Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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GETS HER WISHES By ELLA R. PEARCE. All the preparations were completed ?for Anna's wedding; and Anna herself, jffiving a lingering, wistful glance at the outspread bridal finery in ber pr?t* ity roora, turned to ber mother with a sigh of relief. "Everything ready and ahead of time, Aren't we wonderful, Mumsie?" Then, suddenly ducking her head in a comically childish way, she slipped ,to the elder woman's side and wound loving arms about her. "So soon, dearest-so soon!" she. murmured, with a catch in her young voice. Mrs. Leeds gently stroked the shin ing head on her shoulder. "Everything has gone splendidly, Anna." The mother spoke with prac tical crispness. She would not let her .wn voice quaver. "And I suppose my Mttle girl ls very happy now," Anna lifted her head and her eyes were twinkling. "Not absolutely happy, Mumsie." She tapped off her words on upheld Bogers. "One, two, three-three things m?re I need to make me absolutely happy." "Why, Anna:!" Mrs. Leeds looked anxious. "I can't imagine what you have in mind. What more could you wish for?" "There are three things," repeated Anna. "Firstly, I wish Van Tredwell would fall in love with somebody else." "What's the second wish, Anna?" *T wish Lois Mather was coming to tay wedding." "Lois Mather?" Mrs. Leeds looked puzzled. "Why, I haven't heard you speak of her lately." TJ'ut I've thought a lot," said Anna quickly. "So you want Van Tredwell to for get you, and Lois Mather to forgive." "And come to my wedding," inter rupted Anna lightly. "But of course she won't. And there's my thin7 ;.sh. i What co you suppose it is?" Mrs. Leeds shook her hem1 "Well, I wish that soraeon< give me a spinet desk for a wed pres ent." Then Mrs. Leeds laughed .-thfully. "Anna ! Anna ! you are such a child." She sat long after her mother had gone downstairs and thought over their Late conversation. Anna was deeply in love with the man she was to marry. But she could not help remembering Van Tredwell's boyish attentions; his bashful gallan tries; his bitter disappointment at the end. Then tho hoarding school friendship cvith Lois Miltner. How delightful and satisfying that had been while it last ed. No girl since that time had ever been the understanding friend, thc en tertaining companion Lois Mather had been. Mrs. Leeds brought a letter to Anna's room fn the sunset hour. "A big box has come. Something crated," she informed her daughter. "Shall I have Jo>h open it for you?" "Yes. And TH be right down." Anna was openin? her letter with a queer expression on her face. It was from Lois Mather. "I've heard of your coming marriage * and the news set me thinking of old times, Anna, dear," the letter ran. "And it seemed to me you would like to know of my new happiness, too. I never had a friend like you, Anna." Anna winked back a ready tear. "He's a man from your owu town one of your neighbors- Isn't it strange? But the moment Van Tredwell and I met it was a case of love at sight. You know how those things happen sometimes. It was Van who told me of your engagement. Van can't get away just now, but I want ?o come to your wedding, Anna, if you'd like me to." "Oh !" cried Anna, dazed by the sud den surprise of the news. Van Tred well and Lois Mather! Met-engag ed-Lois coming to ber wedding ! She turned to the letter again. "The present is Van's, but the Idea 1? raine," were the next words she read. "Men never know what to buy for weddings. But I remember how fond yoa were of old-fashioned things and-" "Mother," called Anna excitedly over the railing. "Is that big box open yet? Is it from Van? Don't tell me-I know what it is before I see lt." She hurried down the stairs, talking breathlessly. "Mother, the strangest thing has happened. Van's in love with the nicest girl ever. Lois Mather's coming to my wedding. And-she told Van to send that-she always thought of the right thing." "Yes. There's your spinet desk," nodded Mrs. Leeds. Por a moment Anna gazed at the rutrcfi deslrod new gift. Then, with Van Tredwell's card in one hand and Lois Mather's letter in the other, her head dropped to her mother's shoul der and happy tears flowed. "Just to prove how happy I am," murmured Anna. Dealers In Skirts. President Neilson of Smith college, whose humor ls much enjoyed by the yeanj; women of that institution, has recently told of an amusing experience which he had when returning home from a speech-making trip. While In the observation car he and a "drum mer" were trying to pass away the time with a chat. Just as the train was nearing the president's station, the "drummer," in a final burst of con fidence, said, "My line's skirts; what's yonrs?" As he picked up his Ullage and hurried out. Doctor Neilson called back: "So's mine." OFFENDING FAT AND LEAN Taft Denies Report He Lost Ninety Instead of Eighty Pounds Whilo He Was President. The man who claims credit for re ducing William Howard Taft's weight, during the four years of his incumbency of the White House, is out with a statement which may call I for an emphatic contradiction from the former president, asserts the Christian Science Monitor. Says the trainer referred to: "Mr. Taft lost ninety pounds in the four years he was president and during which he placed himself under my con trol." Many people will remember how Mr. Taft disposed of a similar assertion soon after he left office. Said he, in effect: "Among the mis representations to which I have been subjected is that I lost ninety pounds during the last four years. This is untrue. I lost only eighty pounds." This brings back a story of Alex ander H. Stephens, who had been vice president of the Southern Con federacy, and who, after the Civil war, was repeatedly elected to con gress from Georgia. He was an ex ceedingly thin