Mower County transcript. [volume], December 27, 1905, Image 5

About Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
iV
A MAN
"f' '. Aascm theswilaagin* aw«*^ «M»|bn ^»1V-'
4 attracts attention, "So loes a man ahowiiw op fj 3gJ Y*""^ t-
Pork
the superior 4ufcUttes of the l&OBl Fenee. raFCNGEa -.», \T
Why 1 Beelnn man like a good thing. M*xra- jig,ww
teriandby TUfi PAGE WOYJCK WIBKPBNCE
AUSTIN GREEN HOUSES
Growers of
Choice Cut Flowers and Plants
Fresh Pork]Picnic Hams for Roasting, lb
Pork Roast Butts, lb......,
Pork Steak, lb
Ham Trimmings, lb....'
Shoulder
3c
Spare Ritts, lb,..
Leaf Lard, lb
Pig Pork Hocks, lb
Salt Pork» 12 lbs.
Our Pure Lard, lb
Breakfast Bacon, lb
Pipnic Hams, lb
Sugar Cured Hams, lb
ti^rUNI#FSEWER ppp-
ri-ORICK,
wSjt2api*'riieonlfr feno^ tutfy guaranteed Of&ce corner,Bridge and 1 Prauklio, 9w««_
by tbe maoa'aottirera. •,.. insnv hhin. a.-.v-um-V
AUSTIN, MINN..
1"
rT)
r*raM8S^-
ETC. a
-i h.: .•r*V.*:v.
..1 _i——t—"
Cut Roses and Carnations al
ways on hand and other
Flowers in their Season.
DESIGN WORK A
SPECIALTY.
Mail and Telephone orders
promptly attended to for Wed
dings, Parties, Funerals, Etc. Also
dealers in ^ardy Plants for Gar-'
den and Lawn, inclubing Roses,
Hydrangeas, Spireas, Syringas
Peonies, Etc. A fine line of Jardinieres constantly on
hand at prices to suit.
A. N, Kirvsmarv, Prop.
Good Steer
Fresh bulk Oysters, per quart 35 cenu
Cdsh or trade for BUTTER and EGGS. We
pay highest cash price for HIDES, TURKEYS.
CHICKENS, DUCKS, GEESE. AH Poultry and
Hides received and paid for at our Heat Harket.
Hormel's Provision Market
PHONE 80
ONE FARE FOR THE ROUND (TRIP
To St. Paul or Minneapolis
via
'The Right Road"
CHIM60
6BMT
•^^WESIERN
..... ffriUrAy
Tickets on sale, every Saturday and Sunday up to December
17,1905, good returning until the following Monday. Low rates
to otherpoints on sale Fridays. Equally low rates from Chicago
to your station and return. Notify your city friends about It.
For Full Information Apply to any Great Western Agent or to
J. P. Elmer, Generat Passengtr Agtnt,
St. Paul, Minn.
OHN W. SCOTT, President. M. J.SkAVEN. Vice-President
B. J. MOREY, Cashier. ,?
4847
The Citizens' National Bank
"y' AUSTIN, niNN.
(.Vi
1
Capital, $50,000. Undivided Prbfits/$F5,Ooo.
"i
SE?0lQN!i3RANGi
FOR CHRISTMAS
By A ST. JOHN ADCOCFC
'WHAT.
8-cts
IO cts
IO cts
IO
cts
10 pounds
for .. 25 cts
.. to cts
.. 6 cts
.. $1.00
.. 10 ct*
12% Cts
9 cts
12^2 CU
r,Js
-zK-i
-."OTjJfV1"** ...
HE bells vrere not .going,
to be rung that Christ
mas.
Bargle, 3r the sexton,
had
don't" hare no
strangers tinklin' wi*
my bells, Mr. Edward?."
liW protestedl^'Tve rung 'em over 50
year, anJ. If I ain'tekal to it thfs
Christmas—why, Jet -em", do /without
tor once, that's all!"
