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We are conducting a sale that is an exception to all rules. We are establishing* a new precedent. We are selling at a SMALL LOSS to avoid a LARGE LOSS. We are selling . WATCHES, DIAMONDS, CLOCKS, SILVERWARE and thousands of articles that go to make up a first-class jewelry stock at faciory prices. While we would not have stocked up with Christmas Goods if we had known that such a sacrifice were imminent, we will probably profit by this sale later on, because the unpar? alleled bargains we are offering will advertise, us more than any other sale we ever held. When we get in the new Sky-scraper we will again stock up. e Remember that our ENGRAVING and REPAIR DEPARTMENTS are in charge of Competent Specialists and are running full blast. Our OPTICAL GOODS are winners. Lew prices on high priced goods make them so. And our EYE SPECIALIST is one of the best in the South. y; Co PRIVATE JOHN ALLEN. Going Back to Tupelo After Six? teen Years in Congress. A WIT AND STORY TELLER. A in?? Oimmings Recalls Speeches In tin House Which Guvu I In' Mimtlsitlpplnii it Wide Reputation For omiint lTuuiur Ni \ or Made Hut Our I-'nux I'as and That Was Wliou He Foollnlily Attempted to Entertain ills Colleuguvs with a .Sung. Washington, D. C? Dec. P.?The great flywheel o? legislation is in swift revo? lution^ It Is apparent that the House means business. It Is working under a full head of steam. A score of states? men arc watching the gauge und all arc awaiting results. Those who have bten returned to their seats nro jubi? lant, while those who have boon dis? charged are by no means dls< ihsolnte. They arc- not on the Mack list, and uwait the struggle two years hence ?with entire confidence. Some there arc, however, who have discharged them? selves, The glamor of publ life has worn away, and private Interests an? no longer to be swamped in i!. service of the nation. Among the i John M. Allen, of Mississippi. Widt this cession he passes from Congressional life. Failing thrice in rco.i hing the Senatorial rung of the ladder, he has returned to terra firma with a stout heart and at least an avert con? science. Of. the ninety-odd members ! who arc to disappear, he will be the one most missed. No member . House is more universal^ kno n. With a rare fund of humor an ! an , , .-o n lug way of distributing, he has long been a prime favorite. He enlivened weary discussion, he II ?;. en, d tin bur? den of work in commiti ?-. and he al? ways brought sunshlm into Hi , iouk room. CAREER IN THK HOI'S I-;. At the close of this tei,., i vi,. ?, John Allen will have served - .;. ,, . ,., the House of Bepres, 11 .1 lv< . Allen not only telltt a story u : leads up to it In Hie nuaini \. , chnrncterlstlc of Mark Te, " n.. weaves it into the woof of id , so deftly that it becomes a pan u?, Speech Itself. It Is alw ,ys p, uiiarly adapted to the. point at i sm variably serves as n ? litif ln i to an argument constructed at o.idiy and in ?gpnlously as a Chinese In i n |S ?0| only an Illustration, but one vivi? fies bis logic and intensKi, p,,,. of his hearer's. Aside from th! . mi. .' speeches arc at times stu ided with trite .aphorisms and pungent sayings, all Original and irresistible. His voic- and hlff manner also ndd to the zest ?.:* hin Words, The voice is musical even in' its hoarseness, and the manner seems m ?be-hi lpK-ss and entirely distinct from 'the man. When he has anything u, >a> ho usualiy stations himoolf on the step at the head of the main aisle anil awaits recognition. When accorded, ho appeal's surprised and totally unpre? pared. He nets as though It had come much sooner than he had any right to reasonably expect. Ho twangs his words and talks as Blow, If not slower, than Mark Twain. Occasionally he seems to he nt n loss for a word and turns his ??yes toward the glass celling as though utterly hallled. His listeners have an Intuitive Impulse to suggest 11 word or do something to help him out. HIP UNSTUDIED WI T. John apparently1 wallows helplessly In the slough of his orthography. Sud? denly, however, he makes a supreme effort, hinds on his feet ill great shape, and titters a sentence so excessively droll and grotesque, that the hall tine, with laughter and applause. Iiis wit is never on tap. bul comes apparently of Its own accord and despite