Some one has advanced the opinion that the letter E is the most unfortunate character in the English alphabet because it is always out of cash, forever in debt, never out of danger and in hell all the time.

But we call his attention to the fact that E is never in war, always in peace. It is the beginning of existence, the commencement of ease, and the end of trouble. Without it there would be no meat, no life and no heaven. It is the center of honesty and makes love perfect and without it there would be no editors and no news.

On the evening before her departure for Grand Rapids, about thirty of the Central Lake friends of Mrs. E. W. Vis surprised her at the pleasant home of Mr. and Mrs. John Muckle.

Music and games were enjoyed for a time after which delicious "eats" were served. Mrs. Meggison on behalf of the ladies there presented Mrs. Vis with a small token of the esteem in which she is held by her friends.

At a later hour the party broke up, having spent a most enjoyable evening.

On Monday afternoon at the Methodist parsonage in Bellaire, occurred the marriage of Mr. George O'Dell to Miss Mildred Halstead, Rev. Exner officiating. They returned the same evening to Central Lake and are living at the Fred O'Dell home for the present. Later they expect to live in the southern part of the village.

Mr. O'Dell holds a position with Smallegan, Smith & Co., and the bride has been a teacher in the local schools for two years. Their wedding comes as a complete surprise to their friends, who tender their heartiest wishes...

Deputy Sheriff Benjamin F. Sherman of Maple Forest, who has been absent for nearly two weeks, has returned and is looking well and evidently feeling in fine sprits. He says he has not been off on detective duty, but was merely treating himself to a well-earned vacation and renewing his acquaintance with old friends and relatives, most of whom were fellow pioneers in Maple Forest. After spending a pleasant week with his cousins in Kalkaska, he went to Charlevoix, Petoskey and Boyne City, ending his tour at Central Lake, Where his brother, William H. Sherman, resides and is at present in the business and doing well. Mr. Smith also an old acquaintance and neighbor in Maple Forest, is still a neighbor of William H. Sherman in Central Lake. The wedding bells for the wedding of Mrs. Smith's daughter, Grace were about to ring and Mr. Sherman attended the ceremony. She married a Mr. Rushton, a highly esteemed and successful young farmer of Central Lake. Miss Grace was born and raised in Maple Forest, and it is therefore hardly necessary to add that she is a popular and accomplished as well as beautiful young woman. Her friends in this section extend their good wishes and the hope that their lives may be one long honeymoon. It is to be hoped that Mr. Sherman will not follow the example of his brother and leave Maple Forest as Crawford county needs all of her pioneers and best citizens. [Miss Grace is Grace Blanche Smith Rushton, the Keeper of this Scrapbook]

The esteemed weather bureau has sprung a new one. It is the word "smog," and it means smoke or fog. The bureau explains that very frequently there are times when the mixture is apparent in the atmosphere, and it considers the new word a great little idea.

Very well, "smog" let it be. But why end there? Let's call a mixture of snow and mud "smug," a mixture of snow and soot "snoot," and a mixture of snow and hail "snail." Thus we might have a weather forecast:

"Snail today, turning to snoot tonight, tomorrow snoggy with smud."

--Builder's Guide

Leohne-Flickenger [Unknown Date]

A very pretty wedding took place at the home of Mrs. Mary Flickinger last Saturday evening at 8:00 o'clock , when her daughter, Miss Florence, was married to Mr. Ernest. B. Loehne. Rev E. C. Eldred tied the matrimonial knot, after which all the guests partook of a wedding supper.

Mr. and Mrs. Loehne are well known in this vicinity and they have the best wishes of their many friends.

They expect to spend the summer on the Brown farm in Echo Township.

Last Monday afternoon Joseph Devilin had quite an exciting time when his team ran away.

Mr. Devilin had just left the grist mill and was driving across to State street. When opposite the big willow tree near the railroad track, some children broke some branches making quite a noise, which frightened the horses. The horses gave a lunge and broke the tongue letting the rig tun against the team, which caused them to break into a run.

They stopped themselves by running into a telephone pole on the east side of the river.

One horse was badly bruised, and the rig was badly broken.

Oh! Kaiser William we'll get you,

No matter where you be

With the strongest rope we'll string

You up in father's tree.

Chorus:

Cheer up boys and don't give up

Though far across the sea,

No matter what great threats there are

You're backed by Uncle Sammy.

Oh! Britain, France, and Belgium too,

Are doing their bit for us,

So, Mr. Kaiser, when you get skinned

You need not make a fuss.

Chorus:

You been fighting this war for years

And most of your men are slain,

But now we're after Liberty

Which soon we're going to gain.

Chorus:

At first you're army was quite large

But now is getting small

And after this great war is o'er

It won't be there at all

Chorus:

Mabel and Henrietta Washburn

There are many good fertilizers for lands, but Printer's Ink is the best fertilizer for the Field of Business. It makes two sales grow where one grew before.

The Tavern, Harness & Shoe Store and Printing Office Wiped Out of Existence by Flames Saturday Morning--Narrow Escape for Thurston & Co.

The biggest fire in Central Lake's history wrought destruction early Saturday morning on Main Street when flames leveled to the ground the Tavern, the printing office and the Harness & Shoe Co.'s store, causing a loss of about $20,000.

In order to accommodate the large number of guests who were in town to attend the Alden-Central Lake basket ball game the Tavern furnace was fired up, and it is supposed that is where the fire originated. It spread rapidly, and when discovered was too far under way to be checked. A crowd of men turned out at the alarm of the fire whistle, and did what they could to fight the flames and save property. A high wind from the south made the fire doubly hard to deal with.

