Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-01-16
THE BETTER WAY.

several years ago, but the moral conveyed
is just as good now as everl:
Farmer Gray had neighbor who was
not the best-tempered man in the world,
though mainly kind and obliging. He
was shoemaker. His name was Barton.
One day in haryest-time, when every
hand was as busya as bee, this man came
over to farmer Gray and said, in rather a
petulant tone of voice
"Mr. Gray, wish you would send over
and drive your geese home"
"Why SO, Mr.. Barton what have my
geese been doing ?" the farmer said, in a
mild, quiet tone.
"They got into my garden, and I will
not have it."
81 am very sorry for it, neighbor Bar
ton, but what can do ?"
''Why, yoke them, and keep them on
your own premises. 1t is no kind of a
way TO- let your geese run all over every
farm and garden in the neighborhood"
''But ] cannot see to it now; it is har-
vest time, friend Barton, and every man,
woman and child on the farm has as much
as they can do Try and bear it week
or so, and then will see if l can possibly
remedy the evil"
81 can't bear it, and won't bear it any
longer % the shoemaker said $50 if you
do not take care of them, friend Gray,
l shall have to take care of them for
you"
''Well neighbor Barton, you can do as
you please" farmer Gray replied, in his
trouble you, but cannot attend to them
now"
''I'll attend to them for you, see if l
DON'T" the shoemaker said, still more
angrily than when he first called on far
mGr GraY,s
"What on earth can be the matter with
them geese r said Mrs. Gray, about fif-
teen minutes afterward.
81 really cannot tell, unless neighbor
Barton is taking care of them. He
threatened to unless l yoked them right
off"
'e1aking care of them? How taking
care of them?"
Gas to that 1 am quite in the dark
Killing them, perhaps. He said that if 1
didn't take care of them he would. So I
suppose. he is engaged in the neighborly
business of taking care of our geese"
"Johnt Williami Run over and see
what Mr.. Barton is doing with my geese"
Mrs. Grey said in a quick and anxious
tone, to two little boys who were playing
near. ast@t@f
The urchins scampered off, well pleased
to perform an errand.
ooh he if has dared to do anything to
my geese I will never forgive him!" the
good wife said angrily.
Hu-s-h b, Sally! make no rash speeches!
1t is more than probable that he has killed
two or three of them. But never mind
if he has, he will get over his pet and be
sorry for it."
eyes, but what good will his being
sorry do nae? VIII it bring my geese to
life?' aa
''Ah, well, Sally, never mind. Let us
wait until we hear what all this disturb
ance is about"
In about ten minutes the children came
home bearing the bodies of three geese
each without head.
ooh, isn't this too much for human en-
durance?'
''We found them laying out in the
road" said the eldest of the two children.
"And when we picked them up, Mr.. Bar
ton said, Tell your father that l have
yoked his. geese for him, to save him, the
trouble, as his hands are too busy to do
it,"
''I'd sue him for i'll" said Mrs. Gray, in
an indignant tone.
"And what good would that do?''
"Why, it would do great deal of good!
would punish him."
'.And punish us into the bargain. We
have lost three geese now, but we still
have their good fat bodies to eat. A law
suit would cost US good many geese,
and not even leave us so much as the
feathers, besides giving US world of
trouble and vexation. No, no, Sally, just
let it rest, and he will be sorry for it, I
know"
''Sorry for it, indeedl And what good
will his being sorry for it do US, 1 should
81 - L., LII
and then we must be satisfied with his
being sorry for It'll Now, I can tell you
that don't believe in that doctrine. Nor
do l believe anything about his being
sorry, the grabbed, ill-natured wretch /"
"Don't call hard names, Sally" farmer
Gray said, in mild, soothing tone
ssNeighbor Barton was not like himself
when he killed the geese. Like every
other sngry person he was little insane,
and he did what he would not have done
had he been in his right mind. When
you are little excited, you know, Sally,
that even you do and say unreasonable
things"
''Me do and say unreasonable things!,
exclaimed Mrs. Gray, with look and
tone of indignant astonishment; "me say
and do things when am angry? don't
understand you, Mr.. Gray"
Maybe can help you little. Don't
you remember the churn?"
eyes, but never mind about it''
$50, you have not forgotten how unrea-
sonable you were about the churn. 1t
wasn't good for anything-you knew it
wasn't and you'd neverput jar of cream
into it at long as you lived-that you
wouldn't. And yet, on trial, you found
that churn the best you had ever used,
and now you wouldn't part with it on
any consideration. So you see, Sally, that
even you can say and do unreasonable
8 tnlngszWhen you are angry, just as well as
Mr. Barton.''
Mrs. Gray saw that her husband was
right-but still she felt indignant at the
outrage committed on her geese. So she
took her three fat geese, and after strip
ping off the feathers, had them prepared
for the table,
On the next morning, as Mr.. GRAY was
passing lalong the road, he met the shoe
maker, and as they had to pass very near
to each other, the farmer smiled, and
spoke kindly. Mr. Barton looked and felt
very uneasy, but farmer Gray did not
seem to remember the unpleasant incident
1t was about eleven O'Clock on the
same day, that one Of farmer Gray's
little boys came running to him and cry.
ing:
On rather! father! Mr.. Barton's hogs
are in our cornfield,"
"Then l must go and drive them out. ~
sad ME- Gray in quiet tone.
Drive them out" calculated Mrs.
Gray. "Drive 'em out, indeed! I'd
shoot them, that's what I'd do! I'd serve
him as he served my geese yesterdayp'
But that wouldn't bring the geese to
life again, Sally"
81 don't care if it wouldn't. 1t would
be paying him in his own coin, and that's
what he deserves"
"You know what the Bible says, Sally
about grievous. words, and they apply
with stronger force to grivous actions
No-nor-I will return neighbor Barton
good forseYil.a That is the hest WAY H