Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-04-16

ton with man who seemed to be
finding plenty to do in his trade, and
who would, no doubt, be expecting
big things for the little town, as l
was trying to convince myself would
be the case, so l remarked
In another five or ten years Elma
will be about twice as big as it is
now"
well, l would just like to bet you
hundred dollars" said he, 'that it
won't"
Gosh And l only had about 80
cents to bet with. Then he said:
III, bet you a hat that in five
years Elma won't be as big as it is
now"
He didn't say new hat, so
looked at my own hat and it looked
pretty new yet, so | said:
We'll, that's a long time to wait
for a new hat, but guess mine will
last that long, so | will take the bet >,
| said to myself:
Maybe he knows what he is talk
ing about, but if | do lose I'll give
him my old one"
He told me he came from a little
town in Iowa and had been here 1S
years; that the Iowa town was pros
porous and wide awake, not asleep
like Elma. In Elma at the present
time the best pay he could get at his
trade was only eight dollars a day.
l felt sorry for him and wished he,
too, could find someone to help him
get away from Elma before the col
lapse. SO he could return to Iowa,
where times are good. But I told
him l believed the census of 10 years
ago showed a decrease in the popula-
ton of Iowa of many thousands.
| have been told that 10000 Iowa
people moved to Oregon. and prob
| Washington. Elma has one of em
anyway. ST.
l used to live in Iowa myself when
| was kid. for 13 lucky years
Lucky because l got away withou,
freezing to death. dying of the hea'
or being blown over into the mex
county. People move too sudden
there to suit me. All those prairie
states do to much blowing. The
Iowa man in Elma is blowing
yet after eighteen years residence in
this SLEEPY town where he can get but
eight dollars a day for his skillful
labor. When our neighbor's house
moved one night before he was ready.
he jumped out and grabbed a fence
post, lying fiat on the ground in the
rain until the procession passed by.
THAT reminds me- of a story about
wind that "A Feller Told Me-"
A minister who was fond of par
rots wanted one that would no:
swear. He knew a sailor who came
from where the parrots grow. so he
| told the sailor man what he wanted.
A parrot that could not and would
| not swear or use obscene or vulgar
| language. Jack Tar told him he had
Just the kind of bird he wanted,
and he could have it for very rea-
soanble price. only $50. A good
talker and very refined. He bought
it and the time of delivery was de-
cided on. Then he invited lot of
friends. including other ministers
and their wives. to be on hand when
his wonderful talking. refined parrot
would arrive. Polly had spent all
her lite on sailing vessel and could
out-swear any sailor who ever reefed
sail. When the minister carried
his prize parrot into the parlor, she
looked around at the assemblage and
began giving orders like a captain to
lot of roughneck sailors, in the
vilest swearing ever listened to by
mortal man. or course the guests
thought they had been imposed on
bv the minister and made a hasty
retreat, leaving him speechless and
in towering rage. He was on the
verge of murder. with poor polly as
the victim. Grasping the cage by the
top, he swung it violently around his
head a few times and then slammed
1t on the floor. The violence CT the
swing and the shock when it hit the
floor knocked polly off the perch. and
she landed on the bottom Of the cage
in heap, with her feathers all
mussed up. She got up, staggered
little. shook herself, and said:
"Jesus Christ. How the wind
blows"
Elma may be a dead one, but /
prefer it to state where | might
cuddenly be distributed in pieces over
several counties at once.
Nrhnn I came TO L,lma ! 9 months