The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1939-03-30
The Common-tater
-By Chuck Rattle
A COlumnist Gazes Out the Window
DIARY From q SiclrOOm)
BY Chuck Rattle

(Diary From SickrOOm)
Spring drew her magic wand one nite-and To-,
a fairyland appeared Spring-the slim, blonde,
favored daughter of Mother Nature-with the devil
ish twinkle in her eye, who came to sit on the cold
lap of winter, has melted the harsh old gentleman.
With promises she may, or may not, keep. She
made a fairyand. fairyland of muddy alleys,
tincanned back yards, gushing waterlets that rush
ed to low places finally dried up fairyland
OF sights sounds-even new feeling.
There's something about spring air. It's fresh, mild.
1t pushes gently. Winter air is harsh; falls is crisp
summer, coarse with heat and dust In winter
air pushes heavily against your face resisting as
high tension spring Air in spring-like that with
the tension gone.
When 1 was younger spring meant getting into
the woods to Chamber like a monkey thru barren
limbs. 1t meant yearnng for barefoot time; and
seeking spot in soggy pasture from which to
launch kite that tugged and frolicked as eagerly
in the new season. Most important of all
spring signs the note of the meadowlark. For
ever, that will mean spring
Those were positive approaches to this thing
called spring. The adult is negative. He
doesn't rush at the thing with a furry He merely
oosens his coat, or hikes it off. He looks to his
companion with a knowing way that says, Il knew
it coming. Thank God another winter has
gone" And then, having delivered this grafton,
rushes into a hectic turmoil of house cleaning
garden planting That'stoo negative in approach;
too positive in knowledge. When was kid
didn't know spring coming. Surely winter, with
all of its fun would just end. 1t seemed that
after endless days of low temperatures, snow, sum
less skies-it couldn't end. And then, quite mir
aculously, day it perched my windowsill
1 had awakened to spring That was fun
Clock watcher not. But slave I to a
little instrumental tube with red and black mark
ings and silver ribbon that romped up and down
between them. Yep, the thermometer. Its
message not encouraging. Always it said, stay
in bed" could tell because it went in the red
like deficit. So was like bank on whose
resources was being made a run. And darned soon
needed new capital and confidence to put me the
even course of business. And index to it all was
this slender tube-under the tongue, please-that
kept me in bed until I knew every wrinkle in thu.
counterpart.
Queer how one becomes attuned to sounds when
all you have to look at is the ceiling. ). From my
room sounds multiplied in a hundred ways. Voices,
snatches of conversation. Outside a train rumb-
led past, trail of ebony biowing to mark it's path
Down the street could hear kids yelling, dogs
barking. And as the sun broke I could hear
neighbors this South Pine street sitting out in
front. I could imagine them choosing the westerly
stoops to toast in the sun. How maddening to
hear snaches of conservation from below and strain
with everything to hear, and then lose it. In the
forenoon the delivery boys came trotting up the
back porch deposited their errand here and off
again. Telephone rang. The mater hurried
about her household duties. =. The radio chortled
out some gbberish, I couldn't get. In mid-after-
noon things quieted again-siesta time. Just
before supper picked up the life again kids came
hollering home from school. After it all, down
went the Sunset paled the day. Night moved
in.
And lest I forget my sympathies to the woman
hood of America. She will have large pores, crows
feet, Redeemed, roughened hands, grayed tatte-tale
clothing unsighty bulges in her figure, her teeth
Will fall out. All this is inevitable Oh yes
L nearly forgot, her cakes will fall fatter than tn.
poor arches on which she walks. Now this is a
dreadful state of affairs. You see. I've been list
enlng to the radio. Butch, happy day-it need
not be dire calamity if-and here is the bundle of
happiness for each and every one of YOU There is
a cure for each of these things Just do so and so,
use so and So And all can be avoided
shudder to think that these lovely women are really
not lovely at ALL And should they be deprived quite
suddenly of all these sustenances aids beauty and
to life, they should fall into quite feess heaps right
at our feet. It's all bit appalling. -.
In my gazing out the window I've noticed almost
daily trips toward town are made by Mr. Will Bean
to do marketing for his wife and himself. I quite
remember Mr.. Bean as one of our favorte neighbors
when we lived on Birch street He and Mrs. Bean
lived just back on the next street That was some
years ago; yet he looks different as I remember
him. can see him working in his garden. Each
fairtme you can him sitting out by the railroad
crossing, an umbrella overhead to protect against
the sun, flagman. Just how long he's held
that vigilant post, can't say; but certainly long
enough for recognition. Today he went by. His
wide brimmed hat his mustachios white as his hair
brown coat over his back. On his arm a med
ium-sized market basket the handle of which is
reinforced with pieces Of rope. ..
ssss
Two copies of the Anchorage Daily Times, from
Alaska today emphasized more and more how far
reaching is publicity. The copies are from Norb
Nathe and reprinted in the March 18th issue is that
New York Times editorial that linked Sank Centre
and Sinclair Lewis at that Minneapolis party And
that's quite few miles away. Evan Wruck, one
of the best muckers in Juneau who was called here
by the death of his father had this offer on the
subject. He said Everyone up there knows of Sank
Centre. At first it surprised little, then I was
pleased. In fact, many who don't even know of Min
neapolis have heard of Sank Centre" :. So we
fell to talking OF Alaskan rains that held for days
straight last summer. of the fact that Alaska is
probably the most sky-minded of the U. s. posses
sons. The reason Is so few roads. Around
Juneau there are just Sc miles of roads-and get
this-they do not connect Juneau with any other
towns. Streams are too slow and can't be guided