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homes of readers who reside in the
heart of the Great Umatilla Wheat
Belt, and they have money to spend
mm
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Entered at the Post Office at Athena, Oregon, as Second-Class Mall Matter
VOLUME XXX.
ATHENA. UMATILLA COUNTY. OREGON. FRIDAY. MARCH 8, 1918.
NUMBER 10
HMtHIIIMMMMMIH
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Spring Topics
You probably expect an early Spring this year why not be pre
pared for it? The first fine day you'll want to get out into the garden
are you amply supplied with garden tools? We have some remaining
over from last year on which the prices have not been advanced.
For Your Spring
House Cleaning
You will need O'Cedar Oil, or liquid Veneer. Old Engish Floor Wax,
New Aluminum Cooking Utensis, Odd Pieces of Furniture, perhaps a
new Rug, a new Range we will make you a liberal allowance on your
old range.
Spring is in the air you'll soon get the fever get ready for it.
The Davis-Kaser Co.
Home Furnishing Department Store
Complete Furnishers of Homes, Offices and Schools 10-20 Alder St.
Walla Walla Wash.
IIHMIMIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIllltllllllll"
niiinniiiiiii niiiititii
A man said to us:
" Rogers can look you
in the eye, hut Watts
takes a side view."
Every day your chance is one less to secure one of those
McCormick Combines. Order and after 6 days tell us if
You Are Satisfied
We have the best gram bin made, the best grain tanks
and will put you next to the best farmer elevator.
Electric Washer and Rotary or Two-Spool Sewing Machines.
A new shipment'of Phonographs that play all records.
WATTS & ROGERS
Farm Outfitters
Just Over the Hill
MMIIlHtlllMIIIHlUniMMH
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wss
Show Your Patriotism!
, Buy a
War Savings Stamp
and Help Win the War
For Sale at
The First National Bank of cAthena
Htllllll
ESTABLISHED 1865
Preston-Shaffer Milling Co.
AMERICNA BEAUTY
FLOUR
Is trade in Athena, by" Athena labor, in one ol the very best
equipped mills in the Northwest, of the best selected Bluestem
wheat 'grown"anywhere. Patronize home industry. Your
grocer seUVthe famous American Beauty Flour
Merchant Millers & Grain Buyers
Athena, Oregon. Waitsburg, Wash.
IHMIIiHlllltHlllilllllltl lllllllllll I IIIIIIMMH
We carry the best
MEATS
That Money Buys
Our Market is
Clean and Cool
Insuring Wholesome Meats.
LOGSDEN & MYRICK.
Main Street, Athena, Oregon
LETTERS RECEIVED
FROM OVER THERE
Athena people this week received
letters from their boys near the front,
and have kindly given them to the
Fress for publication. As was conjec
tured by local people, our contingent
were undoubtedly in the'eonvoy which
accompanied the Tuscania, as plainly
indicated by the following two letters,
passed by the censor:
"On Active Service with American
Expeditionary Force, Feb. 8, 1918.
Dear Mother: We are here in Eng
land, safe, after some excitement but
nevertheless, all together. We slipped
something good over on Kaiser Bill.
but can not say what it was but will
give you all the details when I get
back. Maybe he thought we were
asleep, for he sure got a surprise, for
we got one of his U-boats. You have
mayle seen it in the papers by this
time.
'We are not going to stay long here,
just a few days, then we go over to
France to tram. We will all be glad
when we get to the front. We have
been talking with some of the boys
from the front. They think the Artil
lery is the only branch of service to
be in.
"We had a good time on the boat,
plenty to eat and not a great deal to
do. We had boat drill every day, so if
anything had happened to us we could
have gotten off in a few minutes. We
saw some grjat looking country com
ing overland, but they are a hundred
years behind the times. Believe me,
there's no country as up-to-date as the
good old U. S. A.
I suppose you got the card I sent
from the port of embarkment. We
were allowed to say only tliLt we were
going. I got the sweater O. K. and
the boys sure thought it was great.
We were in quarantine up to the day
we left and did not get a chance to get
a glimpse of little old New York be
fore we left; but we will sure let them
know we are there when we get back.
I think we will go to the same place
rjrnie Boynton and the rest of the
bunch are. Sam Starr, "Windy" and
all of the bunch are feeling fine. As
for myself, I could not feel better.
Tell all the gang hello for me, and be
sure and tell Father O'Hagan I got
a glimpse of the Emerald Isle.
Edward Sebasky,
H8 F. A., 41 Div , A. E. P."
Sergeant Winship Tells Storv.
"Somewhere in England, Feb. 7.
