Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1917 — The Giant Snowball [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Giant Snowball

By FLORENCE LILLAN HENDERSON

(CopyHghC 1917, by W. G. Chapman.) • .'.Regularly once a year Jed Burson “celebrated,” and that was upon his birthday. Ho did it in what Im* considered to be a quite respectable way. He lived at Bowesvillo, but it was at Milton that lie went through bis annual program. Abstemious and walking a straight chalk line for three hundred aud'sixty* four days of the year, upon the other about dusk Jed presented himself at the tavern tit Milton, and hircdtheiittle card room at the rear of the bar for the exclusive use of himself and his friends. These friends were never the same on succeeding occasions. Jed simply picked up half-a-dozen of the loungers about the place, and, with a table supplied fully with edibles and drinkables, locked all hands in the room with himself and proceeded to celebrate. The little party of convivialists were given their fill of cigars, eatables and flowing bowls. Except for the latter, it was only a mildly dissipated group. It was an occasion for Jed to spread himself and he about monopolized the function. Ordinarily Jed was a mildIhannered, composed young man, never boisterous, always reliable in a business way. On the occasion of his birthday festivity he vividly recalled' two points tin his life and let loose on *them. Once he had been appointed the local orator in a mild political campaign. He believed he had found

his mission untila rival expert in the same line squelched him completely, both as to argument and eloquence. Later, in a sneaking sort of a way, Jed did some amateur dramatic work with a stalled tragedy company. It proved a dismal failure, but the taint of this histrionic effort never quite -left him. So, shut up in a little tavern room with an obliging audience, jed detailed his past glories as orator and actor. He recited all of his former speeches, he spouted half of Hamlet in bringing in the several' few lines he had spoken on the stage. Faithfully at midnight the drowsy conclave broke up. Jed went to bed and reappeared in his Jiorne town the next day, with a slight headache, but fully satisfied to pursue the straight and narrow road until another twenty-first of February had rolled arounfl. Now Jed had become quite an important and trustworthy person about Bowesville. He did a, little real estate business and a good deal in the way of mortgage loans ,jpd collections. He went to and fro as to several towns in the district, acting as a sort of special messenger for the hanks. On the especial birthday occasion where In* met his- Waterloo, he had transacted considerable business that day and its results crowded a -time-worn wallet in an inner coat pocket Jed went through his regular program, political and • histrionic, but somehow the occasion was dull. It was growing so monotonous - and by’ ten o’clock his guests were filled to repletion and began to depart one by one, and, although dazed and unsteady in his walk, Jed decided not to remain at the tavern all night, as was lils wont on these birthday occasions, but to walk home to Bowesville, seven atfiaidißtfiht. „ He paid the bill, took g parting -4rihk and started on his lonely way. Tltere had been a deep snow, but the roads were broken by teams, and with, a few upsets Jed got started on hts ■way. \ “It’s the last one that soliloquized the dizzied wayfarer. - “Need the .bracing air to clear away the fog.” 4.8 he neared his home village Jed 'Was conscious that wits were still clouded and his wobbly. The direct road was level, but rtfas'there was light In a bouse at the hoi tom of a steep bill inclining from : s- ■ rf'i ‘ -'tv . ■ Jlgr—. -- ''l ..o ■ , ,

the west. Jed knew the house well. It belonged to old Gideon Lang, and he had n daughter, Mirabelle. “I wouldn't have the Lang* set* me in this plight for money,” mumbled. Jed. “I’ll not pjjgg the house, for fear of it. I'll climb the liiH’ und cut around, into town that way.” The weather was pretty cold, hut Jed had puffed along and stumbled along until he was perspiring freely. Half way up the hill he took off his coat, toiled to the apex of the hill and slowly made Ids way home by a roundabout route., Jed did not get up the next morning. He had a bad headache and was weak and remorseful. The thought of business even failed to arouse him. It was full dusk before he summoned up the courage and strength to get up and dress himself. It was to make a bloodcurdling, a crushing discovery—his wallet was gone! Had someone eojne into the room \vh%e he slept it,? No, doors and windows Jed found securely locked. Had he been robbed at Milmnr be distinctly remembered having looked to its safety as he left the tavern, buttoning tip hts coat tightly. Abruptly the memory returned-to Jed of having carried his coat over his arm in climbing the hill. In feverish haste he decided to retrace liis course of the night previous. When lie got to the head of the hill he found it all tracked up, and on the apex an immense snowball the boys had roljed that day, using it as a shelter fort against adversaries storming it from below*. “It’s no use!” groaned Jed. “If I dropped the wallet here, it's either tramped under the snow or found and appropriated," but he started down the hill. He was intent on looking all nlong the course in the snow, and not until a. swish warped: him did he torn and run. At the top of the hill were scurrying boyish forms. Coming towards him, gaining momentum each succeeding moment, was the giant snowball.

Jed started to run. A light in the Lang home was his guide. He nearly reached it when something struck him. It was the snowball. It knocked him down and passed over him and he lay senseless. The great white sphere then crashed through the fence of the Lang yard, demolished a trellis, some of the splinters of which broke,some -windows in the house, and came to a halt against the front of the house.* When Jed Bursey opened his eyes again he found himself in bed in the Lang home with a broken leg, which a doctor, hastily summoned, had. just set. Flitting about the room, a willing T&TirSe, was fair Mirabelle: Bespite all of his troubles Jed experienced a certain blissful sense of dependency and comfort. He had always had a sneaking fondness for Mirabelle but had,never been able to summon up the courage to confess it to her. The doctor delivered the dictum that Jed was not to be moved for a week. The one worry on Jed’s mind was the loss of "the wallet. He found a charming confidante in Mirabelle. In fact, before TfvO days had passed by he had confessed all his shortcomings, including the unnual birthday celebration. Mirabelle and her father started a thorough quest for the lost wallet, but with no results. This meant a loss of several hundred dollurs in actual cash for Jed. What was most important, however, was the notes, deeds and the like, the loss of which might later lead to troublesome legal complications. “Guess, 1 ’ spoke to tlm'room~where the convalescent sat, her hands hiding something behind her; and then she held before the amazed and delighted eye of her patient the missing w allet. * ■ “What do you think?” cried Mirabelle gleesomely. “I found it where the great snowball had melted. You see, the boys who rolled it must have gathered it up in the snow without' noticing it.” Jed clasped and held the hand proffering the precious wallet .in a fervpr of courage and love. “Mirabelle,” he said, “it’s up to me to build your father a new* trellis.” Then, drawing her still nearer, he added; “And I’ll build you a new house, if you’ll sTisFreTt’with me.” “And what about those dangerous ‘celebrations’ of yours?” intimated Mirabelle archly. “There will be only one after this,” pledged Jed. “Gar wedding day, with nothing stronger than lemonade.”

Gaining Momentum Each Succeeding Moment.