Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-12-22

lank, long-legged mule, and a bull
tongue pillow were making an effort to
cultivate. 1t was the man who had
given utterance to the profanity and
the mule and the b1ll-tongue were the
causes.
The minister felt it his duty to speak
a word to the man on the s%iufnlness of
such language, and accordingly he
refined up his horse and addressed
him.
"My friend" he began, "did ! not
hear you using some very p~rofane words
a moment sinee?n
II dunno" the 'Possum-Ridger re.
piled. Reckon ct you hain't powerful
hard o. hearin' you heerdm me doin' some
monty straight eussin', though
"Well, do you not realize that it Is
very wrong to do SOP"
Wrong to cuss?"
ayes" .... .... -
@Hain't bean hearin' nothin' bout
it,
"Why, you certainly know that the
scriptures say that you shall not take
| the name of the Lord in vain. 1t is one
of the commandments"
81 amt heerd nothin' bout no CON-
mandmentS"
Surely you have! Don't you remem
Der the Ten Commandments given to
Moses?"
Reckon not. Them thar fellers
down at the county seat air always a.
gittin' up somethin' new that we don't
know nothin' bout up yere. They
done went an fixed it so we can't make
whisky and sell it, an now this yere
Moses Teller comes along an says we
sh'n't cuss. Reckon them thar officers
an lawyers down thar think we amt
got no right to do uothin'.
"You're mistaken, my friend" the
minister reasoned, gently. "Moses
lived thousands of years ago, and we
find this commandment written by him
in the scriptures.
whats them?"
"The scriptures? Why, you've heard
Of the Bible, haven't yon?"
"'Pears like I've heerd somethin'
bout it someway. But what of it?"
"Well it is the scriptures-God's word
telling people how to live and What to
do, so that.when they die they will go
to heaven"
II heerd somethin' bout that"
"And you want to go to heaven, I'm
sure?"
aReckop it's a putty good place to go
to, hain't it?"
ness and joy there"
II low I'd like to go, then"
"well you must quit cursing." .
"Must?" Z
ayes, sir"
Cant git to go to heaven il dont2"
"No. indeed"
"Have to shet right squar' off and not
cuss a grain?"
"Yes.n
aMoses writ it down that thar way,
did he?"
AN what Moses writ is law, I
reckon"
"Yes."
"See we're, stranger, do you know
anything bout that thar Moses TEL
ler?"
ayes, something"
didn't he never cuss noneF".
al think not"
"Sir. you shore?"
ayes. pretty sure"
aid he ever plow new ground with
a bull-tonCue an a ole yaller mule that
wuz coptrairer' an the dickens?
Il presume not"
"Uh, huh! Never had a ole yalier
mule to wind an twist all over the
field, an go ever way but the rlght
one?"
al suppose not"
"Uh, huh! Never had a bull-tonene
run into stumps an roots, an rar up
an punch his ribs out?"
"No."
"Uh, huh! That thar counts fer IL.
Reckon most anybody could go long
'thout cussin' under them circum-
stances. Guess a teller whut never
wrastled with a ole yaller mule an
b~ulI-tongue don't know nothin, bout
the good it does q Teller to cuss. Reckon
eff Moses had er been in my place ne
wouldn't a been so blame skeerce nous
cussin' a few streaks bisself, an ct hed
er writ that thar commandment neua
excepted out the feIlers what a 70
pillow new ground with a yaller muIe
an a bull-tongue. Thar's some occa,
sions when a Teller jest has to cuss, an
this vere's one of 'em. Amt nooooy
goin' TO say soft things when a prov
handle is swipin' the hide often MS riOs
an gougin' in after his liver.