Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 November 1906 — Page 6

THE RED BARN DOOR.

Clot* snuggled down In furry robes, mid _ Soapstones' kindly heat. ws cleft the drifts house, our mother's kin to greet.- ■ , All day our jingling sleigh-bells' tune smote keenly on th<> air. But long ere noon some small voice piped, "ra, aren't we almost there?" . Then to beguile our restlessness our father told once more How we should know the place star; the sign, a red barn door. O'er hill and dale we gaily sped, past farmJ. steads dull and gray, And hailed each snowy . hamlet as a milestone on our way. No homely roadside object but our eyes were quick to see. And muffled voices chattered fast in child ■- ~ .-fadl- ■. Wo vied In sighting landmarks which familiar aspect bore. And longingly we, looked ahead for grand- — pa's red'barn door. —— Our mother, from the sent in front, held us in heedful thought. And stayed our rising hunger with the cookies she hull bro igl t. —Twas she who— chose the -friendly house where we should stop to rest. And saw us tucked, all warm again, within our sleigh box nest. ■ho talked of names oace common in her > girlhood's Rustic-lore. And knew each ttfrjst and turn that came before the red barn door. *’- • • • The reins held laxly In his band, our father sat serene And hummed quaint melodies that kept his old world memories greetfi~~ The long miles stretched away, and when the lengthened shadows fell No ? thought of cold or cramping limbs our . eagerness"coiiTd — quell; r We scanned each distant looming crest that reared Itself before, — Till all at once somebody cried, “I see the red barn door 1” Now sometimes when the sleigh bells ring and roadways gleam with snow I feel that Hooding joyousness that thrilled me long ago. : s__. I see the shining faces in the paling win—ter tight, .■ . ■■ The arms that wait In welcome there, to clasp and hold me tight. And then 1 pray that heaven’s gate such gladness may restore As when we came to grandpa's house, be side the red Karn door. Derby, in Youth's Companion.

A TURKEY HUNT.

By Linda Woodruff Beach.

We came very near not being thankful at all this year—for how was it possible to be thankful without turkey? And this desirable bird so pertinaciously dodged OUT earnest attempts to apply the possessive pronoun that we began to despair of ever owning one, and, unfortunately, we wanted thrpe. Any one could spend the summer in the country —than was commonplace enough; but Thanksgiving and Christmas would be a new revelation of beauty and comfort to people accustomed to confined views and brick walls. So we stayed and chestnutted, and gathered stacks of bright-hued maple leaves, and wrote such glowing accounts of the good times we were having to all our friends and relatives that two or three of them, without ceremony, invited themselves to spend Thanksgiving with us. We then concluded that we might as well make a merry party of it, and invited a number more, until about eighteen or twenty people had promised to eat their Thanksgiving dinner at our table. A lovely day in Indian summer, and with that soft haze over the purple-tip-ped mountains in the distance, two woman of us drove off in h most unromantic expedition after turkeys. We had been furnished with a regular list by the neighbor, and we agreed first to attack a certain Mrs. Simes. A woman in a sun-bonnet-issued from -the gate as we drove UP, and in answer to our inquiry, informed us that “Miss Simes was jest settin’ to.” As it was approaching the hour of noon, this probably meant that Mrs. Simes was on the eve of dining. The house looked hermetically sealed. The door was opened by the very lady we were in quest of, a motherly looking personage, who appeared to have boen trying to do half a dozen things at once, as her hands were floury, the bosom of her dress was stuck with pins, while the skirt was wet with recent dabbling in the water, and she was hastily disposing of some edible which had evidently been popped into her mouth just as she came to the door. , J Having told her where we lived, how long we had lived there, how long we expected to live there, and various other things relating to our domestic matters, we worked our way gradually to the turkeys, and modestly asked her if she could accommodate us with three. Passing through the doorway that opened into the kitchen, Mrs. Simes threw her voice upstairs, and shrieked: “Emmerline! Em-mer-iitte/” “Haow?” was the reply, in a voice that seemed to break the drums of our ear*. "How many turkeys can we spare toil Mlir | “Can epare ony,”Wd the dredful voice. 1 “ShoI” returned the old lady as she ended the colloquy; “guese we ken epare sue. How’ll that do?" We informed Mrs. Sitnee that It wouldn’t do at alt The offer of one turkey in place of three was a perfect insult, and rather indignant that our tltne had been wasted for nothing, we left our bos tee* to finish her "settin’ to." The second one on the list was of the male' persuasion, “and a* great an old screw a* ever livid,” we were confidentialIp informed. We found him at work in the barn, a very hard-looking specimen

