the business transacted in
Chicaeo and New York.
Zero weather in Iowa the ten days
hcSora Christmas, good sleishing dur
Ing the few DAYS before, brought a big
trade 70 town. But it also brought out
the Young. fellow with brown shoes.
turned un trousers long swagger over
COAT and no vest. When he appeared
in public his overcoat was unbuttoned
to show us all he did not wear a. vest
-. =. has
yesterday. or course he wore a soft
face and ears and neck reese nlbled
turkey sobUler's neck under certain
circumstances. All this with the Their
naorneter at zero. Same style of dress
as Fourth of July. 81 degrees above.
And with him was his best girl. She
was not TO be outdone in the way OF
winter dress reform, Low brown shoes,
high French heels. short tight skirt so
that she could not step more than
twelve inches, big furs ard larger muf.
hat the size of an oyster bowl, and to
show her disdain Of zero weather her
dress cut low and her bare neck ex-
posed. 1t would have been a crime
against fashion TO have bundled up.
And one wonders # such girls have
sensible mother would allow her daugh-
ter to thus invite pneumonia and lung
trouble.
The yard boss" andNh his helpers, the
yard switchR1er.~ earn their wages
these days Every bit of iron is so full
of frost it is not safe to touch with
bare hands, the switches stick because
;nn oI<, ~ CIR
making day work more dangerous than
night duty. There's an old legend that
switchmen must step off the side not
in front of the standing board on the
switch engine Did any one ever see
switchman step off the side? General
Grant and several others prominent in
history have been known as silent
men, but they are not in 1t with the
yard switchmen. They use signs for
everything, and If cuss words are nee
essary for mental relief. always take a
lay off of a few minutes. And If you're
hanging around the depot waiting for
"a late train go out and watch the
switch crew tear freight train to
pieces youll come away satisfied this
kind of work can be done by deaf and
dumb men.
Down in Grinnell last week one BUSH
ness man told of the efforts made by
other towns to induce Robson, the
aviator. and his small mandatory to
leave Grnnell Many tempting offers
have been made. and this business man
said we can not afr I'd to let Robinson
go just for the advertising we get out
of his monoplane. 1t puts us on the
map And the possibilities are great
for a large mandatory for this air
ship in Grinnell or elsewhere. 1t can
I be assumed Uncle Sam is not telling
( anybody his business, and what kind
and how many air craft he will buy or
contract for but it is certain that
I Uncle sam is watching the events Of
the present big war. knows and sees
"to keep UP with the procession" he
must have in commission hundreds OF
some kind of airships. Why shouldn't
! Uncle Sam order thousand of Robin
sons monoplane, made in Grinneli?'