Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-10
CHAPTER XIII.
The Things and Other Things.

1ne JninRs ana OtiieT IhlhsS'
l returned TO Mr.. Jackets house
late in the afternoon of New Years
day. The schoolmaster was lying
on a big lounge in a corner Of their
front room with the children about
him. The dusk was falling.
Welcome" my laddie buck!" he
exclaimed as l entered. Were
telling stories o. the old year an
you're just in time for the last o
them. Sit down. lad, and God give
We patience, It'll soon be over"
Little John led me into the group
and the schoolmaster began: Let US
call this bit of story: THE Guide
to Paradise"
"One day in early June / was
lynn under the big apple tree in the
garden-sure ! was. 1t was all
white and sweet with the blossoms
like a bride in her veil-an' l heard
the hum o. the bees wing an doors
O. the upper world come down to
me. / was lookin' at the little bird
house that we had hung in the tree
top. OF a sudden l saw tiny bit
O. a 'warf-no longer than the
thumb O. Mary-God love heron
its wee porch an lookin' down at
me.
"'Good luck to YET says I. Who
are your
The.
Nobody says 1.
"sThat's Just who I am says he,
I'm Nobody from Nowhere-God
save you from the like
"'Glad to see ye,' says l.
"'Glad to be SEEN says he.
There's mighty few people can
see me-
Looks to me as if We were tell
in the truth says l.
Nobody is the only one that al
ways tells the truth-God help ye,
says he. And here's a big chunk
O. it. Not one in a thousand ever
gets the feet O. his mind in the land
O. Nowhere-better luck TO them!
Where is it?' says I.
"'rp above the earth where the
great God keeps His fiddle says he.
what fiddle? says 1.
1.-The fiddle o silence says he.
Sure, I'm playin' it now. II has
long strings o. gold that reach
way out across the land O. No
where-ye call 'em stars. The
winds and the birds play on it.
Sure. the birds are my hens
He cIapped his hands and down
came a robin and sat beside him.
Nobody rumpled up the feathers on
her~back and she queed like she
was goin' to peck me-the hussy!
"'She's my watchhen, says No
body. Guards the house and lays
eggs for me-the darlinI Sure,
I've a wonderful farm up here in
the air-millions o. acres. and the
flowers and the tops o the trees
and the gold mines O. the sky are
in it. The flowers are my cattle
and the bees are my hired men. Do
ye see 'em milkin' this big herd o
apple blossoms? My hired men
carry their milk away to the hol-
low trees and churn it into honey.
There's towers and towers of it in
the land O. Nowhere. If 1t wasn't
for Nowhere your country would be
as dark as a pocket and as dry as
dust-sure it would. Somewhere
must be next to Nowhere-or it
wouldn't be anywhere, I'm thinkin'
All the light and rain and beauty O.
the world come out O. Nowhere
don't they? We have the widest
ocean up here with wonderful ships.
l call it Gods ferry. Ye see, No
where is not to be looked down upon
just because We don't find it in
Mary's geography. There's lots o
things We don't know. man. I'm one
O. them. What do We think o me?'
"'Sure, I like ye.' says l..
LUCKY mani says he. Every
body must learn to like me an play
with me as the children do. l can
get along with the little folks, but
it's hard to teach men how to play
with me-God pity them! They for
get how to believe. lam the guide
to paradise and unless We become as
little child 1 can not lead ye'
He ran to the edge o the tree
roof and took hold o. the end of a
long spiders rope hangin' down in
the air. In jiffy he swung clear
O the tree and climbed, hand over