Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-07-08

most sensible thing they ever done. A
hogs trough is the best thing they could
find for SIGH hog"
.srhey staid round there purity nigh
hall. an hour, and one or two ON 'em
got in through the broken winder an
looked high an low, but they couldn't
hnd hide or hair of Nose. AFTER they d
been gone spell. Lish went over an
hollered t. Nose m told him they's ali
cleared out, and nobody shouldn't
tech him if he'd come out. But he
never showed himself; an Lish Lit q
candle an went all over the house,
from garrit t. suller, but he couldn't
find nothin' o. Nose nowhere; but
Jest as was a-goin' t. give it up, he
heard Nose call in kind of . scarf
whisper:
".Lish, is it you3 Be they all
gomez
can as true as ye live, there was
Nose down on all fours-a-crawlin' out
of a hogshead way in under the suller
stairs. He was all covered with ashes
an dirt, an he shook jest like pop
pie leaf. He was scarf all but to death,
ar hung t. Lish so, not to leave him
alone, that he had to fetch him home
with him. He put him in the bed up
garrit, N never knew nothin' about
it till morning, or there'd a-been
music, We better b'leve. Jest made
Lish take that bed out inter the yard.
an it's there now; nobody'd never
wanter sleep ont arter that nasty crit
ter d been sleepin'sin it. !"
We'll, Ideclare fort" Aunt Han
nah said, spitefully, at the close of the
narration. II wish t. goodness they'd
a-ketched him an tarred an feathered
him an rode him on a rail out o.
town, If owed the Old Scratch a
dozen sinners an he wouldn't take
Nose Potter n call it even, L cheet
him out o. the hull ont! He's the bic.
gest old hypercrit that ever see"
There, there, Hannah!" Uncle
Joel interposed, mildly, coming out of
the pantry, where, during the recital
of his neighbors' misdemeanors, he
had been hunting high and low for
something he could not quite remem-
Der, Judge not, lest-ye be judged.
'By their fruits We shall know en-"
Aunt Hannah retorted, sharply. can
if man don't show nuthin' but hog
gishness m hypocrisy, I dunno
where's the sin in calling him a hog
an hypercrit, an you needn't stand
up for him, nuther. He's got more
devils in him than ever was cast out o
Mary Marda 1in, anvhou -
Well. Hannah, twas a woman the
Lord cast 'em out of. The Bible don't
say as he ever cast seven devils out of
a man.
mo, he left 'em all in the men, an
they're there now," was the Triumphant
retort.
Under this scathing rebuke Uncle
Joel retreated to the pantry and con-
tinued his search.
What in the world are you sput-
term round that butt'ry for?" his
wife called, as the clatter of pans and
dishes first drew her attention to
Uncle Joers trespass upon forbidden
ground.
s'Why, I'm lookin' for them eggs,
Hannah. Ye told me to set the Old
speckled hen, didn't We? an l can't
find the eggs nowhere
mercy on us! And you've been al
this time about it? l thought you'd
set her half an hour ago."
And rising from her chair, Aunt
Hannah started hurriedly for the pam
try, when an exclamation of 20 Mis-
Potter, do seer' recalled her.
And what a sight! There, in the
feathery depths OF the chair cushion,
was the old felt hat crushed as fiat IS
pancake, and all that remained of the
dozen eggs was mass of broken
shells, whites and yelks mixed in a
manner not common in cake-making.
Her dress was plentifully plastered
with the mixture, and every movement
sent drippings Of it down to the floor.
In her eagerness to hear her neigh
Dor S story she had sat down without
looking behind her, and the soft depths
of the cushions had given no warning of
the mischief she was doing.
''My goodness was all she could
say, as she stood looking upon the hOr-
ribie mixture.
''Well, Hannah said Uncle Joel.
Il never thought We was in SIGH a hur-
ry to hatch them eggs that yc'd set on
'em yourself"
And for the first time in her twenty
years of married life Aunt Hannah had
no retort ready; and the old speckled
hen was not set that day Jennie
Porter arnold. in Hartford Times.