Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1920-10-01


comes along asking impertinent aues.
tions as to how many children have.
and my maiden name before I was
married. and whether there's insanity
In the family.
I'm sick and tired Of answering
such questions. II my old friends
want to dig into my family history,
I'll give them all the information they
want, although I may consider their
conundrums in bad taste, but when a
perfect stranger comes along and asks
me If do my own washing, I feel that
the line must be drawn somewhere.
Every jack in Office asks questions. II
used to be that the assessor would
come to the door politely, and inquire
how many dogs we kept, and take our
estimate Of the value Of our prop
erty without looking as though he
knew we ought to be prosecuted for
perjury. But now he must know the
color Of your grandfather's side whis,
kers, and If you tell him that you keep
no dogs he goes out and looks under
the house, and in the barn, and when
he comes back he warns you that the
penalties for giving false information
are severe.
"Mr. Curfew says that the next
time the assessor comes, he is going
to throw him over the hack fence and
kick him down the alley for dis
tance of seven blocks. and hope he'll
keep his word"
II didn't mean to offend you," said
the stranger. "I'm Introducing a wash.
ing powder that saves half the labor.
and dispenses with soap altogether.
With this marvellous powder q woman
can do tn" weeks washing and have
her clothes hung on the line. inside of
two hours"
swell. mister. you take package
Of your marvellous powder down to
the creek. and give yourself good
scruhbing. for you look as though you
had been fishing out of somebody's
dustbin. Your whislers are full Of
saw,lust. and your face is covered
with CRIME. If you were introducing
bltuminous coal, there might he some
excuse for your appearance. hut
man who is selling washing powder
ought to be like the driven snow. or
nobody will have confidence in him.
"And wouldn't have anything to
do with your washing powder If you
offered to bring me wagOnload FOR
twenty cents. make my own soap
Of ,lye and grease. and although 1t
isn't indOrsed by the crowned heads
of Europe. or by prelates or vice pres
idents, it's the hest soap ever made,
and know the ingredients are whole
some. even II they don't comprise
barks and buds and healing herbs.
"When I use my own soap, l know
the things wash won't be any the
worse for 1t, but the washing powders
sold by agents are made Of dynamite
md lunar caustic, and garment once
washed with them will never he ht
to use again.
"Last spring was feeling too poor
" to make the usual batch Of SOAP
80 I bought a package of washing
powder from an agent who had MS
pockets full Of testimonials showing
that he was man of high moral char
acter. 1t happened that week tha'
all of Mr.. Curfew's white shirts were
in the wash. Mr.. Curfew is very par
ticular about his shirts. They must
he as white as arctic snow, or the way
ne raves around the house Is a dis
grace. Well, I wish 70" could nave
seen those shirts after they were
washed. They had an old gold color
and have been getting yellower ever
since. and Mr.. Curfew never sits down
but he speaks about 1t and MAKES
things uncomfortable.
$50 you had better toddle along
and sell your washing powder 10 some
woman who doesn't know how TO make
0ood SOap."