SKETCHES j ** LIFE ?(^JjAj)? C :oncl Pinkney Erastus Baldwin, Seardcj patriarch who hoi-ds away !n the upper reaches of Boone's Fork, railed i>n County Welfarer Marguerite Miller yesterday. The Colonel, whose memory einhrares American history in its entirety, craved seenthe .title earned, a hundred different. seI^ on a crooked sycamore staff, the amber stream of tobaco in the general direction of a cuspidor, adjusted his tattered trousers to full mast, and grinned his famous grin. "Three hundred and one, come Old Christmas,'* the Coionel V irked, with a pre-Revolutionary accent. "How old is your wife?" queried, the welfare officer. "NJjiety-cight last fail," replied Colonel Baldwin. "Any children?" Miss Miller continued. "Six here, six in England.'' droned the aged Baldwin, "and the oldest brat is a hundred and thirteen." *1. ;r Miller arched her brows as i she didn't exactly believe the Colonels story. "Your wife's ninetyeight, your son a hundred and thirteen" . . . the welfare officer was (low-right worried . . . "do?i?t seem to make sense." Colonel Baldwin shuffled his brogans impatiently, spoke a speech on the inexcusable dumbness of late generations, and shambled out of the courthouse. Colonel Baldwin took a silver offering along Main street, lent some primitive philosophies to current questions, an,! tniarded a lumber truck Tor his cabin in the hills. There he impatiently awaits a federal pension which, if the Colonel's reckoning is correct, will amount to ninety dollars per month lor the first hunfired years, with seventy-five dollars tfor eacii additional century. And that ought to fix the Colonel up in right elegant fashion. ? * * The spud crop being grown by colored "guests" at Captain Hardin Brown's penitentiary is something . .. to look at. Tubers of the Green Mountain variety, big as your two t fists, are being dug, and the skins are still slipping. A measured bushel was harvested from a tenfoot row the other day, just to show the Sketch Man that Time's spuds in them thar hiils." tMr :'" ' \Tt-=s A! Aldridge, rocentlv retired from an aerial honeymoon to the Orient, are visitors this week ?>vith the iatter's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Don Isaacs, in the Vaile Crucis section. Prior to marriage in March, Miss Jsancs for a pair of years was hostess with the American Airlines en the Cleveland-Fort Worth run. A graduate nurse from Baptist Hospital, Memphis, tlie Watauga girl , eo during "high-flying days" looked IJtac down on more than a quarter-million * Vw miles of swiftly-moving landscapes between Lake Erie and her home port in the Lone Star State . . . she diapered crying younguns, dished up bromides for nervous first-trippers, I introduced cringing passengers, strapped safety beit3 about thousands h of abdomens, dimpled and otherwise, served chocolate, coffee and whatnot . . . saw to the general welfare of those in a great big hurry to go ^ places. Life, full of pictures from covet t1 to cover, displayed the air-minded Watauga lass in its March 29th issue, alongside her brand-new husband who. quite incidentally, is man ager ox American ;! airports at f ori Worth. Nice people, these, and the Sketch Man wishes for the both oi them many, many happy landings. * * * Chief of Police OUis has heard of a bootlegger who believes in the proverbial ounce of prevention. To forestall Inevitable headaches from v the taking of "mule," the enterprising local vendor of spirits fortifies his potent offerings with veronol, aspirin tablets, et cetra, leastwise, that's what the Chief has been fold. V * 9 Glimpsed while passing: A fellov who tries to tell most everybody that there's nothing wrong witl Watauga's school system ... A lad; teacher who's just aching and paininj to retrieve a twenty-five-dollar of fcring made to the Democratic cam paign chest . . . Bill Hodges and A1 Bingham arguing about which is th best barber . . . Wild flowers of a feast a hundred different varictie blooming "around the road" bcyom Demps Wilcox's laundry . . . Horse (Continued on page 8.) ' . . I ". WAI An li j VOL. XLIX, NO. 3 | NEW POWER LINE ! READY TO SERVE False Rumor Spreads About Plant Breakdown; No Cause For Trouble Now (The Blowing Rocket) Mp.ny false rumors have spread ( through the village about the break- \ down in the lighting- plant last week- | cud. The trouble was caused by the I i breakdown of the auxiliary Diesel i plant, which is used when the water j i is low at the hydro plant. At the ! ; time of the accident the water at the | t hydro plant was exhausted. I jror x.nree months linemen of the i Northwest Carolina Utilities com; pany have been at work on a new j line to Boone, which might be used i to make interconnection with the ' New River Right and Power e.om:pany there An agreement was made j [.sometime ago whereby there would I ; be exchange of power between Blow- j jing Rock and Boone in case ofj1 j breakdown. This line would have j ] been completed Tuesday after the i i Trouble Saturday. The new line is now complete, linemen from Blowing Rock and surrounding towns having worked until ' 2 o'clock Sunday lr.crr.ing to finish