125 years ago

december 26, 1884

The time for “turning over a new leaf” is nearly here again. Make one more honest, earnest effort to lop off some of your bad habits.

Mr. Jex is just waiting for good weather to lay off his new addition into town lots.

Bob Baker’s team had a little run without a driver, Wednesday, but fortunately did not do very much damage.

Mr. L. Strom has purchased the stone business house opposite the City Hotel, and will soon occupy it as a harness shop.

A resident of the hill has sustained a strange loss. His window blinds are missing.

Some sneak thief or thieves entered Mrs. Compton’s cellar, Monday night, and gobbled several bushels of apples, some potatoes, etc. At the same time they helped themselves to a liberal supply of Pennsylvania coal.

Fred Lewis came in last week to spend the holidays. He reports one of his Jackson County stone-arch bridges finished, and the commissioners of that county apparently much pleased with the job. We are a little selfish about this business. We don’t want these stone bridges to get too much of a “run” in other counties till Marion County, the starter of them, get so far ahead that the others can’t “catch up.”

The thermometer has been way down below zero several days during the past ten days. This accounts for the absence of any reference, last week and this, to “sunny Kansas” as the “Italy of America.” We hope to be able to remark something of the kind next week, however.

Mr. Eli Pavey, brother of Messrs. John and Isaac Pavey, of this city, arrived Tuesday from Benton County, Iowa, accompanied by his family and a Mr. Brolliar, with his family. They brought a lot of nice horses, and their household and farming effects. Both of these gentlemen have bought farms two or three miles northeast of Marion. Coming from Iowa, they were surprised to hear our people talking about such weather as we have been having being cold!

Some belated wild geese went squawking south, Monday night. They had probably heard of the “mild winter” predictions and fooled around up north until the blizzard stuck them and sent them in a hurry to the sunny south Oh, how much, after all, are poor human beings like the geese! They spend the youth and vigor of life in pursuit of fleeting pleasures,