The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-06-19

cause all it said wu7: "Hoopin' Cough
See Whoopin' Cough"-and, Nv course,
there warn't no Wheopin Cough to see,
bein' as how the w hadn't come yet
Oncet when Hiram wanted to dreen the
home pasture he went to the cyclopeedy TO
find out about II, but all he diskivered wus: !,
the cyclopeedy had only got down TO g.
The COW wuz sick with lung fever one
spell and Leander laid her dyin' TO that
cussed cyclopeedy cause when he went TO
readin' bout cows it told him to .See
Zoology"
But what's the use NV harrowin' up ones
feelin's talkiu' md thinkin' about these
thingsl Leander got so after awhile
that the cyclopeedy didn't worry him at all;
he grew to look at 1t ez one NV the crosses
that human critters has to bear without
complainin' through this vale NV tears.
The only thing that bothered him wuS the
fear that mebbe he wouldn't live to see the
last volyume-to to tell the truth, this kind Nv
got to be his hobby and I've heern him talk
bout 1t many time settin' round the
stove at the tarvern md squirtin' tobacco
juice at the sawdust box. His wife,
Hattie, passed away with the yaller janders
the winter w come, und all that seemed TO
reconcile Leander to survivin' her wuz the
prospect NV seein' tho last volyume Nv that
cyclopeedy. Lemuel Higgins, the book
agent, had gone to his everlastin' pun
ishment, but his son, Hiram, had sue
ceeded to his father business md continued
TO visit his folks his old man had roped In.
BY this time Leandcr's children had growed
up; all on 'em wuz marr'd, and there wuz
numeris grandchildren TO amuse the OIL
gentleman. But Leander wuzn't to be sat-
ished with the common things Nv airth; he
didn't seem TO take no pleasurein his grand
children like most men do; his mind wuz
alters sot on somethin else-for hours md
hours, yes, all day long, he'd set out on the
front stoop lookin' wistfully up the road for
that book agent TO come along with CYCLIC
peedy. He didn't want TO die till he'd got
all the cyclopeedies his contract called for;
he wanted to have every thing Strengthened
out before he passed away.
When-oh, how well | recollect it-when
Y come along he wus so overcome that he
fell over in fit Nv paralysis, md the old
gentleman never got over II. For the next
three years he dropped md pined, and
seemed like he couldn't hold out much
longer. Finally he had to take TO his bed
he wuz so old nd feeble-but he made 'em
move the bed up against the winder so he
could watch for that last volyume Of the
cyclopeedy.
The end come one balmy day in the spring
NV 'S7. His life wuz a-ebbin' powerful fast;
the minister wuz there, md me, md Dock
Wilson, md Jedge Baker, md most Nv the
family. Lovin' hands smoothed the wrinkled
forehead md breshed back the long, scant,
white hair, but the eyes Of the dyin' man
wuz sot upon that piece Nv road down which
the cyclopeedy man allus come.
All at oncet bright md joyful look come
into them eyes md OIL Leander riz up In bed
md seq: ats come"
"What is 1t, fatherl" asked his daughter
Sarey, sobbin' like.
"Hush," SEE the minister, solemnly; she
sees the shinin' gates Nv the Moo Jerusa-
lem"
"No, no." cried the aged man, ait Is the
cyclopeedy-the letter Z-it's comin'p
And sure enough! The door opened and
in walked Higgins he tottered rather than
walked, f'r he had growed old md feeble in
his wicked perfession.
"Here's tho 2 cyclopeedy, Mr.. Hobart
says Higgins.
Leander clutched 1t; no hugged IL 70 his
pantin' bosom; then stealin' one pale hand
under the piller he drew out faded banh
note md gave 1t TO Higgins.
"Ithank Thee for this boon, sez Leander
rollin' his eyes up devoutly; then he gave I