Our companion gazing at him remarked sotto voce, "Well T have heard Jokes made about it, but I have never seen it done before."
"What's that?" we asked, concentrating on the plate before us.
"Look for yourself," was the reply, here's a fellow actually eating peas with his knife He was, too, Using his knife as scoop he would attack a heap of eas and convey and number from six to eight at a time to his mouth, And not one fell off! The reason, as we found after watching the performance for some minutes, was because he was also eating some cold, fat ham, which made the knife sticky enough for the purpose. There it is! We also have heard many a jokey about this sort of thing, but had never seen it before. The incident completely spoiled because the man didn't out himself, But leaving the ham and returning to our muttons, namely Labour Day. the first real sign of rejoicing was it a small farmhouse by the side of the line, Tt was quite early in the morning, but to the sound of a tam-bourne two buxom women, and they fan be buxom in this part of the} world, were indulging Ina danc while' the admiring" menfolk looked con, stolid, but apparently none the Jess" appreciative. Everyone who could was having a holiday A different picture was. presented by another little scene during the afternoon of the same da Too Many Vodks Husband and wife had been away from early dawn till after the lunch hour doing a little of the formal 1 Jolcing. A. middle-aged couple, he in hig best black, and a very poor one at that, and she in the gayest of er chiefs, had attended the usual ceremonies and had set out for home, afier he had polished off a few vodkag to mark the occasions, How many he had we shall never: know, but on his way alongside the railway track, he became drowsy, and collapsing in his tracks, went off to sleep, dreaming, perhaps, that he was Queen of the May, while his helpless distressed spouse stood wringing her hands, wondering what to do, unless someone came by assist her, for it was still very cold, and who knew but that snow would come before nightfall But there were children playing handball, There were parallel bars bbe seen from time to time, and plenty of evidence that the authorities are caring for the new generation. Where there were soldiers the evidence of outdoor gymnasium fixtures proved that attention was pald to the man inside the excellent clothes with which the government equips him. They walk as if they were the lords of the earth and all that therein is.
Women do the Work Life seems poor enough, the women not only work in the fields and the farms, but are to be seen doing navies' "work along the permanent way and even helping to unload coal trucks, But the don't smile, The latterdemation nan who produces some newspaper from his pocket and in it rolls himself a cigarette, passes! a witticism with his neighbour engaged on the same sort of work. He replies, but they don't smile, "not even though it Is a festival The women who bring farm produce to the many stations hoping to out their little fortune by a few sales to passers-through, have that same hard bitten lock of those who slare poverty in the face year in and year onl, who uncomplainingly bear the adverse fortunes of a bad season, and secure no particular joy from good one. And: they don't smile in Siberia, the Iand of second-hand clothes' and unrelenting solemnity!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.