Dear Mother and all: Arrived in Eng
land yesterday and sent you a cable
gram from (deleted) so suppose you
know that I am safe by this time; am
lucky in not being hit by a submarine,
for they sure tried to get us. Was
on the ocean 15 days and sure did get
tired of it; did not get sick, though
lots of the boys did, and they were
very sick. Rode on a train all night,
and had a two and a-half mile hike to
camp this morning in the mud. The
trains here are queer looking, one of
our coaches would make four of these.
Only eight can ride in a compartment
and the engine looks like a toy, by
the side of ours.
"The buildings here are of the old
model and streets set in odd ways.
Ihis is a large camp, but don't expect
to be here long. We are allowed a
bucket of coal every 'H hours and a
pound of wood a week. That has to
do for 30 of us.
"I have lots to tell you but am not al
lowed to write it. The weather is
warm here now but it is raining. Sol
diers from all parts of the world are
here, and German prisoners also.
"We will only have field rations fr m
now on, but if others can live on it, I
sure can, for believe me, I could stand
anything now. Send mail via New
York City, A. E. F.
Ord. Sgt. Winship,H8 F. A., 41 Div."
I t Plamondon Writes.
Dr. Plamondon, writing from France
to Mr. and Mrs. H. I. Watts, under
date of Feb. (i says:
"Today I am in receipt of the fine
package of cigarettes and tobacco that
you were so thoughtful as to Fend. You
could not have selected anything more
appropriate, for American tobacco is
very hard to get here.
"The winter has been very disagree
able but not so very cold, and not to
exceed six inches of snow at any one
time. Unfortunately, I had an attack
of acute bronchitis that got me off my
feet for some time, but after about
two weeks in the Roosevelt Base, I
was greatly improved and have been
feeling fairly well since.
"Have been busy all the time and
was detached from my own organiza
tion for about five weeks and given an
opportunity to visit other organiza
tions so as to become familar with
things medical and surgical as they
are done over here. It was a valuable
experience both for this work and civil
practice
"Thanksgiving I was attending an
officers' school near the front; Christ
mas I was with the medical depait
ment of a heavy artillery regiment,
and New Years day I was traveling
back to my own company, so you see
my holiday season was rather an unus
ual one, to what it has been in the
past.
"When I have a little more time I am
going to write you something of what
we are doing and about conditions
here. Lieut. Jas. D. Plamondon,
16? F. II., 117 S. Tr., A. E. F."
Offered a Lieutenancy
Glen Dudley, who is serving in the
ordnance corps, recently left the
school at Eugene and has reported for
service at'Benicia, Calif. Glen was
offered a Lieutenancy in the army,
but havingl qualified for the ordnance
corps, declined the cufflmiMlion.
DR. HENRY VAN DYKE
Dr. Henry Van Dyke, former United
States minister to the Netherlands
and one of the most noted literary fig
ures In the country, Is now serving as
chaplain at the Ohsrlestownj Mats.,
navy yard.
CAUSED BY WEIGHT OF SNOW
Simple Explanation of Odd Shapes of
Trees, That Has Been a Mystery
to Many.
To the person who Is not versed In
forest lore the grotesquely bent tree
trunks that are to be found In almost
all woods are mystifying, and wonder
Is often aroused as to the cause, re
marks the Popular Science Monthly.
Foresters will tell questioners that In
the case of trees in mountainous coun
try and other sections where the snow
full Is heavy, the weight of snow Is re
sponsible In most lnsmntes for the
queer twists they assume. When u
tree Is young the weight of snow that
fulls on Its branches often bends the
trunk over until It Is flattened to the
ground. Sometimes It Is buried under
six or eight feet of snow and held In
that position so long that when Warm
weather comes the tree fulls to spring
buck Into Its normal position. The
summer sun causes the tip of the young
tree to turn upward and If It manages
to Withstand the weight of the snow of
the next winter, that portion of the
tree will, as a general rule, continue to
grow in u normal way. "Hairpin" bends
and other odd shapes result.
A curious tree stands on the top of
Tunnel hill, Johnstown, Pa., about four
miles from town. It Is a sugar maple
about one hundred years old which has
prolonged its own life by grafting n
branch into a much younger tree.
ftowncfays nobody lives to any such
ages. Why Imagine that the extreme
limits of longevity have shrunk within
the last two or three centuries?
Winter's Discipline.
lie who marvels at the beauty of the
world In summer will find equal cause
for wonder and odmlratlon in winter.
It Is true the pomp and pageantry are
swept away, but the essential elements
remain the day and the night, the
mountain and the valley, the elemen
tal play and succession, and the per
petual presence of the infinite sky. In
winter the stars seem to have rekin
dled their fires, the moon achieves a
fuller triumph, and the heavens wear
a look of more exalted simplicity.