NEVER have the people of America come to the season for returning thanks to the Giver of all bounties with more profound cause for rejoicing than in this year of grace one thousand nine hundred-and six. We think first, perhaps, of the material benefits the twelve month has secured to us/ The crops in every section of tho country have been such as to guard us against want and to enable us to aid in the great work of supplying the world's needs. Upon the farm our prosperity in America still chiefly depends. Nor have we forgotten that the institution of Thanksgiving arose through the Providential supplying of hungry mouths. North ami south, east and west, the fact of bountiful harvests has guaranteed us prosperity in efiery walk of life. The busy mills of the manufacturers, the thronging shops of merchants, the enormous business of railways and steamship companies, the sound of hammer and pick in countless mines of every sort, all testify td the material blessings awarded to us, far more according to our necessities thaiJK to our just deserts. ~=. We must not forget, either, tjiat we remain at peace with the world. For this blessing we cannot be too thankful. But chiefly let us prtrise the Almighty fop having granted the people of America the final blessing of liberty ~and independence. When we look upon Russia, storm tossed -and almost Wrecked in the mighty travail that may yet bring such liberty as we have always known to every dweller under the flag of the Czar,, we realize at last that the air of freedom from tyranny and oppression which has been the breath of our nostrils from birth is the.true reason for peace, for our happiness, for our growth and material prosperity, even as the human soul animates the body. In this year, too, do not let us forget that there has been a tremendous searching of the souls of men in high places, and such a condemnation of evildoers as strengthens the hands of every good and righteous cause. Dishonesty, self-seeking, lustful greed, false stewardships in private and public life, corruptlon. In high places and low, these have all been condemned with a heartiness that the country has never known In its prcvloushtstory. Thanksgixing-day -itself, -too long, given over to mere pastlme aiid enjoyment, takes on a newer and more sacred aspect as the years roll on. It is a day for the devout returning of thanks to Almighty God for the countless blessings secured to our fathers and to us, their-descendants. It is a day for humble supplication that such liberties and privileges as we ourselves'enjoy may be handed down, undimmed and unblemished, to posterity. So shall we, our families united all over this land of ours, join and be as one with the _ mighty hosts of the past, the still greater throngs of the future, of those who praise God for Afiierlca on this national holy day.—Wallace Rice

indeed. When he was made aware of the nature of our errand he eyed us suspiciously. “Seemed to him we were takin’ time by the forelock; it wanted three hull weeks to Thanksgivin’ yet.” We were taking time by the forelock, we admitted, because people made such a rush for turkeys at the last that we were afraid of not getting any then. “That's jest it,” he rejoined, with a shrewd grin, “and I guess I’ll keep mine till they go up." Several people in .succession, who had refused us their own turkeys strongly advised a visit to "Job Tiller.” He had no end of a flock, and maybe we could make a trade. .■ To Job Tiller we accordingly went. As soon as we,had said “turkeys,” he led die way_to the backward, where we_beheld a pen of turkeys, hens and gobblers, at least fifty all told. “Shoot in’ comes off on the 25th,” said the proprietor. —AVe exchanged a look of interrogation. “Shooting? What shooting? We wanted to buy turkeys.” "Twenty-five cents a chance,” responded Mr. Tiller. We were turkeyless, and all those expected guests loomed up before us as a hungry multitude clamoring to be fed. We were approaching our cottage in a dispirited frame of mind, when we encountered a small boy, and some happy in-

Anilclpatlon.

spiration prompted us to inquire what he knew about turkeys. "He’d got three,” he said, “that he’d been a-fatten’ a-puppus for Thanksgivin’, and we could have ’em like as not.” Where did he live? we asked next. The future possible President turned his thumb in the direction of our back premises. and said that his name was Sam Flale. If he had said it was Norval on tae Grampion Hills, we could scarcely have been more surprised. Hadn’t those wretched turkeys belonging to our undesirable neighbors, the Flales, been the pest land destruction of our gardening operations all summer? and hadn’t pater faIhalias threatened to shoot them until he Kas hoarse? And wasn’t It rather funny dtiat, after all our toil thnd tribulation, the coveted turkeys could be found under afcr very noses, and delicately fattened for us on the best of sweet corn and tomatoes, and other “sass” that turkeys delight in—all from our own garden? Somebody said the dinner was a poem, and it certainly was a triumphant success. The company were in raptures; and one guest, who had never lived in the country, said it was so easy for us to get good poultry. Then we told our atory, and the I peals of laughter that reverberated,

GOOD REASON FOR GIVING THANKS.

THANKSGIVING.