"Seems a pity, though, Bargle, don't
you think?"- &The vicar spoke per
baa sir sly. ,Ke was young and %iffiden^
g,nd new to Peridale and the sexton
waa- crotchety and opinionated. The,
last: vicar had slipped into, an easy
habit of deterring' to his long expe
rience, and this liad made him a^rro
?rant., "It 'is a fine old custom* Bar
gle—"
4V'H here'il be the chimes at the par
ish cln:rch over''the hill yonder," Bar
r!e interrupted: testily "they sot ad
he're in 'the village -quite plain, an'
-folks must make: the best o' that an'
be Tl:ackfuL"
''C-'r
Th?re war, a deal
of
grumbling about
it in -the village Bargle knew that,
and took a morbid pride in feeling
that he was having his own way.
People were hinting thai his" ailmfeats.
were, imaginary, that his -rheumaasaa
was merely another name for his
crabbed perversity, and an. excuse for
his increasing indolence. vjrjy
As he sat smoking and ruminating,
his thoughts traveled'along that bleak
AI.E YOU DOING' HERE,
i'OUNG MASTERS r"
roaa to the church, and back into
Hither'old Christmases vlien he had
toiled-robustly, with his assistaat^higii
up in the crazy tower, and t^ey ha.t
kept the three bells swinging and
pealing joyously from eight o'clock till
midnight, with short rests betws?u
YJhiles, and one long rest when steam
ing hot coiiee and toast had been car
ried up the narrow, steep stairs to
them by a homely, cheery little worn
as. who was his wife, and a merry
eyed, winsome maid, who was their
daughter Alice.
But that had happened for the last
ii:iie—how mmy Chmtmases as??
Why, a:ready eight winters I:r.-1
£.io ved over that mound in the church
yard'. And this was the fourth year
since Alice Jiad' deserted him in his
Ijneliness, and he had set himself to
iorcet her.
I:e had not forgotten, yet, though
or forgiven her.
In defiance of h!s imperative be
hests, she had married the ne'er-do
eel,son of a tradesman in the town
yonder, and they had gone away to
London. She had written to him thrice,
but he burned her first letter and re
turned the others unopened, and, if
he had nftt forgotten her, her name
cvas never on his lips,
At length, a few months ago. the
7iUage heard, that her husband was
•le id. She had written to a neighbor
raying she. and her baby were desti
tute, and begging that she would in
tercede and ask her father to forgive
her and let her come home.
But Bargle, mindful of his dignity,
/srdened himself, and, resenting this
atercession as an impertinence, curt
ly advised the peacemaker not to med
le in his business again hot words
assed between them, and she flung
,:f in such a whirl of indignation tha
.er reply to 'Alice apparently scared'
ae girl from attempting any further
/ortures.
Absorbed as he was in these regret
iul reveries, a sudden sound broke in as this, though—
upon him, and he started, glancing
ui'oand dazedly and wondering wheth
er he lia been asleep.
^ut no!—as he.listened, breathless
the sound was repeated a single, deep
clang of the church ^ell.
No wind was stirring, and he" had
Lhe keys of the belfry yet—it was n?
rick of his imagination, for, after a
bell toll mysteriously on
eves before he was born, but he had
not half believed them and had never
heard it himself—until now.
t^Ys
Hla
re^se interval, another dull clang, added,: forcing a laugh: "It's your
echoed down the night and presently fault really, Bargle: If you hadn't
another, like the booming of a funeral- said you wouldn't ring the bells—no
'bells at Christmasl—never heard of
(wtferC
put 'Jas'vlIaS^e
lighted a lanterii, fmd, helping^ hia
tfalting steps wit|i: a ptout sti^ik, made
for the Village aincf waked uj^ tlie" youth
assisted him^ in his duties.
"Dost tear ytn bell/ Aikosf^ ,,(he
called, quaveringly..
v'^,
'.f'Ey, Mr. Bargle," and Bargle was
relieved to have his hearing thus cor-.
roboratecL:"Who be it oop., there,:
^onner?" f-
1
"Put your coat on smartly, lad. 1 iti
Silfent, and quaking with fcotd or
nervousness, they moved noiselessly
o/er the muffling snow turned the"
wall!, of the churchyard, and, Bargl«
grimly leading, filed in through thq
creaking lych gate.
narrow p^th between the graves
bought them to the pirch, and h^re
!BargiQ, wiio entered Jflrst* stopped,
.fumbling for 'his keys,' and suddenly
held the lantern lower with a husky
cry of alarm.-
1
In the glimmering light of the lan
tern, a wpman lay huddled close to
the church door, with a child rolled in
a shawl, and clasped tightly in her
arms.
