Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1912 — The Old, Old Story [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Old, Old Story

by Wright A. Patterson

HIS NEW YEAR THOUGHTS

The Eloquent Hopelessness of the Well-Known Author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Beautiful in its simplicity and eloquence is the following gem for New Year meditation, culled from the magic pages of that lamented master of English prose—Robert Louis Stev- j enson. “To be honest, to be kind—to earn a little and to spend a little less, to make the whole family happier for his presence, to renounce when that shall be necessary and not be embittered, to keep a few friends but those without capitulation—above all, on the same grim condition to keep friends with himself—here is a task for all that a man has of fortitude and delicacy. He has an ambitious soul who would ask more; he has a hopeful spirit who should look in such an enterprise to be successful.”

FIDO’S RESOLUTION.

Evening, January s—She Says: John, What is it I smell? An odor of nicqtine, A vile cigar. I know you have been smoking. So soon you have forgotten The plans we made, The automobile, The trip to Europe, The school for Ethel. It is but five short days ago That I believed you. So go the plans I made, The dreams I dreamed, All spoiled, all ruined, All evaporated into useless smoke Because of man’s weak nature. But ’tis all that women may expect, To drudge and toil, To skimp and save That man may not be denied His cigars.

He Says: How dare you criticise! How dare you condemn! This morning I saw the candy box You thought so carefully concealed. And I refuse to be the only victim Of New Year resolutions. They can go hang— The automobile, The trip tb Europe, The school for Ethel. If I must slave all through my days # shall have some comfort, If only of the weed.

They Say: Here’s to nineteen thirteen. We’ll live it as we’ve lived before/ We’ll enjoy it, We’ll have the little things we wanti We will not dream of the impossible. The figures lied , And we were fooled, But only for a few short days. Here’s to nineteen thirteen— And life.

He resolve* to be kind to all stray cats.