Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-07-08
TOO MUCH HURRIED.
Why Uncle Joel Failed to Set the
Old Speckled Hen.

All the good people of Pogannac
would have told you that Uncle Joel
Potter was one of the best men that
ever lived; but even those who liked
him most were forced to admit that he
was '.jest little Slow But to his
wife he was far beyond the ''little :"
As she cmphatically asserted, he was
''as slow as molasses in January"
1t must have been one of natures
strange laws of ATTRACTION of oppo-
sites" which brought this couple to-
gether; for while Uncle Joel was slow,
plodding, dreamy, Aunt Hannah was
quick, energetic, ambitious-a notable
hOusekeeper, who could do the work
of two women while others were plan
ming what to do: whose washing was
on the line of Monday morning look
ing like riffs of snow, long before most
of her neighbors had finished break
fast.
To her energetic nature, her hus-
bands slow movements and lack of
ambition were thorns in the flesh not
unworthy, perhaps. to be compared
with the Apostle Paul. The fifteen
years more of life which Uncle Joel
had seen, and a crippled limb-the re-
suit of an accident in boyhood-may
have had much to do with his lack of
energy; but more of it was nature, an
inheritance from his mother. an in
teDsely religious woman, who, the
neighbors said, ''cou!d work ali dav in
q half bushel an never git out O. MT. !"
And Uncle Joel's highest dream of
happiness was to sit in his armchair
by the south window, in the spacious
old kitchen, and read aloud to himself
by the hour from the big B. bic living in
his lap, his low, droninS monotone
driving Aunt Hannah to the verge of
distraction.
Here Joel, want pail of wate-r'
She called, one morning when he was
thus reading. and she was elbow-deep
in the fioury mysteries of the bread
bowl. IAN don't be all day about it;
I'm in hurry"
''Yis, yis, Hannah" Uncle Joel re-
marked, reading along softly, his finger
following his eyes over the page. "And
they that wait on the Lord shall re-
new their strength, they
AN they that wait on their wives
shall renew their youth, I reckon
Aunt Hannah interrupted, sharply.
m certain sure you'd have to be
born agin afore you did it. Come, GIT
that water, I'm in hurry. I tell ye.''
''Yis, Hannah, I'm a-coming."
AN SOS Christmas, an it'll gi.
here first. reckon wonder if there
ever was another SIGH slow mortal in
this world!'
And rubbing her bands free from
the dough. she caught up the pail and
had drawn the water and returned be-
fore Uncle Joel had finished his all-im-
portant chapter. and rising SLOWLY
from the Chair lilnped across the
kitchen. -
..Why,-the pals full. Hannah. nhe
Full, of course it's fullr's Aunt
Hannah snapped. did We s'pose "a
was a-goin' t'wait all day? Irather
guess they'd be lot o. work done in
this house if a body was to wait for
you."
but We shouldn't be in sich a hurry.
Hannah" Uncle Joel interposed.
mildly; 1.-THE Lord took six days t'make
the heavens and the earth, an .taint-
best t try an do every thing in amin
ute.''
81 should think he took six yeau to
make you. an then didn't finish ye off !
oil Saturday afternoon jest at night
You've heen behindhand ever since We
Was born.
Well, well, Hannah, we won't quar-
al about it; ev'ry body can't be SO spry