his ef? forts to prevent it. It is unstudied, if not accidental. Hardly is it uttered be? fore John seems to be wrestling with the sentence that Is to follow it. By this time the House Is in a perfei i uproar. Hall" the members throw them? selves bach In their chairs in a parox? ysm of laughter, while others clap their hands in ecstasy. In good trim. Allen never boc?tncs tiresome. He never ninde but one faux pas in the House. It was at a night session. He tried to illustrate a story by singing, and innde a dreadful failure, lie lucks musical latent, and be has the voice of a night heron. Indeed, it Is said that he cannot tell the "Star Spangled Run? ner" from the "Dead .March." in Saul. It Is n question whether the humor of Allen's speeches does not impair their efficiency. Aside from their piquancy, the lino of argument is unusually strong, und would attract attention anywhere. Suns.-t Co.\ learned into In life that his wit was detrimental to his public career; and possibly the Mis? sissippi statesman is learning a simi? lar lesson. Undoubtedly the most ef? fective' Speech ever made by him was Hint opposing the claim of Jos In h Pat? terson to the sent held by B. yV. Car mack, of Memphis, in thq Fifty-fifth Congress; yet it contained more stories than was (old by him in the entire session of the Forty-ninth Congress. Patterson, to the surprise ol every member of the House, was sent back to Memphis, bitterly disappointed. H must be remembered, however, that Curtnack himself was a potent factor in achieving this result. Ills pleti was exceptionally brilliant and expressive, replete in Invective and sarcasm, it has already virtually placed him in the United Slates Senate. TOOK HIS SEAT IX lSiS?. John Allen first took his seat in the House in !'.> ember. )$$!?. John (i. Car lisle was Speaker. The only oilier Representatives of thai Congress in the present House who haye escape.; the destroying nhgcl of politics are Bnutelle, of Maine: Cannon, of Illi? nois; CatchingS, of Mississippi; GrOs venor, of Ohio: Uondorsbii and Hep? burn, of JOwa; Hin ami Hopkins, ol Illinois,: Ketehum. of New York: Hun? horn, of Texas: M< line, of Arkansas'. M?ller and Payne, of N< w York; anil Richardson; of Tennessee. Allen was known in I lie Mississippi delegation as "Private John." find has never been accused or cutting a gnat swath '? 'the lit Id of politics. lie was regarded as a qulei sort of fellow, with a modest turn of mind, and a keen appreciation of ,' ? ridiculous. It was not until May II. PM",. that Mr. Allen gave .hem a taste of his quality. <in Hint day an off or; was made to give four employees of the former' House an extra month's pay as a gratuity. A rattling discus? sion followed, in which Samuel J. I : Randall, William M. Springer, William ' K. Morrison, Frank Hlscock, Joseph (;. Cannon, Thomas J, Henderson, ! Richard P. lilnnd and other crack speakers participated. Suddenly the stranger from Mississippi secured the floor. He looked so awkward and un? gainly as he ran his lingers throu [h his hair and opened hp, that members Stopped writing letters and reading , newspapers to listen. Tom Reed, who ' was lounging In tlie aisle on the, Re , publican side of the House, stood with mouth open, pnylng the strictest at? tention. And it was a speech well i worth attention. There was ho fustlon or clap-trap about it. No amusing stories were told. It was the outpour? ing of a rural heart.- horrified at the extravagance of the House. It was log? ical, argumentative and heated. There was a Urft? streak of sarcasm running through i: withal that made It exi treinely palatable to those who heard it. it was in tills speech that John Allen made use of the sentence fre? quently quoted: "If there is any one disposition that has developed Itsell over and above till other traits 01 the American citizen, it Is a'willingness to serve the government." EVEN TOM REED LA UQ11 ED. When the statement was riveted by the assertion that this wilUpgness :? accept government employment hl t i com pi nsatlon already fixed was so un? animous and universal as to have ban? ished all (ears that republican institu? tions would ever fall hcie for the want 01 neu to hold tlie oilices even Tom I tee,i gave vent to one hearty guffaw. Allen's second speech wu.s against the proposition to tax oleomargarine'10 pi i cent, lie had had much trouble in . curing recognition, anil in open;-, snid: "There is an evident disposition ??Ii the pari of somebody to suppress m . impassioned oratory. 