The record-union., 1898-02-07
THE JOKE ON JOGGINS.

I'LL SONS VV JOVVIuOi
To begin with the boys of Hemlock
Hills We're decidedly prejudiced against
Ephriam Joggins. Why this was so
was mystery. If they had been ask
ed what reasons they had for this feel
ing probably not one OF them could have
furnished a satisfactory reply. All the
boys knew was that they didn't like
Joggins. None of them knew exactly
why. Joggins had never treated any OF
them badly He had always attended
to his own affairs and let them attend
to theirs. yet there remained that in
definable but unmistakabie feeling OF
dislike toward him.
Perhaps il was because Joggins was a
new element in the community and had
not yet become assimdlated with the
rest or the ingredients which went TO
make up the society of Hemlock Hills.
He had moved into the neighborhood
only six months before our story opens,
buying a farm which was all run down
and with fences and buildings out of
repair, and had kept steadily at work
tilling the soil. making needed improve
his purchase up to the standard of the
surrounding prosperous homesteads
For this he depended wholly upon the
eXertions of himself and willing and
able assistant whom he had brought
with him when he came to Hemlock
Hills, which fact. strange as il may
SEEM did not serve to increase his pop
ularity with the boys, even if it did
with their elders.
1t was the custom in the neighbor-
hood whenever a farmers work got
behind or he had some unusually hard
Job on his hands, to make a bee, IN
viting all the neighbors in for a half
day or day to assist him out of the DIFF
ficulty But Joggins managed to keep
the upper hand of his work, handicap
ped as he was by a place out of repair,
and instead of having two or three
bees" during the season, as was the
custom of his shiftless predecessors, he
gave none. consequently the larger boys
of the neighborhood, who regarded a
bee" as first cousin to a picnic, felt
that they We're being cheated out OF
their rights And when fall came, and
Joggins got in his abundant crop OF
corn, husked it and stored it away III
the crib without giving the usual husk-
ing bee-well that was little TOO
much, and the feeling of hostility to-
ward the newcomer rapidly developed
Here. at last. was something tangible
to base their prejudices on, and from
thinking mean things about Jogglns
the boys soon got to talking them.
Tell you what, boys said VIII Per-
kins. one day when they We're discuss
ing the matter, Il knew right from the
start that Mr.. Joggins would turn out
to be that kind of a man. When Mr..
DooldttIe lived On that place he always
used to get up the liveliest hushng Dee
of the whole neighborhood. Catch MN
husking any of his own corn; no, Stree
he let the boys have a chance at IL
every time: and he wasn't afraid TO tfot
out the pie and cake and sweet CIDER
either A fellow could always depend on
getting all the pumpkin pie he could eat
at Doolittle's husking bees. Mrs DOC
little was great on pumpkin ple, ana
Mrs. Joggins may be, too. for all Know,
but if she is. you can wager that MT
Joggins will see to it that no one ex-
cept himself and Mrs Joggins and the
hired man ever get any of it to eat.
Speaking of the hired man, ii didn'
look just right for Mr.. Joggins to bring
Jim along with him when he came
when he could just as well have hired
some one living around here. de Is a
good worker and sticks to business. IL
admit that but it isn't exactly the thlnS
fetching a stranger into the place to DO
work that lots of people here would be
glad to get.
That's So" spoke up Hank Barlow.
but ] don't care so much about the
hired man part Of it as l do about Mr..
Jcggins not giving a husking bee 1
haven't liked him very we'll any time
he acts to me as if he had come here
from another planet and felt rather
above the people ON this one; and when
a man carries his eXclusiveness SO far as
to husk his own corn, instead OF giving
a husking. l think it is about time
something was done about it,"
That is my idea. exactly" chimed in
Carl Bunker But the question is.
what can we do in the matter? Wonder
how It would do 10 put a piece about
it in the paper. and mark it and send
it TO MIR. Joggins?"
Take too long TO do that. and the ed1-
tor might not print it, anyhow" IN
terposed Hank Barlow. Might bet
ter write what we want to say in dis
guised hand on sheet of paper and put
a skull and crossbones on it and tack
it onto his front door"
That would be too much like the
whitecaps we used TO hear so much
about" observed Will Perkins. and if
we begin anything of that kind we
will have the whole neighborhood down
on u.s. No, boys, I'll tell you better
plan than that. I've just thought of
something that will do first-rate. Well
compel Mr. Joggins to make a bee "
But how can we do that2" asked
Carl Bunker.
Easy enough" replied Will Perkins
'If you fellows Will come along with
me tonight I'll show you how. Let s