Realization.

around the table, were called forth by our turkey hunt and its very unexpected end-ing.—-People’s Home Journal.

A Thanksgiving Fable.

A gay young Gobbler, seeing- how Melancholy the Turkeys were, propounded A Conundrum. hy are Turkeys the Drum Corps of the Fowl Creation? Give it up? Because they all carry Drumsticks. O-u-c-h!” He dodged A blow from the Patriarch of the I’lock who Overheard him. < 1 "Spare Me,” said the young Fellow, assuming the Defensive. "I can give, you A Better one. Why do Turkeys have No Hereafter?” The Patriarch blustered Around and dragged his Wings, looking wary-Fieree.-He knew he-ought to know, but couldn't for the Life of Him remember. So he Glowered at the Culprit and asked Severely : “Well, Sir, why do Turkeys have No Hereafter?”) "Because they have their Necks Twirled in This.” "Pooh!” said the Patriarch Contemptuously. “That was around on Crutches when Adam wore Kilts. Now, here is Something new that I Caught on the Wing. We are All ta> be Dry Picked this Year.” “What!” Shrieked A giddy Blond with

a pink Crest. "Not on Your life!” “No, Silly, but as Soon as it is Over. It is the old Way of Turkey Undertaking and The only Way. In Philadelphia, where I Chipped into the World, Dry Picking was the Correct Thing. All the old families held to It. That gives Turkey Feathers the chance of their Lives. Turkey Tails for Fans—l am told the Aborigines quite Dote on Them.”—Chicago Record-Herald.

What Turkeys Eat.

Turkeys are th* greatest grasshopper exterminators in the world. When very young they must be fed bran, but after that they pick up their own food. For the starchy elements they eat waste wheat from stubble fields; for the vegetable part of their diet they devour several varieties of weed and grass seeds and for meat substance they consume grasshoppers and bugs.

No Tabloid Birds.

"There are only three of us In the family,” said the customer, “and a five pound turkey for Thanksgiving would be all we could possibly manage.” “You’ll have to take a real turkey.” briskly replied the dealer. “We don’t keep ’em in tabloid form.”—Chicago Tribune.

Retribution,

"OUR BOY."

Yes, me and ma had turkey in the old Thanksgivtn’ way. With nil the flxlu'a proper fer to celebrate the day. And I kin taste that turkey yet—twas aura a slick old bird; I ate so much it was an hour afore I hard- ‘ ;; ly stirred. We had some neighbors to the spread, which added to the joy, J But let me tell ye, Hiram, me and ma we missed our boy. ——----- Ye see, he alters jfned with us in onr 'l'haiiksglvln" feast Until he took that city job a-sellin’ goods .down East. Ma wrote him ‘bout two weeks ago, and I stuck on a line; : ItMLU'oss hg, couldn't jesl make out that shaky hand o’ mine. ' '*k Leastwise, he didn't jtne us, as in -other years be did; I wanter teh ye, Hiram, me and ma we missed that kid. I reckon folks that's growlin' old is apt to Agger back— We sat thar eatlu' turkey, but our thoughts . . ..was all o' Jack. Ma -had a <-li:i!r pulled up fer him, and —plate,'ami forks, and all. And on his plate his plcter, she had taken from the wall. Ye see, Jack was the only one God gave us to enjoy; We cried a little, Hiram. .Me and ma we missed our boy. ■ ' —Milwaukee Sentinel.

Johnny and the Gobbler.

“Gee! Guess I’d better be diggin’ fishin’ worms.”

How to Cook a Turkey.

A chef who has for many years presided over the cuisine of one of New York City’s best hotels gives this recipe for preparing and cooking the Thanksgiving turkey : “Slit the neck of the turkey from the back of the head down its whole length and with the fingers separate the skin from it. Cut the skin a little above the middle and pull apart, then cut the neck off at the base. That will leave the skin intact for further use. “Take the intestines out through an incision in the abdomen, but first take out the crop by inserting the finger where you have cut the neck off t- Loosen the strings, or pipes, inside and pull them easily, then the wboleecrop will come out intact. Wash well, and the turkey will be ready for stuffing. “For the stuffing soak a small stale loaf of bread in cold water and when soft squeeze all the water out; place in a bowl, add salt, pepper, thyme or sage or both; fry one onion chopped fine in four ounces of butter and a little ham, bacon or salt pork; cut fine, add a whole egg and mix well. Stuff the crop or wishbone part thoroughly and fasten the skin over it on the back of the turkey with a skewer or sew it; the rest put inside. Bake the turkey in a hot oven aud cook about ninety minutes.”

