Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-08-24

| preferred III que lOrln, 10 WulCH--uneApcClcQ-
ly to all-the Deacon plead, "not guilty"
"Brother Pete French!" shouted the pre-
siding officer.
Here u
"Get up, Brother French, and tell the con-
gcegation what You know about this cussin'
o. Deacon Jones's."
"Wal-ahem I'D been 10 Louisville over
night-ahem and was comm home in the
nornin' tolerable airy, jest as got nigh onto
the ford of the crick, hear'n some one in
thar, splashin about and cussin' Think,
scz to myself, that's some poor wicked crit
ter lnired up, a tryin to cuss himself in fur
der. Jest then, got to the top of the bank,
and look't down and who should see it war
but Brother Deacon Jones, thar. lie was up
OIL top of his wagon skippin' about, and a
lamin's his hosscs and cussin'. 1t made
my hair fairly go up ON eend to hear him. l
felt so dreadful bad, l jest turned my hoss
back, and went clear around by the lower
focd, afore I'd let stitch q wicked man look
me in the face"
Au audible groan passed through the con-
gregation.
"Then you actually hear'n Deacon Jones
a cussia'W
"Cussin'! you'd thought 50, if you'd a
bin in half mild of the ford !''
Deacon Jones, you hear the testimony.
Now, what have you got to say to the
charge 2"
"rm not guilty." said the Deacon, rising
10 lis feet, and turning up his eyes in man
ner intended to make himself look solemn
~ never cussed a word IN my life. Brother
! Pete French is mistak-f
You can't come that over'n me, old Scape-
goat p sang out Brother Pete French, rising
to his feet, and displaying fist on the end of
each arm. "Don't ycu s'pose | know Gus
sin when hear it ? and don't You s'posc /
know YOU when-"
"Orderm shouted the official .Let us
hear what Deacon Jones has to say, and then
we'll takeit for jest what we thlnls it's worth,
anG no more. Go on, Brother Jones"
Well, 10 tell you the whole on it, went
down to Louisville with load of market
truck, and 1 had mortal good luck with it,
too, for Jumped it all out to- ieller in the
cvcnn', and so didn't have to tend the mar
ket next mornin' to get rid Of it.
"Well, arter I'd disposed OF my market
truck, filled my wagon bed with loose straw,
what another Narketcr Gin me, cause /
thonght / mout want to ride in it part way
home, and then, / begun to look about for
some place to stay all night. Purity socn
SEED a big house all lighted up, and thought
1t must be a tavern, SO aXt feller If it
wa>;'t."
"No, sir" sid he, "it's the place where the
Totalies of Temperance hold eirmeetings"
"'rhinks 7, if this is a Temperance house,
couldn't find better place whar to leave
my wagon standn' for safe keepin', cause
Temperance men are alters honest: moral.
sood sorts Of leliers. Thcn told the teller
that and he laughed and sed twas true and
then he went up the stairs, and iatmadc me
know lie WAS one ct them. Then jest on
uitcLed, and left my wagon a slandn' there
! by tic r,iavv where the Nvtarivo vf ie:miIer-
ance met.
"Next mornin came out bri ght and arly
and found my wagon and eyerythin' all right.
lest as I'd left il. Not crcn Straw seemed
to be miSSin' | hitched up my hosSes in a
jiffy, and mountin' on the lead one, was oil !;
| but some how another, noticed they couldn't
hardly start the empty wagon Ina moment
| it struck me that the tar in the hubs had got
still, and then thought no more about it.
went on thinkin' what nice set OF tellerS
them Votarcs of Temperance must be, and Il
maxim purity good time, till came to the
torl--where Brother French seed me-wherc
all TO once, up stuck in the mud and all
my hoSses could do they couldn't pull the
wagon out Thinks /, this is rather strange
work. to have no load; they must be some
thin' wrong; so l got of n the nigh boss and
jumpt up in the wagon, thnkin' l lnout
make them pull better up there. Instead Of
going up to my knees in the straw, as ex-
pectel to do, l lit, kirvim! on somethin' solid,
which held my feet nearly on levil with the
sides Of the wagon body. This astonishcd Inc
dreadful, so begun to dig down inter the
straw; and, paradventure, found the wagon
was loaded smack full of grind-stones. At
first thought Id made a mistake and took
some other mans wagon, but artcr I'd look't
around spell, seed it was mine, and no
mistake. While / was standn' there trvin'
to think what 10 think, happened to look
up the crick, and there I seed two city chaps
4 standin' with their thumbs agin' their noses,
and their fingers wigslin' at me. One Of
them took to be the very fcller who had
told ME about the EotaricS of Temperance.
@VDtaries of temperance" holered they,
still wiggl.n' their fingers and aughin'.
"Thcn seed inter it all like flash. Them
Votarics of Temperance, as they called them
selves, had bin a playin' of a trick on me, so
sails 20 them, purity loud
"Totaries Of Hell, more like \ purity
set you are to be servin' the devil under q
false name. Sneak back home, and the next
Teller what axes tue Maine of your society,
hit the truth, by tellin' him, Votarics of
HcNr'
"That's all 1 said"
"TLats so! That's jest what hear'n him
sayin'," said Brother French, sand thought
if it was ralc cussin'. I'd never hear'n any
like it afore. Here's my hand, Brother Jones,
I'll take it all back. YOU'RE not one of the
lost sheep yet, by a long shot"
need not tell you there was general
rush to get the Deacon by the "bread hooks y
now that the matter of his cussin' was set
tied to the entire satisfaction of all.
Mex day several brothers called on the
Deacon to assure him that they lad always
known he was innocent OF the charge, and
to ask him for griud-stone but to thcil
disappointment, they learned lie had taken
them blck to the city, and sought out the
owner.
---------+ E
Young Mcn.