The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 196: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

190 “ DEMOSTHENES, JR.,” a short story by Lee Landon that will appear next week, Billy Barr did not know at first whether Demosthenes was a Russian general or a new pitcher. But he found out; and the manner in which he enlisted the services of the ancient orator makes a delightfully humorous story that is not at the same time without food for thought. It will be one of the many attractions in THE Arcosy for January 5. . “ YANKEE DIMES,” by Jennie Harris Oliver, is an extremely interesting yarn of the Ozark Mountains. It concerns a young mountaineer struggling, Lincoln-like, to break the fetters of his native ignorance and poverty; a girl who did not belong in such a primitive district, and a mountain gang-leader, who swore he would “ put his face under Mary’s bunnit” and extract some “‘ Yankee dimes ”—-mountainese for kisses— regardless of her wishes. Read what happened in THE Arcosy’s first issue for the new year, out next Thursday. The mere mention of the name Alsace suggests a frontier fraught with heart- break and misery. In the story by Helen A. Holden, “HIS RETURN TO ALSACE,” one of next week’s features, you will find a graphic account of what happened when the great war brought to a climax an enmity which during the years of boyhood had been steadily mounting nearer and nearer to the danger-point. The interposition of a love affair complicates matters still further, and a skirmish be- THE ARGOSY. tween the opposing forces precipitates a crisis. THE CLEANEST MAGAZINE PRINTED : I am very sensible of the compliment paid Tue Arcosy by the good words of our friend from Nebraska. It is very good of her to send her numbers to the soldier abroad. I hope many others may be moved to follow suit. Fremont, Nebraska. As I have noticed so many times your asking your readers to write and tell you how they first came to read THE Arcosy, I am going to write a few lines and tell you about how I -came to read that splendid magazine. It was~like this: Just about two years ago I was mourning the loss of a dear relative, and I was on my way from my home in the wesiern part of Nebraska, coming east to Omaha, where I had a position as assistant bookkeeper and cashicr, and I was, at the time, feeling blue and all broken up. Weill, on the train I sat next to a gentleman who was reading a magazine, and as he got up he left it lying beside me. Whether he meant to do it or not I cannot say; but my thanks to him for leaving it. I broke a rule of my home and picked the magazine up, and noticed what a funny name for a book, as I called it then, for it was the first of its kind that I had ever had in my hands. For this reason my folks at home strongly op- posed us children, especially the girls, from read- ing anything outside school-books and books on the Bible; but as we get to be our own bosses, you know, we get to do as we please, and really I cannot see where my reading a magazine like Tue Arcosy could hurt any girl. There are a thousand things that could be done that would be a thousand times worse, I am sure; and so I read several stories in it, and took it along with me when I left the train. I have bought it ever since, and will do so as long as I can. I have no kick to make, as I am not a knocker, The only thing I will say is I am a little timid about a story with a murder in it. I like Western stories and I like to see a Western play. I am a movie fan, and go to see all the Western plays I can. “ My very best wishes to THE ArGosy, and let me say I am so glad it’s got to be a weekly. But with my duty in the daytime it is coming too fast; I can’t keep up. But THE Arcosy is a wel- come visitor any time, and I shall subscribe in the near future for a year or more. And now I am going to say something else. I see in the October 20 issue about a soldier in England wanting some one to send him some magazines, so as I have got quite a few of them, I will send him some; but I cannot send him my first book, as I call it, because it brings back memories to me that are dear. It’s the Decem- ber, 1915, issue, and I intend to keep it as long as I can for a kind of keepsake. I hope what few I send will get there safe and sound, because I am so glad to be able to do anything for a soldier fighting for his flag. I have sent several to a rel- ative I have down there in New Mexico and some to New York, too, and now I am going to send a few a little farther. My heart gocs out to all of our soldiers and I almost envy them. If I was a man I would by all means be among them. I would, anyway, if I could. Please excuse my lengthy letter, and if you can get a few lines out of it to put in the Log-Book, Ill thank you, in advance, again. I wish THe Arcosy all the suc- cess in the world. It is the cleanest magazine that is printed. Thanking you for your trouble in reading my Ietter, J. E. W. EVER SINCE HE WAS OLD ENOUGH TO READ Now that we are running five serials in place of six, Mr. Lobnow will surely have no kick coming. And every now and again he will note that we oO Comicbooe S