A Thanksgiving Game.

One of the funniest of the funny games peculiar to Thanksgiving time is called "hunt the turkey.” Go out to the kitchen and take the turkey out of the oven and bring it in and hide it somewhere in the parlor/ Under the lace curtains in the windows is a good place or you might shove it down inside of the piano. Then let the guests come in and hunt for it. The person who finds it must hit some one with it before the person can get it back to the other room, which is home base. 'lt is not fair to throw the turkey, as it must be swung by the hands. If a person accidentally (knocks over a lamp or breaks a picture or Wlirows the turkey through the window he or she must pay a forfeit. Of course this game, which is funny and one in which both young and old may join, must not be played longer than half an hour before the time set for the dinner, for the turkey must be taken back to the oven and allowed to finish cooking before being carried to the table. It is not fair to take bites out of the turkey when it is found and it is also against the rules of the game to kick the turkey around the room. It must be held in the hands, right aide up. so that the stuffing will not fall out —New York World.

THE WEEKLY HISTORIAN

1794 —Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts became Postmaster General of United States. 1799 —Bonaparte declared first consul. 1814—Gen. Jackson, with 2,000 Tennessee militia, drove the British from Pensacola. 818—Smith Thompson of New York became Secretary of, the Navy. 1828—Siege of Silistria raised. 1837—Riot at Alton, Ill.; E. P. Lovejoy killed. 1853 —President Pierce turned first sod of Washington aqueduct. 1859—Treaty of Zurichsigned. 1861—Federal naval and military forces, under Commodore Dupont and Gen. Sherman, captured forts at Port Royal entrance. 1864—Gen. McClellan resigned his com- —— mand in the army. 1867 —First woman’s suffrage society . formed in England. 1869—Ilolhorn Viaduct, London, opened!.' 1871 —Apache Indians attacked stage near Wickenburg, Arizona, and killed six passengers, among them F. W. Loring, the author. 1873—Captain and crew of the Virginius executed at Santiago de Cuba. 1875 Steamer City of Waco burned off Galveston bar. 1876 Centennial. Exposition, Philadelphia, closed ; total admissions, 9,799,392. 1880—Sarah Bernhart made her American debut at Booth’s theater, New Yorjf. 1889— President proclaimed Montana a State of the Union... .Roman Catholic centenary in America celebrated at Baltimore. 1890 — British torpedo boat Serpent wrecked on Spanish coast; 173 lives 105 t... .Revolt against President Brogan in Honduras suppressed. 1892 Dynamite explosions caused by anarchists in Paris. 1893 — Thirty persons killed and injured by anarchist’s bomb in Barcelona theater.... F. H. Weeks of New York, embezzler of $1,000,000, sent to Sing Sing prison. 1895—Miss Consuelo Vanderbilt and Duke of Marlborough married in New York. k - 1897 — Attempted assassination of President Morales of Brazil... .United States, Russia and Japan signed treaty for protection of seals in Behring Sea. 1898— Theodore Roosevelt elected Governor of New York.. .Turkish troops in Crete forcibly removed by Russian admiral. 1899 — U. S. cruiser Charleston wrecked on coast of Luzon, Philippine Islands .... Admiral George Dewey married to Mrs. Mildred H. Hazen at Washington, D. C. 1900 — Canadian parliamentary elections carried by a Liberal majority. 1901 — Li Hung Chang, Chinese statesman, died in Pekin.... United States and Great Britain signed Isthmian canal treaty. 1902 — Reciprocity treaty between United States and Newfoundland signed ... .Spanish cabinet resigned. 1903 President Roosevelt sent to Congress his message on Cuba. ...United States recognized Panama government. 1905—British squadron, commanded by Prince Louis of Battenberg, visited New York.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

George Westinglouse, th? inventor, has received the degree of doctor of engineering from the Technical university of Berlin. Dr. Alexander Pevrunkevitch, head of the department of xo-ology at the Indiana university, is a member of the Russian nobility. The senior officers in each department es study at Yale have had their salaries raised to $4,000 for the year. This affects thirty-five professorships. The health officer of Cleveland, Ohio, has forbidden the use of slates and sponges in the primary grades of the public schools on the ground that they are unsanitary. The woman’s college of Baltimore has appointed Miss Caroline Shawe as purveyor for the college, a new office, the duties of which are to have charge of the scientific and sanitary administration of the entire establishment. A new metric chart, representing geographical measures of the international metric system of weights and measures has been prepared by the bureau of standards of the Department of Commerce and Labor and will be furnished free to any school in which the system is taught. W. L. Schlater has been appointed director of the museum of Colorado college. For four years he was deputy superintendent of the Indian museum in Calcutta and for ten yewm director of the South African museum at Cape Town. He has published a series of volumes on the fauna of Soutl Africa

