The Topeka state journal., 1922-07-07
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BIZ JAY 2. HOUSE.
(From Philadelphia Public Ledger)
A Letter to Bill Dye

A Letter to Bill Dye.
Friend Bili-Probably you are not
expecting no letter from me. If
fellow has not heard from a friend OF
his for thirty years, or seen him, nat
urally he is not expecting a letter
from him right in the busy season.
If Il was winter time and not much
to do he might wonder why he never
wrote, but he wouldn't be expecting
letter, even then. What got me to
of July and how we used to celebrate
IT. Last night 1 was telling Adelaide
about the time we went to Parsons.
She says it's my best story, and when
Adelaide says one or my stories is
good it must be. I hear, every now
and then. where she has spoken well
of me to others, but she never says it
to me. And expect it is the same
with you. The way 1 remember Lucy
I wouldn't expect her to be any diff
ferent, in that respect, from Ade-
laide. 1 expect you remember the
time we went to Parsons. but you've
been to so many Fourth of July cele-
brations II may have slipped your
memory.
Well. IL you do remember it, you
remember you and me and Jim and
John drove down in the farm wagon.
John took his mules on account we
never could get team in summer be-
cause they had to rest when not work
ing, and they did not get much of a
vacation. at that. We didn't want to
miss anything, so We started early. 1
remember 1 got up at $3.50 and we
was on the way by 5 O'Clock. 1t was
eighteen miles, and that's a long drive
then. but Saturday night Adelaide and
l drove twenty-three miles to dinner
and would have got there on time
only Adelaide had to go back after we
got into the car to See was the doors
and windows all locked, like it makes
any difference to burglar whether
the doors and windows are locked or
not Well, was all dressed up, but
You and Jim and John had on your
sunday suits, black and winter weight
had new seersucker coat and vest,
a new pair of brown pants, and new
shoes. II do say it myself, there was
not many of the boys that dressed bet
ter than 1 did. Do you remember
mad the first derby hat in the neigh
oSrhood? Well, We got to Parsons
ABOUT o'clock, and after we had 1nn-
hitched the mules and fed them their
nay We walked to where they were
going to have the celebration, which
was about half a mile from the busi-
ness section. And just as we got
there 1t started to rain! Well, we
started to run back, and about half
way to town 1 fell down and tore NV
new pants across both knees. We all
got soaking wet, and when that seer
sucker outfit dried on me, which 1t did
as soon as the sun came out, the
tail OF the coat struck me in the mid
ole or the back, the sleeves came
only to my elbows and the vest had
entirely disappeared. SartorialIy I
was a total loss, but we had a pretty
good time and I got home the next
morning in time to go to work shock
ing oats.
Well, as George Cohan or somebody
said, this is a funny world. expect
you still go to Fourth of July ceie-
brations, if they still have them, but
all the preparation I made for today
was to ask the barber when he shaved
me yesterday was he going to keep
open. That's about ali the Fourth
means to me now: does the barber
shop stay open? That's about all any
holiday means, and I used to be keen
about them. I remember the last
two years we was in school together
we set in the same seat and studied
the same history. There was a lot of
things in that history that stirred us
both. tho most of them have since
been disputed by somebody, and
Henry Ford says it's all bunk"
remember how we used to get worked
up over the signing of the Declaration
of Independence. l suppose l read
that part of the history n thousand
times, and you did, too. But never
expected to be much nearer to the
Declaration of Independence than I
was then, and here l am, sitting by an
open window and looking out at the
very spot where it was signed, and it
is not to exceed seventy-five yards
away If Thomas jefferson was to
step out of the back door of Inde-
pendence Hall right now 1 would see
him and am plenty close enough to
recognize him. OF course, I have not
actually been in Independence Hail
since IAcame to Philadelphia to live,
hut I could go any time and probably
will some time.
Well, we used to lead happy, care
free lives, and we certainly had a
good time. We hardly ever had to
get up before o'clock in the morn
ing, and we was nearly always thru
with the chores and everything by