The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-19

leaf. but thinks /, if 1 can stand this
without jawin', 1 can govern my
temper all the rest o my life, for I'll
never have anything more provokin'
as long as l live, and it'l be a good
thing for the children. So l stood
there few minutes wishin' that dog
would swaller keg o powder and a
box o matches, and then Went back to
the house.
Ny bread was ready TO bake by that
time, and l knew if l waited for
EbeneZer to get me Some dry wood
that it would run all over the oven. So
picked up board and went to split
tin it up. l give it some most spite
full ticks, l can tell you. Just then l
heard an awful rumpus, and saw a
couple O hogs that had got out o the
pen; the yaller dog was after the hogs,
and EbeneZer was after the yaller dog.
They came through the yard, right
over my nice white clothes, tearin'
along like mad, and Ebenezer come
runnin' along up to 'Thaniel and says,
"Why didn't you fix that hog pen?'
and gave the little fellow a slap with
his great hard hand that sent the child
reelin' onto the ground. That was the
feather that broke the camefs back. |
knew fiXin' that pen was too hard a
job for that little boy, and I'd been a
smotherin' my feelin' down all day and
begun to feel like ragin' volcano.
Before l knew what l was agoin' to
do, threw the ak as far as l could
and it happened to hit that yaller dog
jest right, and split him clean in two.
/ was awful scarf when seen what
I'd done, and EbeneZer came a ruunin'
up to me as if he was gOin' to knock
me over.
Thinks /, I've gone too far to back
down now; and l run and grabbed up
the AK, and saysI: "Ebenezer Small,
III learn you to knock a child o mine
down for not dom work that his lazy
shiftless father ought to a done. Go
and look after your yaller dogn' and !
drawed the ak back like as if l was
agoin' to throw it again.
EbeneZer turned as white as sheet,
and went off round the house loOkin'
back at me over his shoulder as if he
was afraid l was comm after him,
and l didn't see him agin till supper
time.
"Manda," says he, after the COM
pany was gone and I'd got the chill
dren all to bed, I'D no idea you had
such a temper. How do you 'spose
you'd a'felt by this time if you'd
'athrowed that AK at me, and hit me
just as you did the dOg?"
81 always knew my temper wasn't
any O the best says l, land when
you know that your children have got
such grabbed, ill-tempered mother,
it's your duty as a man to let 'em
know they've got decent ,futher, at
least. Some time or other you may
want to live with 'Thaniel, and after
he gifts to be a man, every time his
own hogs gifts out he'll think O the
time that you knocked him down fo1
not doing what you had neglected, and
what it was your place to do. Pleas
ant recollections of their childhood
they'll have, with me a scoldin' 'em
around in the house, and you a knock
in 'em down out doors. If you don't
want me to be so cross don't aggravate
me so much"
But it was very unreasonable in
you to throw the ak at the dog because
you was mad at me-" says Eb.
"Folks don't stop to reason when
they are goin' to throw axes" says |.
If they did they wouldn't throw
'em, and if they didn't have to split
wood they wouldn't have the ak handy
to throw"
Ebenezer didn't have any more re-
marks to make, but he fixed the hog
pen up in good order, and l haven't
had to split any wood since.-Isnd0rt
Rogers, IN Ohio Farmer.