New Britain herald., 1919-09-25
FLANK LONG, Hands New Britain a BOuQuet

Now that it is almost time to stuff the ballot box and turkey, l take pen In hand to express my deep, souls Keeper thanks to all the generous people who have been so kind as to have laughed with mo through the Kindness of the New Britain Herald. I assure you my dear people | am as happy as Billy Sunday when he pass es the collection plate. You have been charming to me, and wish to say to all of those who owe me money, forget 1t! Forget you owe me a cent, and l assure you l shall forget I owe you. @ dollar! l am as sure as that the sun shines Cor wilD that were I to ask credit at any store in New Britain any of you would trust me. You see how much I think you think of me, and all because of the Kindness Of the dear good gentle, whole souled editor! God bless him!
 May his shadow never grow less even at noon day! May his children and
 children's children rise up and call
 him dressed" May he always be able to munch a crust, and have crust as well as possess a crust.
 I was unable to attend the recent celebration tepdered the noble boys who took their life In hand and who were ready to lay it down that we might have preserved to us America lintarnished. Many of these boys in the years gone l dandled on my knee. l Many of them remember the pen l nies md dimes and dollars and over l coat buttons l gave them by mistake when they ran barefooted in the stra 3tS of New Britain. I doubt not there are those who remember me l .hld q n of the Sodiers' Monument chewing 4 the quid of reminisCence and trying - to separate my whs<ers from my : fine cut! There are those, too, I am sure, who remember the stories I told them as we loHed meath the lazy shade near the old swimming hole. Yes I am sure you do An how time flies, Yesterday it was a "barefoot boy with cheek of tan'' and today many of you have the cheek to tan your boy just because he happens to . be 8 little late for supper. Just be- cause he went to a boy friends house to see the new pup he traded for bat and ball. Don't tan m any more dad. Yes, K know all about the old
 saying, Spare the rod and spoil the
 chiId." But you mrk me old top if
 you whale the devil out of a boy in anger, TWO dGVllS Will come Ill dllu ten to one little Harold will some day cause you to hike to the chicken coop or down cellar for protection. So say. don't be too hard on the kid
 And I must not forget the girls. XBut, now that they are all grown Suppose I may not be as free with them as of yore, but gee, wouldn't I Hike to take some of them on my knee, and tell them fairy stories, but la me, I guess many could spell
 better fairy story than your Uncle
 Hank! Well, all Il can say is that
 during my prolonged stay in New
 York and New Jersey 1 didn't see a
 Eal twice as pretty as the homeliest gal
 n New Britain. And, another thing,
 never saw so much powder and
 paint before as I saw while away. When I arrived home my right
 shoulder and my left shoulder was a Bight-all red and white powder. Suppose it must rubbed off in the press of the crowd, or when I pressed
 The crowd. It's quite difficult to press a whole crowd alone. I asked Xl policeman to help me and he only laughed. He said, "G'wan y old
 Connecticutite' thryin' t git me in
 rouble. G'wan CT I'll run V in.'
 T am sure the recent celebration
 will never be forgotten. | am posi-
 i've that in the years to come, long
 fter my hands have been crossed on
 by concavc chest and l have been