Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-12-09
THE LOST FREIGHT CAR.

WI the lOurIn evening, afteF the
dishes were washed up, Jane said:
u thi1k your stories are very nice,
Uncle Tan, but don't think they are
very improbable. OF course, the nut
meg man was not very likely, but the
COW was-tf she had had one eye put
out some time-and the ancient
schooner was"
1.-THE COW did have one eye put out"
said Uncle Tan. didn't 1 tell you
about thatT She didn't purpose to
have it put out, but she suffered the
loss of an eye when she was child
"A calf, I mean. A boy named Micky
Kuhblinder hit her In the eye with a
blunt arrow. So that makes all that
story likely enough"
There is one thing about the
schooner story that seems to me very
unlikely" said Peter. 81 don't believe
any dog would spend a whole night
and day hunting a lame duck"
We'll" said Uncle Tan, getting down
his pipe and filling it, "that seems to
me improbable, tOO-nOt impossible,
but improbable. After this am going
to make the stories more improbable,
because the children did more and
more unlikely things, and 1 must stick
to the f0cts. If you can get two i'm
probable persons, 1t is very probable
that they will do improbable things.
The great difficulty is to find the i'm
probable people. Most folks are very
probable. You can pretty nearly tell
-NYybok fbov oV.o -o.0fnP 20
Uncle Tan built up the fire with
fresh wood, and sat down in his old
rocking chair. His white hair brushed
against the pale golden pears that
were painted ON the top part of the
chair. Then he told story number
four, which was as follows:
Once upon a time the children were
I'd go again to see their grandparents.
They were to go alone this time. Not
even Aristotle was to go. They were
to go on the train, and were not even
I'd be put in care of the conductor.
1t was shortly before Grandma's
birthday, and the family thought it
would be pleasant to send their pres
ents to Grandma by the children. The
schildren's clothes were put in Brothers
little trunk, and they quite filled it.
II was not possible to put the pres
'ehts in the trunk. Accordingly the
presents were put in satchel, and the
lunch for the children was put in a
little basket.
will tell you about one of the pres
ents. The biggest one was a chatting
dish. The children's father sent that,
because he thought it would please
Grandma to have so citifled q thing.
There was thick flask of alcohol with
~, because the lamp under the chatting
dish burned alcohol. Also there was
a can of lobster, because papa was a
joker and he thought it would amuse
Grandma to have the chatting dish all
complete, with the lobster ready to
cook in 1t. When he thought of the
lobster papa began to laugh. He
Thought It would be amusing to send
Grandma the other things that go into
a lobster Newburg, although he knew
that Grandma had all such things in
rhe house. But he made up a silly
little package containing butter and
salt and cayenne pepper, and nutmeg,
and two eggs and bottle Of cream.
Yes, and he added a paper book con-
tat1ing nothing but recipes for chatting
dish dishes. He had to walk clear
down town to get that book, because
de forgot IT the first time he went
In the little basket the children's
iunch was packed, enough for one
Tneal. The train was to start in the
morning and get to Grandpa's town
early in the evening. / forget what
they had ia the lunch basket, except
one thing. / remember that they had
two bottles OF lemonade.
They had a pleasant journey all day.
It was a cloudy day in September, and
It grew dark very early 1t was just
warm enough to be pleasant. Early
an the evening the children kept ex-
pecting to hear their station called
put, but they didn't hear it, for the
rain was an hour late. That was
what the brakeman told them pres
emily.
SO the children settled down to wait.
They were In the last coach on the
train. It was day coach. for there
were no Pullman cars on this train.
IL was very long train. however, and
b very good one. The children sat in
the very last seat. And because the
time seemed long. Sister asked Brother
what they should do to pass the time.
The lamps were lighted. and it was
rather cOzy back there.
Lets think what we would do II
ne had q smashup."
"All right; what would you dot"