Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-01-30

exhibit the wonders of the most
marvellous metropolis in existence
to a man who has never been farther
away from his own main street than
Marshaltown, Iowa. I determined to
give Elmer something to talk about
when he went back home.
He was so glad to see me that
he didn't seem to pay much attention
to the imposing magnitude of the
Grand Central station, when l met
him at the train. | thought prob
ably he was a little bewildered with
it all, so I waved my arm around
in various directions and inquired if
it wasn't quite sizeable place
Sail right said Elmer. ''You
ought to see the new Central Depot.
Brick built and with a tile roof, and
regular train sheds. Four trains a
day there, every day in the year,
not countin' excursions up to the
lake in the summer time. People
come in from every hick burg for 15l
miles around to look at it-just to
look at it, mind you. They just
drive up in their flivvers and gawk
at it and then drive back home
again satisfied that they've seen
somethin'. And they have, at that
You ought to take a run out there
and look it over. You'd be proud
of the old place"
1T struck me that the way to
impress Elmer would be to spring
something on him suddenly, so that
he would get the full magnitude of
it. So I steered him into the sub
dawn n
City Hall park. I wanted to lead
him out into the daylight where the
Woolworth would hit him right in
the eyes.
asked him as we went down the
stairs if he'd heard much about the
subway back home. "Oh, yes" he
said, we heard of it of course.
About them crowds and all. I sup
pose you have to run cars under
ground here, and it's probably just
as interestin' there being not so
much to see in a big city like this.
With us, we'd rather ride in the
busses through the streets where we
can look at the improvements goin'
on from day to day.
"You may not believe me, but
there's five stores goin up on Main
street right now, and one of them
is this here steel fireproof construc-
! tion, with office rooms in it up.
stairs, and big hall for the Rotary
club on the top story. They're goin'H
to have a kitchen connected with
it so they can serve meals there.
If you want to see lively progressive
little county seat you want to take.
RIM haol< boToo Soma
At the City Hall station, I piloted
toward the gothic tower just over
the way.
"This will fetch him. I said to.
! myself. "He1l catch his breath when
he gets that bow on
Elmer looked up and down Park
Row.
where we goin now?" he asked.
That's quite a building over there"
told him pointing.
why, yes, SO it is. Something
like the spire on the new Presby-
terian church in a way. but higher
of course. That Presbyterian church
is admitted to be the prettiest in;
the northern section of the state.
Cost thirty thousand to build, and
there amt but $4,000 mortgage on
it. All the rest we raised ourselves,
what with the sale of the old
building, before we had a stone put
in mortar. The Sunday school room
will accommodate the biggest Christ
mas parties We'll ever want to give,
and there's already been three swell
weddings and couple of big funerals
of old timers in the church itself.
That building kind of reminds me
of it, now you speak of it. Some
thing in that spidery way it's built
L guess. What did you say the
, name of it was?"
/ didn't tell him. Plucking at his
arm 1 turned him away and led him
out on the bridge. 1 asked him
please to shut his eyes, because
wanted to surprise him. The Wool
worth building hadn't done the trick,
but I couldn't see how anybody could
suddenly find himself $50 feet over
the East river, with ranks of sky.
scrapers on both sides of him, and
not be impressed.
He sputtered considerably at the
blindfold business, but he was a well
disposed chap, so he gave in. AT
the top of the footway's arch 1 told
him to look around, and stood wait
ing.
Hum" he said. "This reminds me-
we built new bridge over Lime
creek since you left. I was one
of the board of county supervisors
that voted the money, and we had a
contracting firm come from Dubuque
to Go the work. It's got two spans
and a roadway wide enough for four
cars to pass. Abutments out of our
own native limestone.
There's some talk of having the
creek deepened so canoes can get
back and forth over the rifles,
making a racing course of mile
and quarter, but we amt decided
about that yet A town can't have
all the modern improvements at once
and still keep one of the lowest
tax rates in our part of the state.
II spose there's quite a lot of
people in them buildings. Well, they
amt got nothin on our business
blocks. Why sometimes at night
there's so many people on the side
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