The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-10-15
Abrams hoy and the Ugly Gun.
BY REV. e. A. RAND.

"Oh-h-h p
Then there was silence.
4" wonder what's dat !"
1t was Abrams boy looking through
fence knot-hole into Uncle 'Lisha's yard.
Sometimes they called him Abrams boy,
and sometimes 9" little Abram."
Z" L saw, L saw
"Saw what, honey?" asked Abram
Senior.
Saw long, long, black
SECT froo sometime, chile. Saw SOM
thing long an black, sort of barr'l like?
OATS gun an ugly one, toe"
GA gun p
"Sartin, honey. 1t shoots people and
knocks him ober"
"Whar's de place dat the shoot comes
out oh q
"Oh, dar's hole in front. Cotch
Uncle Lisha to hab barr'l in his yard
widout hole i'll it !
Here Abram declared that he should
Idle a-laflin" at the idea
Why, chile, you's ignunt as L was
fore got iuto de primer"
That gun in Uncle 'Lisha's yard was
great mystery to Abrams boy, and Of
tentimes he planted big wondering
eye at the fence-hole to view this piece
of ordnance. Several times he saw I'm
Gle 'Lishas tall, stately form bowling
over the gun, a big yellow mug in his
hand, and then little Abram heard what
he called ga sizzlin' sound"
Dat sizzlin' sound, honey? Pears
to me dat must be de powder workln' It's
way out oh de gun" was the explana-
ton of his father.
The gun in Uncle 'Lisha's yard was
/ a cider barrel. Its shape was rather
peculiar. 1t was very long, and looked
something like surly Columbiad
thrusting its black muzzle out from I'M
der shelter Uncle Lisha had made
for it.
" 1t shows it must be dangerous. or
he would keep it in de house, said Alb
ram, Senior, triumphantly. Uncle Lisha
was the proud owner of an apple tree.
It's fruit was so sour that Abram told his
boy it would quicker ones mouf out of
shape for month, and the apples were
wormy enough to satisfy the most in
veterate drinker. Uncle 'Lisha refused
to see any harm in the beverage, and he
wanted Abram "jest to keep his temp
rance stuff to hum.
Honey" said Abram one day, "do
you want to go wild me and see what
such gun as dat will do ?"
Little Abram was glad enough to have
the invitation, and his father led him
down to a neighborhood cursed by cider
drinking. 1t was called "Scrubby
! Lane"
"Dar. chile Dat is poor Teller
knocked ober by de cider-gun )" and
Abram pointed out man stupidity sleep
ing, not far from pig-sty.
1t would serve him right to he
penned in while. An see his house !!
Dat was battered by de cider-gun. y
The house was ragged and rough as
! the pitiful sleeper ON the ground. The
! chimney had lost its top, the shingles
were rotting out on the roof The win
| dows were broken and rag-stuffed, the
| door was off its hinges. A woman's sad
face appeared at one of the windows,
and was then hastily withdrawn
"Chile, do you wonder L don't like
Uncle 'Lisha's cider-gun? know just
what misery comes from de stuff. A
man might as well haul battery front
oh his house an let it bang away. L
know, L know, fur L hab seen an can
tell what will happen when de cider
gun comes" and Abram shook his
head with all the positiveness of
prophet.
Uncle 'Lisha took quite fancy to
Abrams boy, though he disliked the
fathers principles, and he told the little
fellow one day that his son Lemuel was
coming from the city, and he kept in a
confectionery store, and he would bring
little Abram sugar horse, big, big-his
eyes steadily growing" big nuf to ride
on, most !"
Every day young Abram planted an
eye mt the fence-hole to See if the sugar
horse had arrived and was prancing
round in Uncle Lishas yard. Alas he
saw a different sight one day. He ran
into the house screaming "A man
shot by de gun A man shot by de
gum
Abrams father was not at home. He
had stepped into Uncle Lisha's house
on an errand, but he was not able to ac-
complish it. Uncle Lisha was sitting
in his old leather-b ottomed armchair,
his Bible in his lap. Uncle 'Lisha
wished to be considered very religious,
if he did have an ugly cider-gun in his
yard. Apparently he was reading, but
really he had gone to sleep. His head
was bobbing up and down, and a fly
perched on his fiat nose was see-sawing
away, enjoying his free ride very mich.
Abram Senior was looking and grinning
from ear to ear.
Suddenly little Abram came running
in, screaming, "Uncle Lisha, Uncle
Lisha, man shot out in your yard /"
Uncle 'Lisha's head came to halt. He
rubbed his pose and opened his eyes.
"What, what?" he asked.
"A man shot
"Whar, whar ?"
I'm your yard"
"My yard?" and, saying this, Uncle
'Lisha sprung out of the house. And
there before the "barr1" was a man
stretched out, drunk How long he had
been there, no one could say. Uncle
Lisha had been away for half day, and