Mexico Missouri message., 1918-01-17
GOOD old WINTER
Cold Wave Makes Humanity
Warm Up to Every One.
Zero Temperature Brings Out plversl,
fled Discussion Around the Stoves
In Favorlte Meeting Places.

After all ther's somethin' fine an hu-
manizin' about a goou stingln' cold
snap. 1t seems t. bring us closer
t'gether an cause a friendlier feelin'
all around. Most any o. us are wlllin'
t. let bygones be bygones before we cit
square from home on zero mornln',
fer TIERS somethin' about n cold wave
that makes us want t. warm up t. th'
first feller we meet. We Jest seem
t feel that we must release everything
on our minds that's pleasant an
frothy, says Abe Martin, In the In
dianapolis News.
Around tn grocery stove, in th'
close, ill-smellln' depot, in tn stuffy
crowded car. or wherever folks are
won't t huddle, like marooned sail
ors, In zero weather, we find th' best
o. fellowship. We hear o. ole winters
In tn seventies; we hear lively ex-
change o. views on tn probable extent
o. tn cold weather; we learn tn In
ner workin's O. tn homes o. others;
we're brought face t. face with resur-
rected Overcoats an muffs o. doubtful
vintage.
We gather highly illuminatlve In
formation regardin' tn respective
claims o. tn various heatln' systems;
we learn valuable facts about tn heat
units o. this coal or that; we find out
who gifts up first in tn homes of 9TH
ers; we hear pitiful stories o. destitu-
ton n how tn pumps an water pipes
have stood tn sudden drop in temper
ature; we learn tn thickness of our
neighbors' underwear, an almost
allus there's somebuddy In tn crowd
who has jest received letter from
friend In Floridy an we gain much
interestin' information about tn cli-
matte conditions in tn Southland.
ave burned twenty-one tons o. coal
so fer an we have t. live in tn dinin'
room," says tn blustery little man,
with an icicle danglin' from his
goatee.
1--WE heat our house fine an we're
on our seventh ton o. COAL" says tn
tall, faithful clerk with q purple nose.
II let my wife run tn furnace"
says the frail bookkeeper with wa
terry eyes.
eth only trouble we have is shoot
In hot air in a southwest bedroom"
says tall man o. commandln' appear
ance an buckled overshoes.
81 stayed at Aunt Elias house last
night. She has tn steamed heat an
her house is jest like toast" says tn
narrow-gaged stenographer, with bare
powdered throat, transparent shins an
ponderous goat muff.
"If you're goin' t heat a house,
you've got t burn coal. I don't care
whether It's steam or hot water or
hot air, you've got t. loosen up an
pile on tn coal. 1 never knowed that
till this winter. We used t. spend our
winter evenin's In tn nickel the-aters,"
says a round, positive feller, wearln'
an ole reversible ulster.
"Our friend is right. You've got t.
have fire. You can't put any O. that
economical stuff over on furnace. No
economical wife ever made q good cup
O. coffee. There's two things you've got
= use hDSAohJ IL Jou want ACSuitS' al
them's coal an coffee" says a fierce
loolSin' man with thin red whiskers an
q prehistoric fur cap.
But zero weather clumps an crowds
are allus friendly, fer ther' seems t be
somethin' in tn cold, bitin' winds that
warns US t. keep Off O. politics an con-
fine our observations t. tn more home
ly topics.