The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-12
Ike som. Soul.


Maine country village off the railroad. on
my way home stopped TO take dinner
and rest my livery plug in Martins Cor
ner, says writer in the Lewiston (Me.)
Journal
Five men were sitting on the long bench
under the porch of the tavern. Two were
whiting, the others were chewing to-
bacco and enjoying life
Here comes cid Ike Hanson said one
of the men suddenly. Lets get him on
string"
Ike Hanson was a little man with a
pinched face and with TUFTS of whiskers
On each cheek-ittle starved, undergrown
whiskers, looking like wire grass in a
runout pasture.
likes meaner n a farrar COW In a hot
summer" enc of the men cohfided to me.
Bet we dollar when he comes over here
he'll stand up SOS to save wearing out
the seat of his pants"
Well, when Ike came over he stood up.
but 1 can't say that he d d so on account
of the ingenious reason advanced by my
new friend
-Stickin' out fur's usual Ike I sup
pose?" asked one of the loungers.
II be for all know" replied Ike in nom
committal fashion.
Anything special goin' on up in your
neighborhood?" asked one of the men.
"Nothin much. only Iral Dunbar has
had to call on the town for help
'Sho! Is that so. Why, the report got
all around down here that after Iral was
took sick you went over and told him
you'd see him through till spring"
The crowd laughed at the look of aston
ishment that came over Ike's face.
'Fust / ever heard of it," said he.
You'd be likely to hear of it, wouldn't
you?" asked one of the five
NO Ike will never hear of anything
like that" said anther grevely. 'If he
does he'll drop dead. His heart is weak,
so I've heard"
Heart? Ike amt got no heart When
they built him they put heart and Gizzard
in together, so as to save trouble and ex-
pense. The things ben' combined. it
don't cost as much to run EN-
I.looked to see il this new arrival WASH
going to be offended by this broad humor,
but he only grinned grimly.
You fellers out here to the Corner
think you're sharp" said he. You want
to look out that you don't fall down and
cut yourselves
wal, there'd be some blood run out of
us If we should" drawled one of the men.
''There'd be about enough come onut of
you to moisten a postage stamp
"Huh"' sneered Ike.
Sal. fellers,' remarked a tall man who
had been whiting bit of shingle, 81 had
dream about Ike here the other night,
and, bein' he's here, I'll jest go ahead and
tell it. Perhaps he'll be interested.
II dreamed l died and went to heaven
the other day. L got in all right enough,
funny as that may seem to you fellers.
Well while l was strolling round 1 run
up ag inst a fust class angel. He I'M
dertook to show me round a little. He
to me one mighty curious thing. He
sa- that as long as a man was on earth
they kept his soul for him in heaven.
When 1t come time for him to die mis- spir-
it come TO heaven and got the soul.
" How'd you like to see the storeroom
where we keep the souls? the angel asked.
" 'Furst rate says l, and we went down
that way.
1T was a great place, now, I can tell
you. Some of the boxes were mighty big
concerns
60 The value of a man is regulated by
the size of his SOUL said the angel. THE
more good he does on earth the better he
is to his fellow man, the bigger is his soul.
We have to keep changing some of them
70 bigger boxes. Beats all how some OF
them do grow. Let's see," continued the
angel, where did understand you to say
you came FROM"
" Martins Corner, in Maine says I.
:" Well, by gracious said the angel
we've got curiosity here that will inter
est you, seeing you are from that section.
He went up to a big directory, turned
the pages and then said to the angel in
charge. Hand me down box seventy tril-
lion, two hundred and thirty-two million
six hundred and eighty thousand, nine
hundred and seventy-nine
That box was about as big as a wo-
mans watch case
Open it, says the angel handing 1t tc
me. 1 did So and there was another box
inside. I opened that. Inside that was
still another box-and, by thunder l open
ed forty of EN- before 1 got down to the
I last, and that was the tiniest box 1 ever
saw.
Now, here is a microscope said the
angel. I want you to look, and look in
there sharp
1T was big microscope. looked G
long while before 1 could see anything
Then al last 1 did see a little speck.
" Is that a soul2 l asked.
"'No.' says the angel. That isn't q
soul. That is something that has been put
in there merely for the purpose of compari-
SON. That is the one-milllonth part of g
| moskeeter's eyebrow. Cant you see an.
other leetle, teeny mite of a speck there?'
81 looked hard, but blame me if l could
see a thing. l told the angel 1 couldn't.
We'll, l don't know as ye can says
ne. But it's there. 1t is one thousa ndtt
part as big as the one-milIiouth part OF
"a moske eyebrow, and it is the sou
of that Ike Hanson down in your place. "