"Alice! 'faltered the old man,"Alice!"
He Hung himself on-his knees be
side her, crying out, clasping her cold
hands, and appealing wildly and help
lessly to those who were with him, for
she lay as still and unresponsive a§
if she were dead, ••••'p.. ...'
They took the child which woke
and whimpered, and dispatched Amos
with it to the nearest cottage.
"Tell 'em to flight a fire," said one
of the men "an' get you on,: lad, an'
get the doctor there against we conje."
Then the two lifted the woman be
tween them, and the old man, trem
ulously,, distractedly, leading with the
lantern, carried her with what speed
they could in the direction tha^ Amos
had taken.
And every minute still the bell re
iterated its heavy,, monotonous clang,
though, for the nonce, they had ^al
most ceased to be aware of it" Bargle
had become indifferent to it altogeth
er, and only gradually awoke to it
again as he sat holding his daughter's
hand, watching the life rekindle in her
eyes, and listening to her feeble whis
perings,
"It is a long way from the station,"
she was telling him, satisfied with the
forgiveness she could read in his
every tone and look "and when I got
as far as the church I was so tired
and faint—rand I fancied about that
time to-night you would be there, in
the belfry so I went to the church,
but the door was locked, arid—"
Bargle turned to a touchy on his
shoulder.
''The vicar is waiting, with several
others, in the--, next room," said the
doctor. "They want the key of the
belfry, but I think you had better go
with them—you are talking to my pa
tient more tl^an is good for her.
Cfome!"
Bargle hesitated ,a moment, then
stooped to kiss the pale'face on the
pillow, and submissively obeyed.
Up the steep, narrow stone stairway
of the belfry tower, up, and up, and
up they clattered, one after the other,
till at last they streamed in across the
hollow-sounding floor of the belfry,
and there through the ceiling the
three ropes dangled in the' shadowy
emptiness, moved' by no visible
agency and yet, even as the palpitat
ing little group paused, the iron clan
boomed again close above thein.
"Some one's up in the bell chamber,
said Bargle, dubiously.
By right of his office and of his
familiarity with the place, Bargle
mounted first with his lantern, the
Others trailing up after "lihp. In a
twinkling, he had Jerked the trap
door open, and stepping into the bell
chamber, peered eagerly around, and
was startled by a vision of two white
faces gazing from the shadow of one
of the bells.
Why!" he ejaculated, "what are
you doing here, young masjters?"
For he recognized them instantly as
the Squire's two sons, down at Peri
d?le for a holiday.
They came forward shivering, but
evidently bent^ on showing that they
wete unperturbed.
"It's all right, Bargle," -cried the
older of them "you have been a long
time coming."
"But why are you here, James?" in
quired the vicar, reprovingly.
"O, we 'nipped out after wle'd gone
u# to bed, sir," said the boy, "and
came to ring the bells."
"But I've got the keys," muttered
Bargle.
"We crawled through the belfry
window."
"There was no fieed to come so high
"No. It was too early to begin
when we got here, so we came up to
see what it was like in here and all
in a jiffy the trapdoor slammed down
and the candle blew out, and we'd left
the matches below. We couldn't feel
where tne trap was in the dark, but,
we found one of the bells—" He fal
tered, shuddering reminiscently, but
With a chill creeping up his spine,(such a thing!—we' shouldn't- have
tup &ray, gnarled old man recalled a come."
legend that the belfry was haunted byj, _. "If you hadn't come, young mas-
tie chost of a man who had wronged ters—"
a friend, and.vln.a fit of remorse, had Bargle stopped as if his words
flung himself from the tower qn some choked'him. He thought of the white
forgotten Christmas? Bargle had face he had left lying on the pillow,
known folks who spoke to hearing the' and could not believe it was by mere
hell tni!
mvat«riA«„i„ Christmas' accident or by human hands only that
That was It sounding again! v,
jeopard ^r supetstitioua,
tin£ ii^esUUblci ii&pulM seized ft sttetl'
the warning hell had summoned him
there in time.
