The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1890-10-02
HIS POCKET RELIGION.
IT COULD BE LAID ASIDE WHEN CC.
CASION REQUIRED.
His Habit of Whipping His Brother-in.
Law and Everybody E'se-He Meets
His Match.

Tobe Grear had whipped every man in
Poinsett County. To some men fighting
may be only a recreation, but to Tobe
it was a necessity: Once he awOke at
midnight. and, unable to go to sleep
again, lay tossing and groaning.
"Whuts the matter, Tobe2" his wife
asked.
''Oh, l dunno; am all outen sorts"
Don't you think it's becaze you amt
whipped no body latelyT'
"Yas, that's the very reason"
"Wall, git up an whup yo' brother.
in-law, an then go to sleep"
He got up, whipped his brother-in-
law and then slept like sycamore log.
Tobe had whipped old Bill Morgan
once every week for the past ten years.
Bill, extremely elastic disposition, did
not lose hope; he took boxing lessons of
the new circuit rider; and then, with
great confidence, invited Tobe to whip
him. TObe did so; and then Bill mount
ed his gray mare, rode over to the Mount
Zion meeting house and ''whaled" the
circuit rider for teaching boxing under
false pretenses.
One night, during heated revival in
July, lobe was stricken with conviction
and, yielding 10 the entreaties of his
wife, went up to the mourners' bench
and placed his repentant head on the
white oak slab. He poured forth a
stream of lamentations-decla after
the manner Of great apostle that he
had been chief among sinners. and
vowed that if the Lord would exercise
his merciful pardoning power he would
every year contribute q sheep to the
religious barbecue, and would refrain
from fighting to the best of his ability.
Suddenly he sprang to his feet and de-
Ciared that his sins had been wiped out
with tender hand; that he was pre-
pared TO meet his friends that had gone
before, and that any man in the congre-
CATION might enjoy the privilege of call
ing him q horse-thief without incurring
the danger of being thumped.
Old Bill Morgan " as particularly de-
lighted with the conversion, and after
shaking hands with lobe turned to q
friend and remarked: Il have got him
on the hip now, an III bet you bull.
tongue plough an a set of rope gear
that | whup him befo' the weeks out. !"
Tobe wrote out a confession of faith
on a piece of paper bag, and carried it
III his hip pocket. At night when he
would awake and feel that he must whip
some one or toss sleeplessly on his
wheat straw bed, he would reach over,
grabble his confession out of his pocket,
read it over, take a chew of long, green
tobacco and then worry along as best he
could. One evening while he was milk
i1,r hlfIo. Innl-inn thot mis-
chievous wink, old Bill came up to the
fence. .->
Brother Tobe," said he II think
the time for lie TO whup you have
came
DO you reckon it haveT" Tobe re-
piled, turning loose the blue cows milk
nozzle and wiping a drop Of pale milk
from his horny hand.
"Yas, low SO"
''All right" Tobe responded, and
| taking the confession Of faith from his
pocket he put it on Top of the fence,
placed a stone upon it and said: Faith
in things that have been an mir yit 10
come rest thar till l maui this sinner"
| He climbed over the fence and a few
moments later Bill with stitch i'll his
side and sciatc disturbance of the hip,
lmped toward his humble dwelling.
The next evening, when Tobe was again
ekng a few drops of milk from the blue
cow Bill came up to the fence and said:
pear to be enjoyin' yosef putty
we'll"
Vas, reasonable SO. Have you got
wel?"
Not exackly-still got a ashootiu' pain
in my hip"
DO you allus milk?'
"Yas, do the mlkin' all the time"
An you never do let yo' wife milk
uone?"