Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-11-04
AsKov, PINE COUNTY, MINNESOTA NOVEMBER 1. 1916

before he could sit down to eat,
his wife came rushing into the
room and said: My dear, II
bought a dollars worth of the
most wonderful soap today you
ever saw. = The next morning
the young fellow came to the
store and said: Mr.. Nelson,
have you anything in the store.
you can't sell?' Nelson replied:
why yes, / have a half a gross
of patent floor mops that a
smooth-tongued salesman sold me
several years ago and I've never
been able to dispose Of them"
The young fellow said: How
much will you take for them?"
We'll" replied Nelson, they
cost me two dollars a dozen, but
to get rid Of them, I'll let you
have them for five cents apiece. !"
The fellow took the whole outfit
and sold them like hot cakes in
Glen Ullen for fifty cents apiece.
| My father was an old-fashioned
pioneer Missouri preacher, who
farmed a little on the side to
make a living for the family. |
remember as a boy of getting up
back of him on the old family
horse and visiting among our
Pensioners. Father had a won-
derful knack of knowing about
where they were going to have
chicken for dinner. He would
ride up to such a place about
eleven-thirty. We would be in
vited to eat dinner and after that
good old-fashioned meal. we
would go into the old Missouri
farmhouse living room. / shall
never forget that room. Rag
carpet on the floor, a little
cabinet organ in one corner with
Susie with a braid down her back
playing with two fingers; grand
fathers chair; and two or three
cane bottom chairs standing
around the room. In the middle
of the room stood an old fashion
ed ricketty center table and on it
lay the family Bible. We would
all be seated; father would go
over and open the old book and
read few passages of Scripture;
then we'd all kneel down and he'd
offer prayer. 1t made a wonder
full impression upon my young
mind. ! have travelled all over
the world since that time and
have met people of all kinds of
faith and some with no faith at
all. But the love of the old book
as it was instilled into my heart
at my fathers knee in that old
Missouri living room has stayed
with me all these years. AS
editor of a county seat newspaper
| still go out to my farmer friends
to eat chicken dinners but every
thing has changed, except the
dinner. Land in Missouri in
those early days used to sell for
ten dollars an acre-it now sells
in my part of Iowa for three
hundred dollars. My mother
used to gather eggs and sell them
for five cents a dozen. Over in
Duluth the other morning, paid
twenty-five cents for two and
they were laid some time last
fall. Land, cattle and all farm
Iproducts have gone sky high and
our farmer friend has prospered.
| And he is entitled to it. So when
| eat chicken dinner with him to-
day, and go into the living room,
| find a wonderful change. The
old rag carpet is gone and they
have a Wilton rug on the floor.
The cabinet organ has been put
in the attic for they now have a
handsome piano and Susie home
from the Conservatory of Music
lis playing Wagner. Grand
fathers rocking chair and the old
cane bottom chairs have vanished
and they have a davenport, and
some handsome rockers instead.
Where the old ricketty center
II