Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-06

taken wife, was because he had
fad.
Every man has a fad. even to the
fad OF picking up stray pins on the
sidewalk. but what all men arc ready
to deny Is that they have one. Some
other fellow Is invariably the guilty
party. Thus. while score Of per-
sons said that John blanchard had
fad, he said to himself that he was
the only man in a thousand who steered
clear OF them.
rs youth. Master Ria nchard wac in
clined TO serious thought: one or the
most serious was the preservation OF
the present for the future He realized
that all things. even 10 nations, must
decay and leave no moro behind them
than the cR2e-dwellcrs. There must
cone a time. maybe hundred thou
sand years hence when new nation
would long 10 know how the Ameri-
can lived in his day and date They
would go hunting around for relics
and souvenirs and they would find re-
rains OF skyscrapers, subways. ele-
waited roads. Here and there they
would uncover poem written by
Yankee schoolma' an--now and then a
speech delivered by Senator: but
from those things could any future his
torian make out the real life of the
people?
And John Blanchard went to making
collection. 1t was such a collection
would enable the future historian
10 make out our everyday life. even
down TO tho brand Of cigars the men
smoked. and the name Of the bar OF
SOAPS the women bought for the
John B!anchard's name was to be
saved to posterity. The first move he
made was to write out his history from
birth to date. and then begin diary
which should only close with his
death lie bought books to be in
closed in iron boxes; he flcd away
daily papers: he preserved magazines:
he gathered postage stamps and
coins.
John Blanchard was the son OF
wealthy parents. When he attained
his majority no had more wealth await
ing him. He could and he did erect a
building and stuff II from basement to
garnet with his collections. He was
ettll at 1T when he made a new ac-
quaintance that was bound to bring
about changes in his life.
.Tohn Blanchard might have been
the only male faddist In his town that
cnrried the Idea to an extreme, and it
never occurred to him that n female
might enter the lists against him.
One did, however. IT was Miss Myra
Day. young woman who had dwclt
in this vale OF tears almost as long
he had. although her fad wasn't
born 30 early.
Miss Myra realized that the day
must come when tho last trust, the
last CRATER and the last American
must go hence and leave the ruins of
his cities to be paved over by relic
hunters OF later race and to be the
hooting place of big-eyed owls. and
that she had duty to do Those peo-
pie who were to como after would be
curious about our bird life. They
would wonder II our robbins had teeth
like a grizzley bears. II our blue
birds carried off and devoured babies.
if the woodpecker emerged from his
cave at midnight to revcl In human
gore.
1t was her mission to leave leaf
or history behind for their benefit.
she, we'll Mr.. Blanchard. had
wealth and could indulge herself. She
began collecting the egEs of birds and
acquiring stuffed specimens. In this
shs spent thousands OF dollars. She
WAS thorough In her work, too. She
could speak and write three different
languages, and she never packed up
and laid an egg or stuffed specimen
away without writing Oh three different
cards:
This Is the egg of a quail or This
is the quail himself or whatever egg
or bird IL was.
When Miss. Myra had accumulatedi
enough specimens to load several
trucks She turned to insects. The race
that was to come would ask what
kind OF horscni"s. hornets and hcas
the lost Aipcricans did business with.
The collection %. the young woman
would answer amy question. She could
imagine the Investigator OF 1901 900
years hence !nquiring OF himself:
Now. then, I wonder If the blamed
old hornet Is a new thing with us. or
If they had him In the long ago."
And then her collection would be
discovered "Ill be hanged II the
pesky varmint isn't right here. ms big
as life. and the hossfy is In the next
stall TO him." the investigator would
Miss Myra bought insects of small
boys. and she went aheld for them
personally. The farmer didn't pay
much attention to the boy roaming over
the folds In search OF the Erasshopper,
but whom !t came to a woman racing
UP and down with a net in her hand
and her eyes bulEing out he would
stop his riow TO stare.
GOOD lands. but spose | had mar
ried that thing instead of Mirandy!"
Mr.. John Blanchard heard Of "A
farmer who had valuable collection
OF manuscripts that would give his
tory r fair insight into our ways of.
doing business In the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries. j; was farmer
who never paid a debt unless he was
about 10 be burned at the stake. and
the valuable manuscripts were the dun
ming letters he had received
You may call II coincidence You
may call II luck. You may say II
was the hand OF Providence. What
ever 1t was it brought the two col
lectors face 10 face on that farm. Ii
introduced them. J. a bond be-
tween them. IT made Miss Myra agree
that the dunning letters were the cap
sheap o! the collection. and II made
Mr.. Blanchard volunteer to go with
her and help capture q few crickcts
The farmer refused a very liberal
ofier for his manuscripts. on the
grounds that II he had money his
creditors would pursue him afresh;
and when @c came TO half understand
the bue.ness Of the collectors he was
.ilied with contempt
- That Teller orter be splitun' wood
and that *oDlan orter be slicin' ap-
Piles TO dry. was The way he look ed
at IL. and when they came TO ask
where the largest and choicest crick-
cts could be found he pointed to q
bush in the pasture and replied:
you'll find some lively ones down
there"
The farmers wife came out 10 him
At tho plow and asked