The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1879-04-23

! front Ct that lain-storm | could
! lean forward and let the sun
shine ON me. or lean back ward
F.; and feel rain and catch haiIstonca.
When the hurl irane Stacked up the
Nurse Stacked M, too, and when
i! blew faster | Just said 'G-lk !
to thc horse and touched the bat,
tcry, and away Iin went. Now !
don't want 10 lie about my horse,
Mr. Perkins, and | don't ask you
to believe what | say; on. | tell
you truthfully that when | got to
Meadow Creek my linen duster
was dry as powder. Not a drop
Of rain on the wagon-seat either,
while the wagon-box was level full
Of hailstones and water, or I'm
a., t."
"Look here, gentlemcn," inter-
rupted Mr. Nasty "speaking Of
the truth, die you ever hear
about my striking that man in
Toledo?"
We said We had not.
"Well, sir, it was this way {:
There was a man ,therc-one OF
those worldly, skeptical fellows,
wGo questioned my varacity one
day. He said he had doubts
about the truthfulncss of one Of
my crossroads incidents. He
didn't say it publicly, but pri-
vatcly. I'm sorry for the sake Of
his wife aud family now that he
said it all-and sorry for the man,
too, because he wasn't prepared
to 20. If he'd been a Christian it
would have been different. |
didn't want to strike this man,
because its a bad habit to get into
this making q human chaos out
Of a fellow-man. But he ques-
toned my veracity, and the earth
quake came. | struck him once
Just once. I remember he was
putting down q carpet at the time,
and had lis mouth full Of carpet
tacks. But a man can't stop 10
discount carpet-tacks in a mans
mouth, when he questions yonr
veracity, can he? | never do.
I simply struck the blow"
did it hurt the man much ?"
I asked.
Il don't think it did. II was
too sudden. The bystanders said
if l was going to strike second
bIo~ they wanted to move out of
the State. Now I don't want you
to believe me, and l don't ex-
pect you will, but to tell you the
bonest truth, Mr.. Perkins, l
squashed that man right down in
to q door-mat, and his o1n wife,
who was tacking down one edge
Of the carpet at the time, came
right along and took him for a
guttapercha rug. and actually
tackled him down in front Of the
door. Poor woman, she never
knew she was tacking down her
own husbaDd! What became Of
the tacks in his mouth? ? you ask.
Well, the next day the boys pulled
them out Of the bottoms Of his
overshoes, and"
"Gentlemen !' interrupted, ''it
does mo good to bear such truths.
l believe every word you say, and
I feel that I ought to exchange
truths with you. Now, did you
ever hear how l went TO prayer
meeting at New London, Conn.,,
in a rainstorm ?"
They said they had not.
"Well, gentlemen" [ said, zone
day started for the New London
prayer meeting on horseback.
When l got about half way there,
there came up a fearfu! storm.
The wind blew a hurricane, the
rain fell in torrents, the lightning
cleaned through the sky, and /
went and crouched down behind a
large barn. But pretty soon the
struck the barn, knock
ed it into a thousand splinters,
and sent my horse whirling over
into i neighboring cornpatch:"
"Did it kill you, Mr.. Perklns?"
asked Mr.. Twain, the tears rolling
down his cheeks.
mo, it didn't kill me-" l said,
':but I was good deal dis
couraged.''
"Well, what did you do, Mr..
Perkins 2"
"What did | do? Well, gentle