St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-07-10

"a S& don't talk only
9@~ when the general
@~ ~ circumferen . o
the surro n n 8
NJ brings / ( on. If
they push you into the jam and hem
you up in . rale clost place and crowd
you for your answer you can say yes or
no. But don't talk, Eufus, jest simply
/, because the good Lord. in the fullness
OF His grace and mercy. give you some
thin that you can talk with.
/ ''Chin music is cheap. Rufus-mon-
strous cheap-and too internal much OF
it makes the man cheap. Keep your
eyes open and your mouth shet. That
J. IS the mainest thing"
Some Smart S1leRce.
Thus and SO my good old grandfather
took his text one pleasant summer day
rs we driv along the old Federal road on
our way to town. And from that text
he went On and preached forth ser
mont on the human mouth, the like OF
which I have never since heard from .
mortal mans lips.
1.-THE world always will have some
right serious doubts. Rufus, in regards
to the man which has been afflicted
with a rale bad case of breakin out at
the mouth. If you want people to
stop and listen at what you have got to
say you will have to take Your time
and pick your chances and say it right
quick. The world is busy and The
people are busy-too almighty busy
to stop and set down and listen
! to a man II; he let's his tongue
slip the bride and makes his mouth
common property.
Now recollect as fresh and clear as
4 it was but only yesterday how !
pulled Sim Peevy through the cam
=, paign in his first race for county judge.
TO tell the living gospel truth. Rufus.
Sim Peevy was only fair te middlin
! when ii come to brains. Well, he had
common sense enough to keep the
!: Office straight and do what was right,
and that was all satisfactual with me.
You understand. in the mainline, me
and Sims father. old man Elem Peevy,
/ had come out here together in the first
settlement Of the country. We had
made our clearins and built our cab
/: bins and At the wild Indians and killed
bear together. And then in the years
TO come when his son Sim had crowd up
to be man and took up the notion that
he mought as well to run for county
Judge as not, couldn't do q thing but
throw my hand and my heart into the
fight with him. I did finally at last
pull the boy through by the hair Of his
head and the skin OF his teeth. as il
were. but let me tell you. Rufus, il
it&ek some hard llip and ciost watch
in fQ11Uit. z-ss:.I.a-
THE mainest great trouble with Sim
Peeyy was his mouth. Heswas ruther
dulf vt talkin anyhow; and up to that
time hc-had maintained a.large and
lovely. silence, SO to speak,, He stood
d; 1ekf in-kis socks tilted dGellfAm uI
Ut $50 pounds, and WIS one Of the most
lkdjes4: @na smarteSt loos ef1en in
ffbr4y inile4 4round;; aAf ftJR kthem
general grounds that the people took
to him. But be got ipto ~ f3(% and
the next thing L kncwcd sohkebft had
put the fool notion into his head tina:
politics naant 1aassins AldH led if he
didn't come mighty nigh fallin down
with his skef~fseggs on the very
first heat. He went down there to .
ratification siu.O9d Euek2f lEni Beat
ind thouk h4lr1 1)1ke . speech
That was all. He didn't make NO
speech. 1he 160d his mouth
loose and tried his level blnmedcst fol
three-quarters Of an hour. Inever did
find out what he said. He didn't know,
and nobody else couldn't tell me. But
anyhow, henceforwards and forever
after that the Peevy cake was all
dough in fuckers Mill Beat.
"The other man in the famous race
for county judge was Dick Mason
which Dick he was as quick and smart
as a streak of CREASED lightnin. He
could turn more student tricks in one
campaign than any Twin man ever
saw. Soon - heard about the orful
bad talkin scrape which Sim Peevy had
rot into down 1t fuckers Mill lowed
TINT Dick Mason was at the bottom Of
1t, ard it didn't take me but one day
and night to find out for certain that
the Mason side was the very men that
had screamed the loudest and longest
for Peevy to make a speech. Con-
sound 'em. they knowed good and well
If they ever got my man on his feet
before a crowd he would 60 lame and
bust his jug and spill the molasses be
fore he quit.
: $50 the next mectin was. helt over
there at Bark Log, and soon as ever the
crowd got together they aet ups roarin
big yell for Pecvy and a speech. But in
| the r1aintime / had saw their trick,
aud, dadblame 'em, I was there on the
grounds my own individually self to
scotch the game. Before the meetin
opened had took Sim OF down un-
der the hill and learnt him his letters.
".Mix and mingle with the crowd
as free and Promiscus M you please,
Simeon says /, but don't do any talkin
to speak Of. You can shake hands with
The voters. and smile upon the wosnen
folks, and kiss the babies, Simeon, my
boy, but let the other side make al the
speeches. Be pleasant with every
body and look a smart ~ you possibly
can, but don't talk, Simeon talk.
"From then on through the campaign
/ / didn't have = blame thing to do but
70 around and tend NIL the meetins.
with ! paddock On Sim Peevy's mouth
and the key in my pocket. At the last
| final ratification which was helt on the
old picnic grounds down there at Muir
der Creek Bridge. Dick Mason made .
6ne speech and the crowd reared and
screamed for Peevy. till by gracious
| thought some Of them would split their