Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-11-20

speakin well of the town. If he didn't,
he'd set the folks down as vicious and
desperate and drive on to Tarrytown
or Dobbs Ferry. The squar' wanted
that ball as big as n pumpkin, and he
wanted real gold leaf fur gildin, and
he closed his speech with an appeal to
the people to continue TO be innocent
and happy. Deacon Spooner was chair
man of the meetin. as usual, and when
the squar' sOt down the deacon said
he'd made pint. Enos Williams was
then called upon. He headed the fac
tioh who wanted a rooster. EnOs didn't
go as fur back as the squar'- He has
asthma and is short of breath, and so
he started out with Columbus to dis
kiver America. He had bin readin up
on ROSTERS. He couldn't find that rOos-
tiers was an emblem of innocence, but
he didn't want no innocence on a court
house tower. The stranger would find
innocence when he come to play check
ers or trade hosses with a Jerichoian.
The rooster was an emblem of grit and
independence. He was a bird who
went to bed at shutdown, got up before
sunrise and was hustlin AROUND all day.
y rooster on top of that tower would
signify that Jericho could take care of
herself and didn't bow down to any
other town in the state. He was out
OF breath and had busted n suspender
when he sot down. and Deacon Spoon
er raped with cane and said:
.'Enos has not only made n speech
equal to anything Henry Clay ever got
off. but he's made a thunderin big
pint in favor of the rOosterites. / was
ag'in the rooster when come here, but
I've almost changed my mind. Let US
hear from Silas Bebee."
Silas was one who wanted the p'ints
of the compass put up. He was born
in Jericho when the town had but three
houses ana had been turned around fur
30 years. The only way lie could tell
north from south or east from west
was TO make black spot on Uncle Jim
Green's barn door, and he never went
10 the back end of his own cornfield
without gittin lost and hevin to whistle
TO his wife. His speech was up to
date. He didn't go back over six
months. He said that what had allus
allied Jericho and what would allus
keep her down was the want of KNOWN
the compass p'ints. He wasn't the
only one who was turned around. Half
the folks in town couldn't go buckle
berryin without Gittin lost and wander
in around all night. Hogs and dogs
walked around in n circle because they
was confused, and every time there
was a lawsuit most of the witnesses
said west fur east. An emblem Of in
nocence would be all right, and roost-
er would be thing of beauty. but both
would be beaten by compass p'ints.
'Silas has made a purity good speech
and a purity good pint" says the dea-
con. land I'm sorter Iettin go of the
rooster and leanin to his side. Though
I've lived in Jericho fur 30 years, 1
can't make out yit whether my pigpen
is on the north or west side OF the
house. I'm understandin that Elisha
Taylor has sunthin to spring on this
meetin, and we are ready to hear it,
Elisha was ready. He had bin watch
in the growth of the town hall fur six
long years. and he had had his eye on
the tower day and night. He had look |
ed at II from the street and from the |
roof of his barn. He had looked at it |
at MONDAY and,squinted at it at mid
night and had come to one unalterable |
conclusion-he wanted the figger OF q |
gilt angel to finish of that tower. and
he wanted that angel to be p'intin up |
wards, same as on gravestone he saw |