man, and, one day, there fell under his observation a newspaper item saying that he weighed ninety pounds. In reply to this he wrote a letter to the editor of the offending journal demanding an immediate retraction- "I will not be slandered in this manner," he protested. "My weight is 94 pounds." The former vice president was him self an editor, with a habit of writ ing very long articles for his paper in Georgia, and the contemporary which had made the unwelcome statement regarding his weight re fused to retract it for the reason, it said, that "Mr. Shephens must have had one of his editorials in his pocket when he last tried the scales. This wonld account for the differ ence of four pounds between the two figures." JUST WAIT ON w "Will you tell your sister the young millionaire she met at the beach is here. "She knows it. She says a pa tient waiter is no loser, and she saw you waiting on a table today." THE RESEMBLANCE. "That prima donna is like eur cook." "In what way?" "She is always falling down in the aria." HIS SURMISE. "What do you read, my lord?* <fWords, words, words," replied Hamlet. "Ah, you are perusing the Cont? gressional Record?" NOT EXACTLY. "You treat these boys as i? they were kittens." "Nb, I don't, for then they would get a licking every day." THE REASON. ''That fellow will never look in a mirror when he is drunk." "I suppose he thinks it is no time for sober reflection." ONE CONTINGENCY. "American as you are, don't yon think you would be awed by the presence of a king?" "Not if I held an ace." A BLOT. "I understand Germania still claims to have a place in the sun." "Sure thing. She's now one of J the spots." - t THOUGHTFUL WARY. "Where did you get those smart stockinga ?" "Oh, I had them laid by for p. rainy dayl" ^_ , SUGGESTIONS ON GOOD ROADS Special Thought Should Be Given by Builders te Road Crossings to Avoid Accidents. WkS? highway engineers, ceramls* stoners and ?tiers are planning good roads and strang, durable bridges, they oit?ht to give special thought and work to the road crossings and the sewers er culverts placed at sueh cross ings, says a writer la Farmers' Review. Snefc crossings are generally about 12 to IS feet lea-, aa? lt requires an aJn?ept tum of a vehiele to take them at right angle. These are danger pot? ts oa account of the short turn aa4 barrow space to make-the turn. T%* remedy for such places is to naa-ke sewer or culvert ts long as the whKfc of the read will permit, say not less than 40 feet, and mere if possible, Durable Concrete Culvert and thea if vehicles meet, there il plenty of roora te pass without inter fering with the speed or rights of the one going in the other direction. We hare seen several narrow es capes from accidents in such places, and the watchword now Is "Safety First." The automobile is here to stay, and we want room to spread out and avoid all danger of accidents. Our counties are now paying large salaries to men who are supposed to be efficient, and good civil engineers/ and the safety and comfort of the pub lic largejy rests on them. It is the duty of such nen to catch up with the times and provide roads suited to the needs of present-day travel. Such im provements are not very expensive, and when properly made last a life time, and save time, trouble and acci dents. TEST OF TIRES ON HIGHWAYS Results Obtained by United States Of fice of Public Roads After Pe riod of Years. In Its testing of tires on country ronds during a period of several years the United States office of public roads has prepared the r^id prior to each test by plowing, grading and rolling thus, with further consideration of moisture and atmospheric variations, giving conditions as nearly identical as possible for each of the trips compared, !t was found that the draft decreased with increase of tire width to a cer tain limit, beyond which it Increased. As a result of the experiments, it is recommended that for ordinary farm work and general trucking, the stand ard width of tire for a one-horse wagon, with gross load of 2,000 pounds, should be two baches; light two-horse wagon, 2,500 pounds, two and one half Inches; medium two-horse wagon, mounds, three inches: standard two-horse wagon, 6,800 pounds, four lncies ; heavy two-horse wagon, 7,500 pounds, five Inches. CONSTRUCT NEW HIGHWAYS State of Illinois Expected to Expend $3,000,000 in Improving Roads This Season. It ls expected that Illinois will ex pend $3,000.000 this year on federal aid highways. The proposed road con strnction outlined by the Illinois state highway department has been ap proved by the national government, ac cording to Secretary of Agriculture Houston. The proposed work Includes con Btrnctlon along the Dixie highway, the Line?la highway, the highway from Chicago to the Wisconsin state line, the Chicago to Jollet highway and the road from Peoria northeast to Spar land. Federal-aid money for these roaas ls to be available shortly, lt ls announced. Good Roads Campaign. The good roads campaign ls always OB an? will always be on until every ros? shall have been paved with the best of material and In the best of nrauaner. And then there will probably, be the establishing of more wain roads, and so lt will go on until the country is well supplied with roads that will he practicable 365 days In the year. Gaining in Importance. The question of roads gains In im portance and interest with every pass ing year. TT J "W^ll * J ? Job Printing . Cl Y j Let The Advertiser JOB OFFICE DO YOUR PRINTING We are equipped with the most modern facilities, and can do your printing in the most up-to-date man ner on short notice. I Our New Linotype Machine will set type from the small type to the heavy display type. All kinds of work done in the most ap proved manner. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED Send your orders to The Edgefield Advertiser