Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-09-03
'fTis Eli ThOms's mare. What's tc

LIS Ell IuOIuS mare. udG 5 W
be done to cure her?" they said:
Let Eli Thoms buy a comb an
comb his mares tail while she eats
her feed. So Elrll know if it's the
devil or no that steals oats from his
manger."
They applauded his wisdom and
brought forward the woman who had
pleaded just now via his mother
Who made herr" he asked, having
listened to the charge.
God It's to be supposed"
"God makes no evil"
The devil then"
Then whack the devil
They fell on the pasteboard dragon
and belabOred him. The sun poured
down upon the mayors throne, and his
mother, who sat by his right hand,
wondering at his sense, gave him
water to drink from the bottle. They
brought third Casa boy who had
been caught torturing a COW. He had
taken a saw, and tried to saw OF one
of her horns while she was tethered in
her stall.
The mayor leaped from his seat.
''Kill himm he shouted; take him
off and kill him. His face was twisted
with passion and he lifted his stick.
The crowd fell back for a second, but
! the Old woman lear1d forward and
touched her son softly on the leg. He
stopped short; the anger died out of
his face and he shivered.
mo, " he said; i was wrong. neigh
bors. The boy is mad, l think, an
it's terrible lot, to be mad, This is
the devils doing, out O. doubt. Beat
the devil"
''Simme," said one in the crowd,
'the sins o Gantick be wearin' out
the smoky man at a terrible rate"
AYE, answered another, his
naughtiness bain't ekal to Gantick. -
And this observation was the original
of a proverb, still repeated: LAS
naughty as Gantick, where the devil
struck for shorter hours
There was no cruelty that day on
Dragons Moor. All the afternoon the
mad mayor sat in the suns eye and
gave Judgment while his mother from
time to time, wiped away the froth
that gathered on his lips, and mois-
tened them with water from her bot
Tie. From first to last she never spoke
word, but sat with horror in her
eyes, and watched the flushed cheeks
of this grown-up. bearded son. And
all this afternoon the men Of Gantick
| brayed the devil into shreds.
! | said there was no cruelty on ORA
CONS Moor that day. But, at shutdown,
the mayor turned to his mother and
said:
We've been over-hasty mother.
We QUIT to ha' found out who made
the devil what he is.
At last the sun drOpped; shadow
fell on the brown mOors and crept I'D
the mound where the mother and son
sat. The brightness died out of the
mayors face.
Three minutes after he flung up his
hands and cried: ''Mother-my head,
my headn'
She arose, still without word,
pulled down his arms, slipped one
within her own, and led him away to
the road. The crowd did not inter
fere, they were burying the broken
dragon, with shouts and rough play.
A woman followed them to the road
and tried to clasp the mayors knees as
he staggered.
His mother bent her way.
"Off wi your she cried; "'tis your
reproach he's bearin'."
She helped him slowly home. In
the shadow of the cottage the inspired
look that he had worn all day returned
for moment. Then a CONFUSION took
him, casting him on the floor
At nine o'clock he died. with his
head on her lap.
She closed his eyes, smoothed the
wrinkles on his tired face, and sat
watching him for some time. At
length sho lifted and laid him on the
deal table at full length, bolted the
door, put the heavy shutter on the low
window, and began to light the fire
For fuel she had a heap of peat
turves and some sticks. Having lit it,
! she set Il creek of water to warm, and
undre .. man slowly. Then, the
water .--..E ready, she washed and
! laid h., b. chat his limbs and
talkinY, to 80 If all the while.
''talr, straight legs" she said.
How proud l was! Why did God
make you beautiful?"
I All night she sat caressing him.
And the smoke of the peat-turves,
finding no exit and no draught to carry
them up the chimney, crept around
and killed her quietly beside her son. -
/ The Argonaut.
A POstm&e stamp with Raby,s EEend.