Summer is more wooing, . . . more
versutlle and human, appeals to the
affections und the sentiments, and fos
ters Inquiry and the art Impulse. Win
ter Is of a more heroic cast, and ad
dresses the intellect. The severe
studies and disciplines come easier in
winter. One imposes larger tasks upon
himself.
BECOMES IRKSOME AT TIMES
No Matter What the Nature of One's
Occupation, Its Routine Will Oc- '
caslonally Weary.
Are there times When your work be
comes Intolerably Irksome? Yes? Well,
don't Jump at the conclusion that you
are In the wrong place when this hap
pens once In awhile. That will be true
whatever work you choose. No mutter
how well adapted you are to jour occu
pation, there wIU come times when
your thoughts will wander, and the
routine will weary you, and you will
feci that any other work would be
preferable to that which you have
chosen. One of the best-known woman
writers of the lust generation wrote
an Impassioned warning to literary as
pirants, telling them to do any work,
even scrubbing floors, In preference to
taking up a literary career. Undoubt
edly she wrote at a time when her
chosen work scorned unspeakably Irk
some, but if she had been cornered,
she would probably have acknowledged
that the profession of authorship has
Considerable to commend it when com
pared with scrubbing floors.
This occasional Impatience with our
vocation Is Inevitable. No matter how
congenial It Is, there are times whe n It
will seem n burden. The people who
change their occupation every time It
begins to bore them, are the tramps of
the business world.
As to Remarkable Longevity.
We have all read of Thomas Parr,
who lived to be one hundred and fifty
two. Likewise of the eouutess of Des
mond, one hundred uud forty-five;
Margaret Patten, one hundred and
thirty-seven ; Thomas Uamiiie, one
hundred and sixty-four; John Itovln,
one hundred and seventy-two; and Pe
ter Torton, who reached the age of one
hundred and eighty-five. But these
cases of extraordinary longevity lack
proof.
In the days when those persona
lived no accurate chronological records
were kept, ami dates of occurrences
were usually fixed by ussoclatlng them
in memory with other events believed
to have happened about the same time.
A man's Identity mu liable to be con
fused with that of a grandfather of
flHMIM T"" - -
How to Tell Age of Eggs.
There Is a simple method of ascer
taining the age of eggs, based upon the
fact that the airy space at the broad
end of the egg Increases with Its age.
Now, when the egg Is placed In a
tumbler of water In which uny amount
of common salt is dissolved, It will,
with increasing age, tend ever more to
assume a position with its longitudinal
axis In a perpendicular direction. A
fresh laid egg will He horizontally on
the bottom of the vessel. An egg from
three to four days old will rise with Its
broad end, so that Its longitudinal axis
forms with Its horizontal axis an angle
of 20 degrees. At the age of eight days
the angle increases to 45 degrees, at
the age of two weeks to 60 degrees,
nnd nt the age of three weeks to about
W degrees. When the egg Is more
than a month old It will float perpen
dicularly on Its small end.
SCHOOLllOARD RE-ELECTS
TEACHER8J0R NEXT YEAR
At a meeting of the school board
held at the office of B. B. Richards
Tuesday evening, the following teach
ers were elected for the coming school
year: Miss Brierley and Miss Grant,
High school; Mr. Gribble, 8th grade;
Miss Lawson, 3rd and 4th grades; Miss
Maud Sherman, primary grades.
Prof. Russell tendered his resigna
tion as superintendent, after two years
work here, and what his intentions for
the future arc, is not known at this
time.
Miss Wolff, 5th and 0th grades, has
resigned and Mr. Huhb, late of Mor
row county, will take her place, be
ginning Monday morning.
The teachers chosen at the meeting
of the board Tuesday night have all
been connected with the school this
year, and individually, their salaries
have been increased $10 per month for
next year's work.
It is likely that the manual training
department will of necessity be dis
pensed with unti1 after the war. This
action appears to be imperative be
cause the instructors employed in this
department are usually within army
draft qualifications, especially in aero
plane construction, to the extent that
all schools supporting this department
are finding it impossible to secure
efficient instructors.
T
TORE BIT HERE
Woik will begin soon on another
grain elevator of 100,000 bushels ca
pacity in Athena. The Preston-Shaffer
Milling company has selected a site foi
the big plant on the north end of the
mill, and the contract will be let for
construction at once, so that the ele
vator will be utilized for the coming
crop.
