La Grange Journal (La Grange, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 8, 1942 Page: 5 of 8
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OCTOBER 8, 1942
LA GRANGE JOURNAL
PAGE FIVE
THE RAMBLER
n
ed
Hay Fever Seems To Have
, Lost A Friend
Rambler finds little enjoyment in
watching some good woman or some
good' man t>ause on the march to dp
a bit of sneezing. And he would like
to give the sufferer the remedy to
stop the annoyance. Red noses and
watery eyes always invoke sympathy.
Many here in La Grange have hay
fever; what helps is that they man-
age to get a smile on their physiog-
nomies when you ask them if they
have a “fresh cold.” Rambler asked
one woman that question, and while
he could not reconcile himself to the
style of the question took her rebuke:
“What in the world do you mean
when you say ‘fresh cold.’ I believe
all colds are too fresh, anyway. What
I have is a genuine case of hay fever,
and I haven’t been hauling any of the
dried grass either.”
* * *
Jocular Roasting At That
But Agreeable
When Rambler read about the his-
torical capitol iron fences in Massa-
chusetts being given up for the junk
need, he felt like offering some com-
mendation. But when, last Wednes-
day afternoon, white printing the
week’s edition of the Journal, the re-
lease gripper refusing to connect with
the delivery gripper on the press, he
had a different opinion.
After working on the recalcitrant
parts for two hours with Bill Janssen
and accomplishing nothing, he was
willing to have Pete Looney, salvage
rally chairman come and remove the
press to the junk yard. Merely illus-
trating that while some folks are
patriotic by nature, some become pa-
triotic when disgusted.
Thursday morning, after an all-
night study of the trouble, Rambler
secured Vernon Warnken and had
him take a seat at the press and the
two of us compared ideas. Suddenly
something clicked, the idea was car-
ried out and darned if the grippers
didn’t respond like a trooper at mess
call.
That would have been all to the
good; one-half of the paper had been
printed and mailed, the rural route
subscriber’s had to be satisfied, the
paper had to be mailed that night in
order to be carried out on the routes
the next morning. What did we do?
Listen you! A negro was passing
by and was hailed. He was tired and
looked it, but was willing “to make
a quarter.” He turned out the papers
by hand and sweat like a glass of ice
water in a warm room. That wasn’t
the all of it.
Papers did not reach Fayetteville
and routes Thursday, a day late was
entered on the events of the week.
And it came to pass that, when the
star route carrier failed to have the
Journal, for several, the kicks begun.
They wrote, and later told the Ramb-
ler to arrange his private affairs and
get in line for promptness. Nice,
isn’t it?
One of them sent this message on
a postal card: “What is the matter,
the Journal did not come this morn-
ing. Must have been left in La
Grange. Now my wife will not sleep
tonight because she can’t read the
Journal when she retires.”
Sometimes the Rambler threatens
to take an inventory and try to locate
why misfortune strikes doubly. He
has seen many who seem not to care
a continental dam about anything
and get by and have nothing to
bother them.
He has witnessed how some, to
whom honesty meant little and who
were the least worried about paying
their bills, prospered and swagger
like a drunken man, but swagger with
importance; he recalled the old saw
about “being so darned important
that when he stood straight he leaned
back.”
* * *
Had A Visitor And Glad
To Chat With Him
John A. Kerr, from over the back-
yard of Fayette county—Muldoon for
that matter—was in La Grange last
Friday. What is more, he came into
the Rambler’s den as the Rambler
was writing the editorial for the first
column. He wanted to know if the
typewriter being manipulated, was
insured against fire. That is John’s
way of greeting. You would not
nurse the idea that he is a humorist,
and neither does the Rambler, but he
can say some of the darndest things.
Old- friends of the gay nineties.
John practiced law in La Grange in
those days and the two of us, with
Geo. E. Lenert (director of plays)
would appear in home talent produc-
tions. Due to his lankiness and fea-
tures, we made an attempt to pro-
duce a play in which Abraham Lin-
coln was featured. It fell by the back
door, and was not produced.