the job The Diesel plant has also ! been repaired. There is no cause < now for an interruption in power j service. The Boone plant, has installed at |. j Appalachian college a new steam : j generator to be used in supplying' Blowing Itock in case of breakdown. According to the p.nver company's interruption records, last week's , breakdown was the first to occur ill j; the summer season in seven years. BLAZE THREATENS NOVELTY PLANT Fire Department Subdues Flame [ ?n Miavin? Koum of Local Manufacturing Concern 1 Quick action on the part of the fire department prevented what might have been a serious conflngra- , tion Monday evening, when fire, presumably originating in the boiler room set fire to a huge pile of shavings at the Woodcraft Novelty Company. Mr. W. H. Ciragg, one of the owners of the manufactory, states that when the blaze was cpiencked it had jnct yet reached the main portion of I the factory, and that the iors was | held down to something UUe seven or[ | eight hundred dollars. | "WEEK OK RELIGIOUS ! nuroiiAOTO" Ann ui rtmnwr' i ROCK BAPTIST CHURCH "A Week or Religious Emphasis" a series ot inspiring exercises, will he held at the Blowing Rock Baptist churci, beginning August S and continuing throughout the week. Dr. C. Li. Bowden of the First Baptist church of Elizabethton, Tenn., will be the guest speaker. The sessions will be held each evening at 8 o'clock. The Rev. Phillip Fletcher, pastor : of the church, has devoted much time , to working out the program and . hopes that it will prove to be most ! profitable and enjoyable, i Music will be the main feature of the program. It will be directed byi . Mrs. Bowden and Mrs. Fletcher, both I of whom are graduates of the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. Mrs. Fletcher received her master of arts degree at Carson-Newman. Mr. Center Stephens, director of ] music at the First Baptist church in , Greensboro, will be here to direct the choir. Special numbers, both vocal and instrumental, will be rendered throughout the week. Miss Mable Starnes, associate director of the Baptist Training Union, will be in charge of the young peo pies' work. The public is urged to attend these services as they will be most inspiring and uplifting. A. & P. STORE MOVES The A. & P. store is now occupying new and modern quarters in the 7 Hamby and Winkler building next r door to the Belk-White store. The i business had formerly been conduct1r e-d two doors down the street in the X Boone Drug Company building. 23 LICENSES REVOKED i> Raleigh, July 26?Twenty-three e convictions for drunken driving tot day brought to 11,651 the number of s driving licenses lost by automobile J operators in North Carolina. Most - of the revocations have been for drunken driving. AUG, ^dependent Weekly News BOONE, WATAUGA COUNT Mail Via Aquaplane $$ ; t: - < jgjH t, 3 ? ]f ^p[ I ' : .?* ' C. -.:. Ifc&*.- ,m- ,r &? :' 8&'BS&3&3*$$1 I HERMOSA BEACH, Cai John Campbell, postman entered in the coming cross-channel - aquaplane race here soon, shown delivering the first mail ever made on an aquaplane; an invitation to tba mayor of Avalon. VETERANS LOAN ~ FUND AVAILABLE Amounts up io 83,1)00 Mnv Bej Iiad For Purchase of Homes or Farms The following eatyerpt" from a etter from Graham K. Hobbs. com- j misi;OT\er of the World War Veterans Loan Fur..;, to Cieve Gross, commamkr of the Watauga t.egfqn post: will be of interest to veterans; "'Hie World War Veterans Loan Fund is again in condition and iVksition io assist Veterans in purchasing" ami acquiring homes?either town or farms by malting loans in accordance with law and prescribed regulations. Now is the time and opportunity for veterans who do not own. Homes to acquire them "Wc nave approximately one-half million dollars in the hank to ho loaned to honorably discharged veterans who were citizens . Wilson states that iie is now preparing a list of the delinquent taxpayers for the year 1!1S;>, and that the property involved will he sold on tile first Monday In September, after having been advertised during August in the county newspaper. Mr. Wilson states that the copy will he delivered to the printer on Saturday, August 7th. and urgently asks that those in arrears make arrangements to pay before that time, and save the cost of advertising and saie. Fish Fry Will Be Held By Lions Club A fish fry will be he la at tlu ' Rather wood fish hatchery Tuesday August 3, at 7:30. under the sponj sorship of the local Lions Club. Tickets i-ife iiu'w on feixie at the Carcluis I Pharmacy and the proceeds will b* j used for the benefit of the lccal atl | vertising fund. "N. A. PRESNELL DIES AT LAUREL. CREEK HOMI Mr. A. N. Prcsnell. aged 73 years died on the 19th at his home in Lau I re I Creel: township, after an illnes, whicli extended over a period o about two yeags. Funeral services were conducted cn the 25th from the graveside in th> family cemetery, by Reverends Ca! vin Guy and Monroe Prcsnell. Mr. Presneli was a son of the lat j Eli Presneii, was a farmer and j consistent member of the Baptis church. He was a good and substar: tial citizen. Surviving are three children. Cor; It*. u?uli.u