Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-11-19

must have been III the Bible when my
Grandmother handed it TO me. l turned
| each leaf separately. but to no pur-
pose. / glanced at the title page.
| and there before me | saw my
| legacy. In trembling characters, was
written: 60 my erantlchild: Wealth l
have none, but leave you this Bible: read
it carefully, follow its teachings, and you
have treasures indeed. Remember the
proverbs / have taken so much care to
impress upon your mind: "A rolling stone
gathers no moss, and "A setting hen never
grows fat" Years have gone by since
that time, but. even now, whenever ! see a
setting hen, l am seized by an uncontrol-
able desire to send rolling stone in hot
pursuit of her.
was penniless, lazy, ana worthless,
left alone in the world. "Served me right,
said everybody, aud forthwith they pre-
dicted that would go to the dogs, where
ever chat may be, My reputation was too
well known TO permit of my obtaining
work in our own neighborhood. SO ] went
to New York, and soon found myself a
Eliza" bound for Australia. | looked
upon myself ms far beneath my fellows in
ordinary intelligence, such was the effect
Of 10y early training. l had no confidence
in my powers, SO when was given task
worked hard to do il rs it should be done,
fearing, always, that it was not done we'll,
and, to this fact alone, attribute my sue
cess as a sailor.
After several months our vessel returned
to America. The war broke out, and | en-
listed as private in a Pennsylvania regi-
ment, and here my early trials stood me in
good service. The rod. welded so I'M
sparingly by my grandmother, had taught
me well the lesson never to expose my
back to danger, and firmly believe that to
this, more than anything else, ] owe the
fact that I was mustered out of service
with the rank Of colonel.
At the close Of the war, together with
many Of my late comrades in arms, l
drifted West. With no trade, profession,
or calling, and with very little cash, 1 soon
found myself a full-hedged politician, a
wire puller Of the first order, and men,
Der of the State Legislature. In that ca
pacity proved to my own satisfaction
the falseness of both the theory and
practice Of the provcrb that setting hen
never grows fat, because, as sitting MEM
ber, l not only waxed fat, but / found
means to feather my nest in a luxurious
manner. With this, however, / was not
content, for / desired to proved that the
old saw about the rolling stone gathering
no moss was equally as fallacious, there
fore ] accepted the nomination and was
elected to represent my district in Con-
gross, and for several years [ have been
laying in supply of moss, of the kind
which neither withcrs nor passes away. I
dc not come under tine category of the
brilliant soldier statesman; nor is it probable
! that my name will live after me, but I am
the Hon. Jacob Allen, NJ. c., stand in with
| the administration, and therefore am solid
with my constituents.
| Sometime since, during the heat of a
Presidential campaign, ] was in the East,
ard volunteered my services to address
the voters of Turtle Creek. Now
the citizens of that section We're,
and have been since the days of
jackson, mossbacks Of the most uncom-
promising sort. Recognizing this fact, and
being aware that 1 could do little harm if
J. accomplished no good for our party, the
committee gladly assented to my PROPOSE
ton, and one fine October morning l found
myself in NY native village.
The faces of almost ali the older inhabit-
ants were familiar to me, though none
recognized in the sleek, well built Con-
gresham, the hoy whom they prophesied
would 60 TO the dogs because Of his shift
lessness. After an absence of almost
thirty years, l found no change in Turtle
Greek. The same old geese, or their de
scendants, sported i'll the same old mud
\ puddles. The same old cows browsed the
same old grass on the same old streets, and
the same old hogs rooted up, with I'M
diminished delight, the same old sidewalks.
Accustomed to the mushroom growth OF
western cities, I marveled at the lack OF
enterprise everywhere visible, but soon
discovered its cause, in the fact that the
people still chung to the same old spirit
they possessed when was boy.
noticed a youth reclining under the
shade of friendly tree, enjoying swee,
Oblivion, but soon he was aroused to the
stern realities of life, by
sharp tongue exclaiming: sect w
out Of that you lazy, good-for- nothing
wretsh, and go to work. Didn't ever tel
you that setting hen never grows fat.
The boy arose with infinite disgust depicted
upon his every feature. pitied him, for ]
could understand his feelings.
AT the schoolhouse found the same Ole
school1naster, his hair whitened by age.
introduced myself as Congressman Allen
and told him l would like to see how his
boys We're progressing. With evident
pride he called the scholars up and placed
them in row. propounded a number OF
questions, and found that they we're ali
pretty we'll advanced. Then asked them
"Who was the greatest Americana" the
stereotyped answer, "George Washington,
was received in quick succession, from
every boy, until I reached ragged little
urchin, at the foot of the class. "Well, m,
bow said T. "Whom do Won think 1yoS ,L.