1 wish .to assure the Speaker and the House that it is not my purpose, and 1 have no desire by my fervid and persuasive ul?quOHi e, to overpcrsuadc this House into tin adoption oi any ^unconstitutional or hurtful measure. Sir, 1 would scorn to take any such advantage of the weak ncss of this House.'' Not for. tin in? stant was he diverted by the uncon? trolled men iun nt of his ' oileanuos. II was. as earnest and as solemn as a don ? ? on. There was no foreshadowing ol ? mil) not even n twinkle in the coin - of .in eye. lie then proclaimed hlms li stanch friend of the cow. and made h exceedingly effootlvC argument against tin- proposition, lie found tin ? aiiv in .old George l>. 'Til'.mnn. of South Carolina, a quaint Congressional character, tho opliohie of honesty anil unsurpassed in argumentative warfare, lie- look, i 111 e Horace C.rceley, nnd had nil or Mr. i;i, , ley's rttggcdne'ss of die lion arid Intensity of Reeling, T?linai analyzed the derivation of the word oleomargarine, .raised Its nutritiv ?tun ; s. nnd winged his way Into Prominence by :i tine display of elo? quence^, Allen was somewhat taken 1 ?? <'n re ovi - in" himself, however, lie .i He- sera h in 'mngnilio. nt * Ho said that he could not pern.it the assertion that oleomargarine U more \vho!osom< f.1 than the host bun. ) produced in any Jersey or Alder nev dairy. ? f HIS FIRST STORY. . ?'Tii - gi nil n an insists," he con? tinue i, "that this is one of the many Install ? in which art has tritinlphod pvei nature. I grant there are some In Htances in which art seems to have hnd decidedly the advantage, as shown by a look In the win-low of Bety'S gal- j lery, whore lite photographs of Con gressmen arc exhibited: but T deny that this Is true <>f any likeness or imitation of good butter. I know that what is good is often a matter of taste, but taste sometimes depends on how a man is raised, it must be a vitiated taste that would prefer oleo? margarine tO"igo6d butter. People offen persuade themselves that what is cheap is wholesome.'' In illustration of the assertion John ventured the first story he told in the House. Everybody was on the qul vlve. It is a chestnut today; it was fresh then "A colored friend of mine." said Allen, "Dave Grejghton, walked into a store in my town. and. after pass? ing the usual compliments with the merchant, asked him. 'How's politics now'.' I hear dat de Democrats done nominated -M>". John Allen fo' Congress.' 'Yes,' was the reply. '.Well,' continued Dave, 'dey'm slid to get a good man dls yere time, an' it won't take no ballot-box Stulfin' to 'lect him nohow, i >. iiiiu-d inan'll vote fo- him.' .lust then Dave, being hungry, noticed some small boxes of axle-grease, put up in round boxes lixe eiuese. nt. says, 'Doss liow do you sei! dem Iiitie ? in eves'." The merchant priced* them at 10 cents. 'Throw in de crackers?' nsked the darkey. Tin- merchant nod? ded, and a bargain was. struck. The darky went out in front of the store, sat down nil a dry Is box. look out his knife end crackers, opened his box; and laid out for a g >od lime. lie didn't seem to like the looks of the cheese at Urs!, but be hit I paid for it. and he had bought it to cat. He spread It mi bis crackers with ids knife, and ate until It was all gone, lie scraped out the box. wil ed li e knife on bis crack? er, and put the cracker in his mouth. The merchant, who had watched him, asked him how he liked bis cheese. Well, boss.' I>.ive replied, "de crack? ers was inlghly good, an' do cheese wus cheap.enough, an' I '.specks it were mighty Wholeson but fo' Odd, boss, dat was de ran .si cheese I ? eher lias cat yet.' " Then came n nubbin. "Now, Mr. Chairman/' pi ? i Mien, "1 have no doubt thai If n proposition were ponding here to prevent the sale of axle-grease for clu the gentlemen rrom South C |lu ivonjil deliver us a scientific lei ? ? md try to persuade us It was nui i better and more w hole? some than nd that it would ho n great ? on the laboring man, to supj : . fraud." ATTACKS Ci KCIUiSSldNAL FIJ ?\ I: CA LS. A Speech mg throughout the country wa; 11 reefed aga'inst the custom of dead Congressmen a; tin: t x; .: the na. ? n. It was deliv ered mi .1 II.