The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1900-09-12
Mother' S
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in his humble way, "if he expects that
band to meet him at the depot when
he comes homer
"Bein l hold the poslshun ! do an.
swered the squar, "beln I'm referred
to as the leadln man In Jericho If the
band wanted to go down and see me
of or wanted to be there TO welcome
me home don't reckon anybody would
find fault"
"But I'd want the same thing" said
Ebenezer Scott. 81 amt no justice OF
the peace, but my dairy is milkin %
cows this summer, and / feel I'm as
big as anybody. / go over to Dobbs
| Ferry once In two weeks, and | should
want that band to toot me Off aud toot
me home agln."
"There may be n pint" said the dea-
con as he scratched his ear, but l
don't skassly see 1t. Mebbe the squar
wants to say sunthln further about
liberty and Bunker HillY
'T'm sayin," replied the squar as he
heaved a long sigh, that patriotism
and love of country seems to be dead
er'n a doornail in these United States.
Mebbe there's man In this crowd
aside from me who'd be willin to shed
his blood that our glorious republic
might be saved from ruin and desola-
shun, but If thar be l can't name him.
You might as well dlsperse to your
homes and tell your wives and chill
dren that Jericho Is doomed"
"By John, but what a plnt-what n
pint" whispered the deacon. "Be-
fore we bust up and go to ruin, how
ever, I'd like to hear from Reuben
White. Reuben's bin as far west as
Detroit, and he ought to know what in
fuence brass band has on n town."
"The influence of n brass band is ac-
cordln TO the leader" said Reuben.
"I've seen 'em where they Jumped Il
and I've seen 'em where they killed
things dead in two. The leader wants
TO be a pecoollar sort of a man. He
wants TO be born fur the place, same
as Washington was. He wants to be
ready TO die at two minits' notice or TO
live fur a hundred years"
"And mebbe you think you're that
manT queried the squar as he pound
ed on the counter with his fist.
81 do. | know l am. Pm the only
man In Jericho as kin lead band to
success and make the town hump her.
self. I'm n self sacrlGcln crltter, as
you all know, and II this meetin thinks
best
But the meetln shouted him down,
and II was Eve mlnlts before Deacon
Spooner could make his voice heard,
and then he said:
There's more p'ints bobbln up here
than you kin shake n stick at, but we
might as well hev one more. S'posin
we hear from Lish Billings. He's the
only man In Jericho who kin play ON
m accordion. What d'you say, Lish?"
There's mighty little TO be said and
nuthln TO bust up the country" an
swered Llsh. 'Do any OF you sons OF
Bunker Hill know how much wind It
takes TO blow brass horn"
Nobody did. and n hush fell upon the
,rowd.
1T taxes ten pounds, reckoned by a
lung tester" said Lish, land you'd
want an extra pound fur walkin up
hill. There was lung tester man In
town two weeks ago, and every son OF
rs handed over nickel and took q
blow. We blowed and str1lned and
bowed, and Rube White was one OF
EN- who blowed n sole off his boot,
and ylt no man reached seven pounds. |
Whar you goln TO git your wind 10
blow them hornsp
There was n painful silence while !
you could count n hundred. and then
Deacon Spooner said:
by John, but Pm goln home and |
Tell the old woman that don't know |
beans when the bags united. and the |
rest of you'd better do the same |
-hingV NJ. QUAD.