"Amos!" he cried,, sharply, motion
ingf to his assistant "get thee down,:
tad. It'$ more'n time we was mak^n*
ft*
i&iiV Vl-
FAMILY MAN
aniiP
THOUGHT £ou. fdwayB
went home to dinner,"
Mid the newcomer, as
he. slipped out. of his
coat and handed it to
.the waiter."
The bald-headed ge&i
tleman who was ait
ready seated lMd down the bill of fare
and answered, sadly: "I have no
home." v
•'1 don't want any expresslons} of
Sympathy," he added as the. other
drew up 'his chair. "There isn'i ally
divorce suit pending and I have met
with no reverses of fortune: What
suffer .is, suppose, the common lot'of
mankind at this festive season of the
year.r They are making j'Christmaa
presents at the house where I used .to
liVe."! -.^75
"I don't see why that should cause
you grief." -''Sa ...
"It isn't to be expected that you
would," observed the bald-headed man.
afSi&iiiiii?
"THERE IS
A
WILD SCREAM.
"You may find out some day, but as
a friend and well-wisher I hope that
you will ever remain in blissful ignor
ance. If I go into a closet to get out
my house jacket, there is a wild
scream from one of the girls. I- turn
around, expecting to see some loved
form stretched out in the agonies of
death, and my wife says 'Here, you
mustn't go in there.'
'Why not?' I ask.
"'Oh, because. Here, tell me what
it is you want and I will get it-for
you. I never saw such a man to go
poking around, anyway.' Then she
pushes me out of the way and hunts
up the coat for me, and I begin dimly
to comprehend that there is a Christ
mas present cached away there some
where. I can't hunt a pipe or get a
book out of the bookcase or forage for
pie in the pantry or exercise any of
the ordinary privileges of a head of a
household without getting yelped at
and hustled and giggled at. I feel as
if I were walking over mines that were
liable to be exploded at any 'moment
and blow me to destruction.
"Then when I return to the bosom
of my family after a hard day's toil
in their interest, I like to be welcomed
with some show of affection. As it is,
my appearance seems to be the signal
for flight. I might be a leper, to judge
from the way my daughters and the
once-loving partner of my joys and
sorrows start up and flee, as it vere,
into the wilderness, grabbing things
right and left as they go. The assur
ance that I will receive an embroid
ered silk muffler, a cardboard and rib
bon waste paper basket, a sofa cushion
for my wearied heid and a pair of
wool mittens with an Assyrian design
In scarlet and yellow hardly compen-
"A RIQHj BA-RBARIC EFFECT."
Bates me for the'wear and tear on my
nerves." .j
"I^it as bad as that?"
"It's a blamed sight worse. The
concealment is only a small part of
it. There's the manufacture of the
articles to be considered by itself: As
I say, I haven't a home. I sleep in a
notion factory, in an atmosphere of
glue, p^ste, sachet powder and turpen
tine. It's a new deal on me. They
used to buy what they wanted, and all
I had to worry over was an accommo
dation at th£ bank. I hive asked for
the reason of the change and I am
told that any coarse plebeian can make
presents that cost money, but a present
that-has the maker's individuality'
jtaste vand refinement staiaped upon it
In crewel of gum-arabic medium is
beyond ruble*. Also I am infdrined
ttuifc tt is cheaper and that -it sieves
l"
ite
you. betray your ignoran
on^e inorei't Sy the time a' wofiian *h_^
matched up 18 or 20 shades of sewing
pilk every few days, blown herself fo4
beeswax, paint brushes, stamped linen^,^
cre£e papeiH|glass and' ^passepartouij
papert embroidery needles, gilding^,
birch barki enan^el, Hbbon a^ld' a fe«R
hundred other articles of raw material'
she ought to own that there is- nothing
to the economy argument, either of. 1
time or money •hut you can everlast-rJ. j)
ingly bet that sh6- won't. I concedef:'^]!
the indivduality and_ personality. {-ft
Some of trfe1 things they are turning
out at homer-how that word slips out!:
—couldn't be equaled for uniqueness,
and daring b^zzarrenesa outside of
industrial department at Kankakee &
asylum.. 1 would hate to dream aboul} .':J
-some of the things that they painter
the handkerchief boxes, and do-fnn4^.|
nies.'
