Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-12-11
"Chirps'' ~
from the
Democrats Pen

umn last week, and the Office poy'
looking over my shoulder, asked me
what was going to do, and | told
him he ought to know the answer to
that unless he was suddenly struck
blind. he was looking very hard at my
pencil and paper. But, l satlsfleo
him by saying;
81 am going to try to write 'Chirps"
"Well stop where you are" ne came
back.
whats the big idea" wanted to
know.
"No room for that stuff, this week. :"
"Where's all the room got to-"
cts out in the back room, and they
are bowling for more for advertise
ment space"
"Well," replied, 81 can stand that
fairly well; but would like to get
in a few words to let people know I'm
still alive. Couldn't make sort OF
compromise 2"
"What's that mean?" he inquired.
"Well." 1 ventured, eff l do away
with the editorial, thus making sort
of 'dim-out,' couldn't 1 get by with
that and do my best to let it be known
Just how it is?"
"No, Sir, it's 'black-out' for you
this week, so far as your ravngs.
People can "
Right here, blest if there didn't
come the screech of the fire siren, fol-
lowed by the long blast indicating an
air raid, either real or pretended,
didn't know which. These days it's
easy to get jittery, and I did. To be
safe, I put out several lights in the
composing room, thinking they might
make old "Sor' look dim. But | was
doing my best to abide by the rules
I poked my head in my safe door, the
nearest thing to helmet could find,
and l staid right where / was put,
till the siren once more, eased my
nerves.
You know, that shows just what al
good soldier I'd make, if some of these
air birds should decide to drop some
of their eggs from the ethereal blue.
Now, some people showed their per-
feet Indifference to danger, walked the
streets with rare nonchalance and
seemed to say that if bomb should
drop in their way, they'd pick the
thing up, take it home, and see what
the blamed thing looked like as to its
"innards." I amt built that way. The
place thought I'd like to be, was out
on the golf course. I heard they had
a lot of holes out there, but somebody
told me recently they were hardly
hig enough to accommodate corporos-
itv of my lateral and vertical dimen-
sions. I think a submarine would be
a good thing to have in times OF
raids, especially with the Pocomoke
river available. If one of those crafts
ever reached the bottom of this
stream, it would have to be careful
how it settled, because there must
be a very narrow strip of land be-
tween the floor of this and Australia.
This is some deep pool, you can take
it from me.
Well. the air raid is over, and where
was / at? / started to tell you peo-
ple that I'm in a position very much
like Jim Canonn's houn' dog. I'm all
the time being kicked around. If any
matter is bounced out of the paper, it
seems to be that which comes from
nv fertile brain; it doesn't seem to
be estimated by the office boy, ct al,
at a very high value; and it shares
the fate of the old "houn' dig'-it's
kicked out.
Now, of course, there's just one
compensation. Most all the time, one
can find consolation; most all the
time there's a silver lining behind the
darkest clouds, so the poets tell us;
so when my simple utterances turn
up missipS they have given space for
something that pertains to the mater
ial upkeep of the creature man-an
advertisement. And in these days of
rationing Cor is it raytioning?), I
don't find any coupons issued by local
boards, that can be exchanged for a
comfortable dollar bill. If you are
like am, them things is getting scar
Ger and scarcer. So, if l can sell some
space for dead-head Chirps column,
who blames me? l believe l can stand
a little kickin' aroun' if the kicks are
not too muscular, and the toe of the
boot is padded with a bank note or
two.
Let's all look forward to better
and brighter time. The Christmas sea-
son is on us, and this is no occasion
for anything but rejoicings.