They were great days for the all
of us; one four-act drama—with many
dramatic climaxes at the end of each
act—was finally produced for the
benefit of a local church. In that play
John was the deacon. If you want
him to smile now, ask him if he re-
members the dramatic lines and how
he had to be told not to jump when
speaking them as if he wished to
vault a barbed-wire fence.
Rambler played the villain, and
was charged with replacing the cart-
ridges used by one of the duelists in
a dueling scene, with blanks. But be-
fore the villain could give the com-
mand to fire, a shot was fired from
behind the scenes and the “bullet”
struck the villain. The duel was off
but John, as the deacon said, “No, he
wished to satiate his thirst for the
blood of the villain.”
“Take the doctor’s pistol and place
your hound,” and stepped forward
with his derringer, “and damned be
he who first cries hold, enough!”
Days and nights that have been
placed with the things that were.
When old friends, however, gather,
there is something to talk about. One [are,
Here the folks give you the glad hand
and that goes a long way with a sol-
dier who is a long ways from his
home town.”
Serg. Knierien was looking for
something he could send to his aged
father—his mother died last year—
and asked for a souvenir; he had vis-
ited Monument Hill to the south and
was impressed with what he learned
about the Mier Expedition and Capt.
Dawson’s Men. Presented with one
of the booklets that have been printed
in the Journal office and a copy of
the special edition of the Journal is-
sued in June 1941, he was like a
school boy who had been given a pair
of red top boots.
Many other soldiers from Camp
Swift while away the leave hours in
our little city and receive the friendly
greetings of which this sergeant
speaks. ’Tis well, keep up the good
work.
• * •
Keep Your Eyes On The
Road Ahead
Next to the new city cemetery is
a vacant space, on that vacant space
is a bill board, on that bill board is
a lithographed" advertisement, with
the picture of two very pretty girls
on bicycles, wearing shorts—the girls
ber of Uncle Sam’s Air Corps. “Yes,”
he said in reply to our query, “I
have enlisted and will try to do my
part.”
M. W. will do as he said he would.
His going demands that his vacancy
be replaced by another. The Kroll
Funeral Home has witnessed the de-
parture of the manager, Geo. Lenert
Kroll, the mortician, Frank Pratka,
and now the young director. This is
but another instance in the war de-
message he left was pleasing, Mrs.
Kerr, a patient in a San Antonio hos-
pital, was mending nicely.
* * »
Camp Swift Soldier Says He
Likes La Grange
Tech. Serg. A. J. Knierien of Tole-
do, Ohio, one of the 17,000 soldiers
at Camp Swift, was in La Grange
last Saturday on another visit; he
has been coming almost every week.
This time he “dropped in” on the
Rambler for a chat and what a chat
it was! He gave up his modern filling
station when thf strong arm of Uncle
Sam said: “Come with me.”
Talkative and appreciative is the
best caption the Rambler can give
to this young man. Saturday he com-
pleted the nineteenth month of ser-
vice and was looking forward to or-
ders that meant an ocean voyage. In
speaking about this section he said:
“Certainly do like La Grange and
the people you have here. They are
friendly and make you feel that you
are welcome. Most places where I’ve
been it was simply a case of another
soldier and th&t ended the matter.
Rambler was out at the cemetery
last Thursday to place a flower on
the grave of Ida Rose who slipped
away from the family home 37 years
ago, like a vision. As he climbed out
of the car another car came on. Nice
story!
The “picture on the wall” of this
display sign attracted that driver, to
such an extent that he came near to
running into the negro minister’s
home. (The A.M.E. Negro church is
also near the home.)
Marlene Dietrich may have her legs
insured for ten thousand dollars, but
she certainly can’t hold a candle to
those two whose permission was
gained by the advertising firm, to be
placed on a bill board.
Rambler was under the impression
that bill boards were to be banned
from highways.