"What is the wax for?"
"That is to give an oriental, ara^f,^
besque effect to a tomato can or a dis
carded -iiqueur ing. You take your} 'J:
tomato can, or whatever it is, and melt
your wax and pour the wax .over it^||
just as a kid would dribble sirup overf ly
buckwheat cakes, criss-cross and any- -J
how, until the thing is covered with 4
crinkly-crankly wrinkles then you get
a rich barbaric effect by gold-painting
it. It is then a thing of beauty, an ar-.r
ticle of bric-a-brac or a jardiniere. It's^i
a corker for originality, for you.
couldn't get. two alike to save your:
neck.. Some friend of ours is going to
be gladdened with a pen-wiper artist
ically- constructed on a basis of clothesrr.
pin—I guess it's a pen:wiper—and my1
father is going to get- a chamois-leath
er dingus trimmed with pink ribbon
to wipe his eye-glasses with. 1 hava
a mental picture of him in the act of
using it. I don't suppose you have
ever considered the artistic possibili
ties of the common domestic frying
pan?"
"Never."
"Well, if you ever saw one with a
little symphony in sage green and gi
purple painted on the side that should^ ff|
go next to the gas burner you will un
doubtedly be impressed, as I was. It
is a lesson that teaches a man-to look
for the beautiful in the most homety
and prosaic objects. You are carriedj
away from the suggestion of German
fried potatoes and liver and bacon to.
the waning twilight when a solemn
hush broods over the face of sage*
green nature. You can almost hear
the plaintive cry of the whippoorwill
calling to its errant mate and the
dull boom of the bittern in the dis
tant marsh that the real estate man
is booming daytimes for desirable resi-
"THE ARTISTIC POSSIBILITIES OP
THE COMMON BCZvIIICTIC FRY
ING PAN."
dence property. The long purple
shadows cast a gentle melancholy overi'^^g!
your soul, if you've got one and then
it's the handiest- thing in the worlds ^£r
to hang up on a parlor wall by th
tiole in the handle."
"A man might ignore the landscape
and send the pan out into the kitchen."
"Yes, he might do that if he had'
reckless, hare-brained courage in large.
quantities. There's always -that pos
pibility about a frying pan picture, but'
what can you make out of a gilded
horseshoe with taffeta bows unless
you get enough of them to use as
quoits? What utilitarian value is
there in a cuffbox with a saucer-eyed
owl painted on-it?"
"It occurs to ,me that a man might
keep his cuffs in it."
"Evidently you never saw one," said
the bald-headed man, conclusively, -i
"You might as well suggest that cro*^'.
cheted slippers might be actually worn.'
Come to think of it, however, I have
known a man to wear crocheted slip
pers, but ne was a divinity student,:
§o he didn't count. If I wanted to®?
mortify the flesh I might wear tljeV 't
average Christmas gift suspendeirs
and smoke the lovely cigars that a^M
a a he iv as on &
get trials enough when I find that the
sawdusti pincushion filling has got'
mixed up with my diet. We have got 1
sawdust enough around the place to$M|
keep a ton of ice through the summed ^i
months. Well, thank heaven, it will
soon be over with now, and I shall be^ff"!
able to lay my aching head on a
•An
sofa
pillow with an appliqued motto of^'-'j'^
^Bon Repos' on it and think it all
over. I can get up and by the trifling/4
exertion of walking across the romn^^
can scratch my matches on the back i®^
of an emerycloth prize hog, thhs sav-4^.s
ing the wear and tear on my trousers./1-CI
There is an end to everything, and*/T^
from the nerv**fcr^ worried'looks of V|
my women I should judge that they
will go bac^ to the time-honored fool
ishness of buying their .gifts next .,
year- then the spring house cleaning^"
will he the worst thing that I shall
have to'contend with."
."You said that you didn't want any
a &
"No I can suffer and be Strang.
After-all, dining eut isn't bad for