Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-11-18
Blotting Paper.

where's a blotter: | never can
keep onem exclaimed Gilbert Franklin.
as he rummaged through the draw
ers of his own little desk.
"Once upon a time people did not
have blotters to use at ALL" said his
Uncle Charles Crawford.
They ddnt?" said Gilbert in sur
prise. 81 thought there was blottIng
paper always"
"No; AMI the way to make plotting
paper was discovered by accident"
replied his uncle. "Sand was used for
drying ink before plotting paper was
discovered"
81 want to see IL can dry ink with
sand, when you finish this story" Gil
bert interrupted.
zone day at a paper mill in the hills
of Berkshire some ordinary paper was
being made" Mr.. Crawford began. "and
a careless worker forgot to put in a
certain material called sizing. All the
paper was spoiled and thought to be
useless, so il was thrown aside, and
the workman was scolded for his care
lessness. Soon after the paper had
been thrown away the owner Of the
mill wanted to write a note, and he
picked up a piece Of this waste paper
to write on. He was vexed when the
ink spread all over the paper, and then
the idea came to him that this paper
might dry ink as we'll as sand. He
wrote on piece Of good paper and tried
to dry the ink with the waste paper
and it did the work we'll. He at once
advertised this useless paper as blot
ting paper"
"Then the man had really made
something useful instead Of spelling
the paper" said Gilbert.
"Yes, he had" agreed Mr.. Crawford
"The red rags could not be used to
make ordinary paper. as all the color
would not come out, so the red rags
were used for blothng paper, and thai
was the reason all the first blottna
paper ever made was OF pink color.
These rags had been wasted before blot
ting paper was made" finished Mr.
Crawford.
81 am glad | learned how plotting
paper happened to be made" said Gil
bert. And here is my own blotter.'
The Upward Look.
Don't you ever get discouraged ~
asked of woman whose house was
Just outside one of the most dismal vii
lagos | ever saw. at must be lonely
sometimes in the little town." | had
almost said "hideous little town."
ooh, no." she answered, mot now any
more since got to looking up
"'Looking up'?" | questioned.
Looking at the sky instead Of the
ground" she explained hadn't you
ever thought of it?"
"Why, now
"Well," she went on, "this is about
the worst-looking town in this section
and the deadest 1t didn't used to be
nearly so bad years ago, but it's running
down, and for awhile there after my
husband died and | was so alone, | got
clean discouraged looking around me.
Especially in winter, and when the mud
came.
Zone day was standing right here
in this yard looking at the road and
wondering how long it would be before
could wade into town. and all of sud-
den looked up! guess was the most
surprised woman in the world at that
moment. saw the most beautiful blue
sky ever dreamed Of. 1t was the blu
est sky. just couldn't half tell you
about it, and there were the softest
white clouds floating in it, all
happy and care-free! And there it
had been all the time right over my head
and | never had the sense to look up.
81 just went in the house and got
down on my stiff old knees and thanked
God, and, do you know, that sky has
been right there ever since? OF course,
it's not always blue, sometimes it's
cloudy and we have storms, but it's
always wonderful to watch, never twice
the same"
ON THE IOD