Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-10
CUFFED PROPHET
STANDS BY FORECAST
OF 8 MORE SHOWS
Simeon M. Mokemacher
Is Undisturbed by the
Scoffing of Bliss and
Other Skeptics.
Bristling Onions Tell Tale.
Seer's Peculiarly of Raj
ment Dates From Incident
of Early Youth and Appe-
tite for Chocolate Eclair.

Old Simeon NJ. Mokemacher sat on .
heap Of atrophled onions In his little hid
den garden outside Andalusla. Pa thii
morning and squinted at the sky Ther,
was a twinkle in his bright eyes. for hc
had just been asked II he did not wish
to retract or modify his prediction that
there win be three more snowstorms "ere
the winter ends"
"Curiousest thing ever" he said. 'how
these cuffs on my overalls get filed with
earth ! guess I lose two hours a day in
my experimental work cleaning them and
Sitting and inspecting what I find there"
The reporter, who had forgotten tho
pathway and in consequence literally had
to fight his way through the barrier Of
underbrush TO the garden. nodded po-
litely and repeated his query about the
three snowstorms Mr.. Mokemacher
looked up at the sky again and smiled.
How should ! know" he remarked.
with thinly veiled sarcasm. "Tm not a
groundhog and I'm not a goosebone. and
your George S. Bliss says nobody but n
Broundhog and goosebone prophets can
tell whether it's going to snow any more
Now, l told you once there'd he three
more snowstorms ere the winter ends"
ONIONS TELLTALB BRISTLEs.
The old man suddenly divcd forward
like a trained acrobat and sprawled on
the ground He whipped out a mignify-
ing glass with one hand and an electric
torch with the other. He scraped away
some earth and then, training the light
on an onion, he closed one eve and
squinted with the other at the vegetable
through the glass.
"Aha!' he said. 'The onion quiversp
Mr.Mokemacher arose and resumed dig
ging the earth out of his overall cuffs.
He started to talk as though to himself,
and by bending close the reporter caught
the following:
THE bristles are waving furiousy.
Ahal 1t is the connecting link between
vegetable and animal life, but 1 shall not
reveal the secret. Why should I?'
Abruptly he halted and looked up.
'Curiousest thing ever" he resumed,
"how these cuffs get filled with earth"
why don't you stop wearing them?"
he was asked.
THE CUFFED PROPHET.
The Andalusian prophet drew himself
UP majestically to his full feet inches
Young man." he said, glaring through
fhe inverted magnifying glass, "as I see
you now you ar'nt as big as my thumb.
Why should I wear cuffs. 1 an. entitled
to my little idiosyncrasies In the great
world outside my garden of onions men
wear all manner of foolish things and so
do the women, and also, 1 am told, the
women powder their faces. All right, let
them, but shall wear cuffs on my over
alls.
''Why?" he was asked.
'Once upon a time" said Mr.. Moke-
macher. when I was little boy, re-
ceived a So gold-piece for Christmas
gift. There was hole In my pocket and
the coin disappeared. 1 mourned it for
two weeks. Then one day as I was pass
ing a bakers window 1 suddenly devel-
oped an oyerpowering appetite for choco-
late eclair, but. alas, had no money so
sat down on the curbstone to weep.
Unconsciously I ran my hand through
the cuffs on my trousers, and there was
the s. gold-piece. l wear them for their
utility. They save money,
But you mind what say. young man.
you can laugh at your George S. Bliss, for
there'l be three more snowstorms ere the
winter ends"