* * *
Another Felt The Urge And
Promptly Enlisted
M. W. Marburger, funeral director
at the Kroll Funeral Home came in
Saturday to tell the Rambler that he
had been accepted and is now a mem-
mands.
* • •
The Oeltjens Believe In
Serving Uncle Sam
Anton Oeltjen of Prairie Valley, in
to see the Rambler last Saturday,
had an approving smile on his face
and seemed to be in good spirits. He
is a brother to Lieut. Oeltjen of New
York, of whom the Rambler made
mention last week.
“My son is in the army, been there
for some time,” was his answer when
asked. “He likes it and like his
Uncle Gus. who is here from New
York, will do what he can to make a
good soldier.”
Nice remark, a remark that may
be in good form to study by many.
But then, Fayette county isn’t in the
slacker class, at least the boys are
not.
• * •
Filling Station Gang Is
Counting Stories
When the last visit among the hon-
orary bunch of hangers on at the
Filling Station was made by the
Rambler, he found them in a story-
telling mood, and for once the war
wasn’t mentioned nor was there any
reference to taxes being due.
One of the boys told a story that
had been whiskered and shaved a
dozen times, but the manner in which
he told it gave it a new coloring. He
referred to an incident that happened
at West Point, when Sam F. Drake—
gone for several years—was asso-
ciated with Sam Shelburne, in busi-
ness.
The store enjoyed a good trade and
Sam Drake was a good salesman; he
was annoyed by a large negro pick-
ing up articles and examining them
and then dropping them back, while
he assumed the right to address Mr.
Drake as “Sam.” He was told one
Saturday afternoon that his presence
wasn’t wanted, and that the next time
Ihe addressed Mr. Drake as “Sam” he
would find an ax handle rubbing his
skull.
Next Saturday the negro did not
show up, on the following next Sat-
urday he came in, picked up some ar-
ticle and said: “Sam, what’s this
worth ” He didn’t say another word
while he was in the store. The ax
handle landed on the left tempted
drew blood and limbered up the lega.
Out of the store he raced and on to-
ward the depot. Several who sax*
him running and the trail of blood in
the path of his running, told Mr.
Drake about it.
“He was really swaggering and
mumbling, and as he passed me,"
said one informer, I heard him say:
‘Sam said he would and he did. Sam
said he would and he did.’ Whfct waa
he referring to, Mr. Drake?” Then
the story came out.
* * *
Came For A Brief Visit And
Mentioned War
Kermit Henniger, son of Prof, and
Mrs. H. C. Henniger of La Grange,
and who is now stationed at Pasa-
dena (near Houston) came home Sat-
urday for a short visit and, as yon
may surmise, pulled the latch string
of the Rambler’s den.
“Just had to come in and chat for
a moment, won’t be long before I will
be with the rest of the La Grange
boys and in position to do something
for my country.”
Almost daily one hears this samel
story. Good luck, Kermit.
• * • i
Youngsters Have A Memory
That Pleases
You can always find it agreeable to
compliment the youngsters, whether
they are the boy or the girl. And
their friendship is valuable, moreso
than that of the grown-up who too
aften has a motive for his friend-
ship’s display.
One point you must remember,
when you talk to the child, be a child
for the moment and make no attempt
to place the head of a grown-up on
the child’s shoulder. In that manner
you can depend on hearty co-operation.
Said one to the Rambler: “Do yoti
ever listen to the radio?” Being told
that we frequently do, the little girl
said: “What age are we in now?”
Before you pass judgment, try to an-
swer that.
After some study, during which
(Continued on page 8)
YOUR
UIURWIIM
fOR YOUR HELP
ASKS
'
There Are No—
IFS and
ANDS Now
We Are at Warl
FORYICTOR'
Do Your Bit
HELP
Your Defense
Council
Your Civilan
Police
^ Your FLAG
Keep Fayette County At The
Top List of Patriots
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La Grange Journal (La Grange, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 8, 1942, newspaper, October 8, 1942; La Grange, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth997824/m1/5/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Fayette Public Library, Museum and Archives.