Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-12-20


suggests jingle or doggerel., l. defy
any minor poet when furnished with
such a phrase, to refrain from BURST
ing at once into:-i.- ~ - 3 -
No matter where you travel :. ~
No matter where you roam.
You'll never durn-di- dunn -df"dee
The folks back home. ty- Il
Sincerely yours, -:a
REBALARRABEE.
P. S. On second. thought Il believe
James Whitcomb, Riley could do it
and overcome the difficulties, but
alas! have not his touch! t',t@
Dear Mrs. Larrabee:-s.
We never refuse verses because
they are too good for, the public.
Nothing is too good for the public,
but the public must be the Judge of
what pleases it. ~ 49, 49,
1.-THE folks back home" is a phrase
that will strike the eye and ear Of
thousands of wandering sons and
daughters. They viii choose that
card from the heaped-up masses on
the counters and send it to every
State in the Union. II you will
glance at your first card you viii see
that though people may read it they
will always leave it on the counter.
7 want my cards on counters, by the
thousand. but don't intend that
they should be left, there! = -: -...., -.
Make an effort, dear Mrs. Larrabee!
could get ''the folks back home
done here in the office in half an hour,
but I'm giving you the chance be-
cause you live in Beulah, New Hamp-
shire. and because you make beautf-
full pictures. = ::t3.'>.it:s =; :. -
Sincerely yours ~. -
REUBEN SMALL.
Dear Mr.. SMALL -
I enclose colored sketch, of the
outside Of the cottage whose living
room used in my first card. I
chose it because I love the person
who lives in it; because it. always
looks beautiful in the snow, and be-
cause the tree is SO picturesque. The
fact that it is gray for lack of paint
may remind casual wanderer that
there is something to do, now and
then, for the folks back home" The
verse is just as bad as I thought 1t
would be. It. seems incredible that
any one should buy it., but ours is a
big country. and there are many kinds
Of people living in it, so who knows {?
Why don't you accept my picture and
then you write the card? l could not
put my initials on this! They are
unknown, to be sure, and should
want them to be, if you use it!
Sincerely yours, ~. ..
REBA LARRABEE.
Now here's a Christmas greeting
To the folks back home.p ). ~.
IL comes to you across the space.
I've searched the wide world over,
But no matter where I roam, -.
No friends are like the old friends,
NO folks like those back home..'
Dear Mrs. Larrabee:- -.
1 gave you five dollars for the first
picture and verses, which you, as a.
writer, regard more highly than I,
who am merely q manufactures.
Please accept twenty dollars for ,sThe
Folks Back Home" on which hope
to make up my loss on the first card!
1 insist on signing the despised verse
with your initials. In case r. l..
should later come to mean something,
you will be glad that a few thousand
people have seen it.
Sincerely, ..
REUBEN SMALL.
The Hessian soldier andirons, the
portrait over the Boynton mantel.
and even Lefty Boynton's cape were
identified on the first card, sooner or
later. but it was obvious that Mrs.
Larrabee had to have a picture for
her verses and couldn't be, supposed
to make one up "out' of her head:
though Osh Popham declared It
had been done again and again ii,
other parts Of the world. Also It
was agreed that. as Letty's face vas
not distinguishable, nobody outside
OF Beulah could recognize her by her
cape;s and that anyhow it couldn't
make much difference, for IL anybody
wanted to spend fifteen cents on "A
card he certainly would buy the one
about the folks back. home" The
popularity Of this was established by
the fact that It was selling, not only
in Beulah and Greentown, but in Boss
ton, and in Racine, Wisconsin. and.
it was rumored, even in Chicago.
The village milliper in Beulah had
disposed OF ,twenty-seven- comics in
thirteen days and the mtnisterss vrife