Nothing was saved from the Tavern and a number of the guests fled from the building only partly clothed. The fire ate its way into the buildings south and soon it was seen they could not be saved. Part of the stock from the Harness and Shoe store was carried out, but considerably damaged. Several of the harness machines were saved. The building, which like the Tavern was brick veneered, burned down in short order after the fire gained entrance.

Ample time was given for the contents of the printing office to be carried out, before the fire caught there. The building, old and seasoned, burned like tinder, but practically all of the contents were saved, although there was much damage done.

Many windows of nearby buildings were broken by the intense heat.

 Fear was felt for the safety of Thurston & Co.'s store for some time, and the contents were all carried out and piled in the business houses across the street. The building did catch fire, but the flames were extinguished before any damage, except from smoke, was done.

The Traverse Bay Telephone Co. Sustained a sever loss from broken wires, cables etc. Thirty-nine telephones were put out of commission but are all in working order again.

The Electric Light Co. was also unfortunate. Their wires were broken and it being necessary to sent to Grand [Rapids] for new ones, they were not repaired until Tuesday evening. [unreadable] north of Smallegan, Smith & Co.'s store, but the Torch will necessarily be small until the damaged press can either be repaired or replaced.

This fire and the big one last August when Thurston & Co.'s store burned prove that Central lake needs an efficient fire protection. There is already much talk about bonding the village for the installation of such a protection, and petitions are being circulated among the tax payers to induce the council to make some preparation to guard their property against the fire fiend.

All three of the burned buildings carried insurance. It has not been decided whether the Tavern and shoe store will be rebuilt, but it is expected the village will have a hotel of some sort before long. The printing office has already located in the building.

Several of the boys attended the basket ball game Friday night, but came home to early to witness the main attraction, the Central Lake fire. As no one knows the cause of the conflagration, perhaps it was the Central Lake Torch. When the block of buildings on the east side of main street were burned some years ago, when Miller's drug store and other buildings went up in smoke, some grim humorist suggested that the fire might have been ignited by the "Torch." We extend our sympathies to all concerned and hope it will not handicap this week's issue of the Torch.

Several Telephone poles and flag staffs blossomed out Wednesday night with all sorts of strange things--wagon wheels, machinery, wheelbarrows etc. The flag staff announced from its top "Park Cars Here." Much personal property about town walked off and found itself far from home in the morning. And, as usual, a great deal of valuable soap was donated to windows everywhere. A few grinning faces with features of fire peeped into folks' doors and then hastily disappeared. The stormy evening undoubtedly curbed many a Hallowe'en prank.

Miss Delita Vance, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Vance, and well acquainted in this vicinity by reason of residence here for a number of years, became the bride of a California man on October 13. The San Jose Mercury prints the following:

"One of the events of the past week was the uniting in marriage of Mr. Otis Ora Fusch of San Jose and Miss Delita Leary Vance of Santa Clara.

"This wedding was solemnized at the M. E. Church at three o'clock on October 13. The church had been beautifully decorated, by girl chums, with white chrysanthemums and roses, smilax and other greenery. The wedding march was played by Miss Laura Fernish. The bridal party was preceded by little Helen Plummer who carried a basket of roses and scattered petals in their pathway.

The bride who was simply gowned in white embroidered net, carried a bouquet of carnations and ferns and was attended by eight school friends.

The solemn ceremony was performed by Rev. J. T. Duncan and the troth was plighted by the time honored ring, after which Miss Ethel Ross sang very sweetly "A Perfect Day."

The bridegroom is the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Fusch, 175 South 19^th. He is a machinist and is connected with Anderson-Barngrover of San Jose.

The out-of-town guests were J. Fusch of San Francisco, Isaac Vance of Redwood City and Miss Ruth Vance of Oilfields, Cal.

Mr. and Mrs. Fusch are at home to their friends at 1573 Benton Street, Santa Clara."

The Odd Fellows pulled off their annual hunting contest last week in which nineteen rabbits were brought in.

Walter Hick, captain of the winning side got ten and James Buckley captain of the losing side brought in the rest.

W. H. Sherman prepared the supper which was held in their hall last Thursday evening.

About forty guests were present including the Rebekahs. All reporting a very enjoyable evening.

Goblins Hold High Carnival When Suitsus Club Meets at Malone Home

The Suitsus Club was very pleasantly entertained at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Malone Wednesday evening, the success of which was due to the efforts of Mrs. Malone, Mrs. Hickin, Mrs. Martin Smith and Mrs. Fessenden.

The house was decorated with black hats, pumpkins and jack-o'-lanterns and the chandeliers were covered with yellow paper, producing a yellow light suggestive of mystery.

Ghosts appeared which rather frightened the gentlemen but they were finally induced to each select one as a partner for dinner, which was served at seven o'clock to twenty-five guests. The favors were prize packages containing caps and souvenirs.

Later in the evening a witch entered and gently waving her wand caused the lights to disappear and groans to be heard. The company gathered in the room for protection; and various parts of a human body, returned from unknown regions, floated through the air, causing shrieks and hair raising.

The search for secrets in dark places was won by Mr. Martin Smith. A contest with "Pussy and her song" was won by Mr. Fessenden. A little exercise with a mirror and the greatest luxury of modern times had as a reward a 'bright glow" which was won by Mrs. John Cameron.

 The company returned to their homes thinking they had another item of pleasure to add to their memory book.