- lSsjO. After i ? re fullv nriulj . e -oyd the expo i?P .?.ttcndlng sue!'. ? i>tiria|, he ?continued: sir. n dead i sshinh has become a very 6x|? f luxury, to the A inert; ri ' ? ?" '?' die paupers II , ottr fault. We i a salary t?f $5,< 0 per year, with ; ? tlines as-much fur mile? age a.s It illy Cost's US. and the limes as n , for stationery us we use. Any m< inher here could pave enough fron bis mile ige and station? ery account to give bim tr'de ent f?r neial atnl (ana;. .In-.; .think el' It, We lake a sum of money which represents tl.e full gross oarniii&s of sixty work i: ipen'for a whole year :<> make a great show nnd bury a Congressman." tl was an it ai-. n: that nu. lit to have pied.ne I |';uit. but I; didn't. The proposition was defeated, Tin year1* afterward tin nation burled a dead millionaire Senator at-an expense of over $20,0Cl)i When his proposition was defeated Mr. Allen said that the result of the vote convinced lilm that most of the members present expected to uie in ...e public service and to hnve a gorgeous funeral and enthusiastic burial at gov? ernment expense. lie assured loem that if such was their hope they had. litter die very soon or change their course on Stich questions. In his judg? ment, their policy, if persisted In, would relegate many of them to pri? vate life bet?re they got their funeral expenses paid. In the ensuing short session Mr. Allen said that his remarks on Congressional funerals had evidently made a deep Im? pression on the country, as he had been returned to the House by an increased majority. "I will repeat." he continued, "what one of my old friends said to me on my return home last summer. He met me, and after congratulating me on the very brilliant record i had made in Congress, he said: 'And, John, old fel? low, we read your speech about the Congressional funerals, and the people all indorse uhal you said. You are ex? actly right, and you tell them fellows up there in Congress that if you die while you are there you do not ask them to bury you. You have plenty of friends down here who will take great pleasure in lining that Da- you." These are excerpts fqom Allen's rec? ord In the Forty-nliith congress. They Indicate it cheerful disposition and a dm- regard for national interests. When such a man voluntarily relinquishes a public career and retires to the classic precincts of Tupelo, the nation's loss becomes Tupelo's gain. It will be many a year before a true successor to John Allen Is developed in Congress. AMOS J. CUMMINQS. SENT FREE TO MEN A M?sl'Remarkable Remedy Thai Quickly Rt'Slores Lost Vigor To Men. A Free Trial Package Sent By Mail To All Who Write. Free trial packages of a most remark i hie runiedj . being mailed to all who will write the State Medical Institute Thoy mud m> many men who had battled foi ve: : I H gains I iho mental and ph.\ . cal sllftcrliix ol I manhood, that the Institut' h . il Ii I to distribute free trial pa i. k< lo ail who write. It Is n home ti ami alt men who suffer wlih an> form of sexual weakness, i. . salin . from youthful lolly, premature Iocs <'i strength ohu memory, weak back, vani - e. to, or emaciation of parts cm new euro tliuntnelvois ill home. The remedy* has n peculiarly grateful effect of w.ii null lind seems to act direct to ilia desired location, giving strength and development Just where It Is needed It elites all the ills and troubles that comti Ironi years of misuse of the natural functions and tins been an absolute sue CCSS in all eases. A reo.ue.st to the Slate Medli .1 Inatltuto, b> Elektron Bullding, Ft. Wayne, Ind.. stating thai you desire one of thclt free trial packages, will be compiled wfth ? rqmptly. . The Institute is desirous of reaching that great class of men v. ln> are unable to leave home to bo treated and the tree sample will en ibl th< m to see how cc.-y It Is io be cm. il Kcxual weakness when the proper rotm dies are employed; The institute makes no restrictions Any man who writes will be v at a free sample, carefully Scaled la u plain package so that Its recipient need have no tear of embarrassment or pub? licity. Readers am requested to write wlthoqt delay. Norfolk Trunk Factory. 172 GiiuTGti St., Near Main. Q AI C~| OF LEATHER GOOD: Ladies' Pocket Books. 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