FORTUNES FOR ALL WHO INVEST NOW

Greatest Electrical Discovery of the Age. SAVES $9J11,655 A YEAR ' —i Unusual Opportunity Now Offered the Man of Small Means to Be* come Independently Rich. Every great electrical, invention has made fortunes for its original stockholders. The American Bell Telephone Company has paid $200,000 for each SIOO invested in its stock at its organization. People then laughed at the idea of there ever being a general need for the telephone. It was hard to make Investors see the possibilities of the business. Those who did are among the. world’s richest people. Such chances are not often offered " the small investor. The first such opportunity in a great many years, that gives every promise of duplicating ‘.he telephone in profit? and universal demand is the Electric Slgnagraph and Semaphore. Some of the best-known railroad experts in America declare these instruments will prevent railroad collisions. They give absolute privacy to party telephones, make it possible for a train to be stopped by the train dispatcher at any point on Jiis division, and permit the sending of private telegrams to any one of 100 or more telegraph offices without the knowledge of other operators and without In any way Interfering with the regular telegraph circuit. RAILROAD ADOPTS SYSTEM. No extra wires are required. The cost is so small and the advantages are so great that it is predicted by some of the best experts in America that all railroads will adopt the system. The Denver, Northwestern and Pacific has already ordered the Signagraph and Semaphore for its entire lines. Th#> Independent Telephone Company Association has offered 25 cents a month rental for the Signagraph, to be used on party telephone lines. They have 7,000,600 telephones, most of them on party lines. One Signagraph Is required for each telephone. Only 300,000 instruments will earn the stockholders of the Electric Signagfaph and Semaphore Company $900,000 a year. There are 300,000 miles of railroad in the United States, less than 10 per cent of which is equipped with a signal service because of the inefficient systems heretofore used and their great cost. If only one-twentieth of this mileage—less than 5 per cent —were equipped with the Signagraph and Semaphore the stockholders would earn $600,000 a year—3s per cent on the present selling price of the stock in addition to the revenue offered by the telephone company. e 50,000 LIVES LOST. More than $9,000,000 were lost last year in property destroyed in railroad collisions, and 50,000 persons were killed or injured. This amount would cover the entire cost of the Signagraph and Semaphore systenr over every miie of railroad in the United States for two years and make the horrors of railroad collisions unknown. Experts admit the necessity for these instruments. Far-sighted investors are putting their money into the company. Every statement made herein will be verified to the letter. A limited amount of the treasury stock is now for sale. No one will be asked to invest a cent until he has thoroughly satisfied himself of the merits of the proposition. All who can are urged to come and see these instruments in operation. Those who can not and want to know the full details of the company, Its organization, its patents, and what experts say of it should write at once for full particulars. Stock Is now rapidly selling 'at 48 cents a share, par value SI.OO, fully paid, and non-assessable. The price will be advanced to 50 cents a share as soon as the present block of 50,000 shares is disposed of. The right is reserved to advance the price without notice. Those who care to take this stock before the price advances may send their remittances with the distinct understanding that the entire remittance will be returned at auy time within ten days of the date of the order If - they are not thoroughly satisfied with the proposition. In order to insure securing stock at the present price remittance should be sent at once with the above understanding. Payments are accepted in cash or installments of one-sixth down and one-sixth the first of each month until paid for.. No subscription of less than 100 shares will be accepted. A discount of 5 per cent will be allowed on all subscriptions accompanied by remittance In full. Address all inquiries to or call In person on National Mortgage and Bond Company, 528 F First National Bank Building, Chicago.

Site for Charlemagne.

Charlemagne, though Interred at Aix-la-Chapelle and regarded as an ancestor by the German emperor, Is nevertheless claimed ns a Frenchman by the majority of modern Gauls. Their Interest in the great emperor, however, does not extend to the point of providing a definite site for his monument, which for twenty years has occupied a temporary wooden pedestal on the bank of the Seine, within the precincts of Notre Dame. A movement Is now on foot to have an appropriate pedestal set up for the statue, which is covered with waterproof canvas.—New Orleans Picayune.

Delleate Hint.

“They say Miss Sharpe can convey a hint w\lth such tact that it is impossible to take offense.” “Yes, she has -quite a gift that way. The last time Mr. Staylate called there she asked him to have some slight refreshment, and then brought in a plate of breakfast food.”—Baltimore American.