Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-01-21

lank, long legged mule, and bull
tongue plow were making an effort to
cultivate. 1t was the man who had
given uttcrance to the profanity and
the mule and the bull.tongGe were the
causes.
The minister felt Il his duty To speak
q word 20 the man on the sinfulness of
such language, and accordingly he
refined up his horse and addressed
him.
my friend he began, "did / not
hear you using some very profane words
moment since?"
IL dunno" the 'Possum- -Ridger re-
pli2d. "Reckon ef you hain't powerful
hard % hearin' you heerd me doin' some
mouty straight cussin, though"
"Nell. do you not realize that it 10
very wrong to do SOP"
Wrong TO cuss?"
"Yes.
slain, 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.
II amt heerd notAin' bout no COM
mandment,.'
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 fix, d IL SO we can't make
whisky and sell il. AN now this ycre
Moses fcller 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 nothin'."
You're mistaken, my friend,r the
minister reasoned, gently. Moses
lived thousands of years ago, and we
find this commandment written by him
in the scriptures.
whats thcm?'
"The scriptures? Why, you've heard
of the Bible. haven't you?"
"'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, 50 that when they die they viii go
to heaven"
II heerd somethin' bout that.
"And you want 20 go to heaven, I'm
sure?"
"Reckon It's q putty good place to go
TO, hain't it?"
"Indecd ii is. Life will be all happi-
ness and joy there"
IL low I'd like to go. then"
well, you must quit cursing"
@Must?n
"Yes, sir
1Can't git to so to heaven if don't?"
NO, indeed
aHave to shet right squar off and not
cuss a grain?"
ayes"
"Moses writ IL down that thar way,
did he?'
-Yes, SIR"
SAN what Moses writ is law, I
reckon?n
Ayes
@See yerc, stranger. do you know
anything bout that thar Moses fel.
ler?"
~Yes, something"
IDidn't he never cuss none?"
IL think not y
4Sir, you shorc?"
sies. pretty sure."
DID he ever plow new ground with
bull tongue an ole yaller mule that
wuz contraircr' an the dicl1ens?~
Il presume not"
"Uh, huh. Never had n ole waller
mule TO wind an twist all over the
field. an go ever way but the right
one?-
II suppose not"
"Uh. hnh. Never had bull-tong ne
run into stumps an roots, an r'ar up
an punch his ribs outa"
NO"
"Uh, huh! That thar counts fer IL.
Reckon most anybody could 90 long
'thout cussin' under them circum-
stances. Guess feller whut never
wrastlcd with ole yaller mule an
bull-tonguc don't know nothin' bout
the good ii does feller To cuss. Reckon
eft Moses had or been in my place he
wonldn't a been so blame slseerce bout
cussin' a few strcaks hisself, an eff he'd
cr writ that thar commandment he'd
excepted out the fellcrs what has to
plow new ground with yaller mule
an bull-tongue. Thar's some occa-
sions when fellcr Jest has Ia cuss. an
this yere's one of 'em. Amt nobody
goin' to say soft things when plow
handle is swipin' the hide often his ribs
an gougin' in after his liver