W. B. Shaffer, president of the com
pany, was in the city Tuesday in com
pany with Engineer Young, of the
Fred A. Wilson Engineering Co. of
Seattle, the result being that the pro
posed site on the west of the milling
plant was given up for the one on the
north end. The site selected will place
the elevator on both the Northern Pa
cific and the O.-W. R. & N. railroads,
which will add materially to efficient
and convenient shipping facilities.
The construction of this elevator
places Athena ahead of any town in
the county relative to capacity in hand
ling bulk grain. The Farmers Grain
Agency is now well on its progress
toward constructing a 100,000 bushel
capacity elevator on the south side of
lower Main street. The Preston-Shaffer
plant will be of concrete as is that
of the Farmers elevator.
The Preston-Shaffer elevator will
contain six main tanks with interior
connecting bins. A conveyor system
wil! be used to carry grain from ele
vator to mill. The plans and specula
tions are for a modern structure in
every particular, which is assured by
the prominence of the Wilson Engin
eering company, which fu-nished the
plans for one of the most modern mill
ing plants on the Pacific coast, that of
the Fisher company at Seattle.
Mrs. LIIHe Miller announces that
she is retiring from business, and will
have a sale of all past season hats,
both summer and winter, next Friday
and Saturday. Everything goes at a
figure far below cost. Now is your
chance to Hooverize on millinery.
MRS. 0. W. B. ZERBA
IS GALLED BY DEATH
The death of Mrs. O. W. B, Zerba
occurred at her home in this city yes
terday morning, at 4 o'clock, after
a lingering illness of five years. Her
bedside was surrounded by members
of her family who were present, b
ing Walter and Ernest Zerba, sons;
Mrs. A. O. Schubert, Mrs. D. Ferris
and Mrs. H. B. Duggar, daughters,
and the aged husband. Other children
surviving her, are Mrs. Volweiler of
Kennewick, B. J. Zerba of Baker, A.
O. Zerba of Kennewick, and Mrs. J. A.
Downing of Wallowa.
The funeral will be held in the Meth
odist church tomorrow afternoon, with
Rev. W. S. Gleiser officiating, inter
ment being in the Athena cemetery.
Katherine Amanda Lsw was born
in Pennsylvania, July 8, 1841, and
moved to Wisconsin, where she was
married to Mr. Zerba on Julv -8, 1801.
In 18711 they moved to Oregon and
settled on a farm near Athena. Ten
children were born to them, nine of
whom are living.
Upidee Club Dance.
Tomorrow night the dance given for
the benefit of the local Red Cross takes
place in the Athena opera house. The
young ladies of the Club have made
arrangements for the entertainment of
the large crowd that is expected to at
tend. A feature of the occasion is to
be the splendid music which will be
furnished by Fletcher's jazz band, of
Pendleton. Tickets to the dance are
If 1.00 each and the young ladies have
been canvassing the city for sales,
with encouraging success.
Hawks Sells at Astoria.
Byron N. Hawks has sold the Owl
Dr'jg Store at Astoria, which ho pur
chased and has been conducting since
leaving Athena. ForatimoMr. Hawks
was in poor health after going to As
toria, but has recovered. He writes
that he has several locations In view,
which he will investigate before pur
chasing amther store. Mr. and Mrs.
Hawks are expected to visit friends
in Athena soon.
Trees for Ship Pins.
Athena property owner have given
up their locust shade trees generously
to the government shipbuilding inter
ests, and ricks of wood cut into suit
able lengths are now being hauled to
the railroad tracks for shipment to
Potland. The thinning out orocess
still leaves plenty of trees for shade
purposes, 'ihe timber is used for pins
in constructing the frame work of
wooden ships.
Re-Opening of the
PeoplesTheater
Saturday
Might March 9
larooned
Ed. Arnold in
Alice McChesney
"Stingaree" Throuhateir and
"Military Madness"
Presenting STULL AND BURNS in Pokes and Jabs
(Admission, 10c and 20c
( Ladies New Waists
I MMHIIMMMH j
Never before were our waists more beautiful and
prices within reach of every one, All the new
shades such as gray, peach, rose, maize, flesh, nile
and bisquet. The materials are Georgette, Crepe de
Chine and Satin Stripe Tub Silk.
Silk Dresses from $1.75 to 27.50
Serge Dresses from 9.90 to 25.00
Silk I'oplin Dresses 0.90
New Coats from $17.50 to 35.00
New Dresses from 14.75 to 37.50
Misses and Children Coats 2.98 to 7.90
Just received by express ladies' new silk Dress Skirts, $4.98 to $8 90. We now
have a nice showing in Sells Underskirts, all the new shades and priced with
in your reach-$1.98, 2.98, 3.98 and $4.98.
g8ayMiWi ami