The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-12-09


the misery bit has causedl"
John Henry simply glanced mp
from his paper; but when Mandy
wanted to make a speech it mat
tered little if John Henry listened
or If he did Lot listen; so she went
on: You may begin in Eden,
when the world was young, when
fair flowers bloomed and sweet
sonRsters sung. thar appetite fust
worked destruetshun, when Eve
eaten Gods apple 'thout akin Him
fur it. 1t has been q causin of
widespread misery ever sense. The
next we hear of Adams family,
one OF his boys had reped and kilt
the tother one, and boys has been
fond of killen ever sense.
Y, John Henry, before they
can talk they likes a gun. Instinkt
seems tn teach um hits use; and
they seem born with a knowledge
OF that scriptur that says: Rise.
Peter, slay and eat, and they rise
and slay and eaA too, as soon as
they are big enough to hold a tar
get. Nothin seems to satisfy um
like blood. l suppose that's be-
case the blood is the life and they
all love life; but none uf EN- ever
seems to suspicion that other living
things love life too. They bang.
bang, bang at every living critter
that the law does not make il a
crime to shoot. / believe, John
Henry. if l had been a creator a
tall l could have did better Job of
it. Now, thar's our John William
for instance, he'd ruther 90 out
with his gun and run down some
pore critter that loves life as good
as he does and kill and eat it than
to set down to a table loaded with
all the frutes and nuts that growed
in the Garding of Eden. Y, John
Henry, l do believe men are so
blood thursty they'd kill and eat
their wives if their own necks were
not in danger of the judgment
frum it. You'd best listen to me,
John Henry. you can read papers
when the grass is growing green
on my grave.
Appetite. as was a sayin', is
the stumbling block that is going
to drown mems souls in perdition.
Y, John Henry, they love that
that's good and that that's not
good. They will gulp down into
their unoffending and sufferin'
stumicks stuffs, vile stuffs that
would blister the souls Of the feet
of barefooted boy. The things
that's the hottest when they're
cold, sich as hoss-redish and pep
per-sass. These they think thur
stumicks can convert into good
blood to run the human engine.
John Henry. l have an inspi-
ration this mint. God made man
and the devil made his appetite.
Now haint that soi Do you sup
pose fur mint that God made
you fly mad at me because the sup
per was not to your taste and
caused you to go to the doggery
and fill yourself so full of that
fiery fluid extract of rotten corn
that You didn't know your wife
from the black womanf Say, John
Henry. speak up. did God aim for
you TO do that"
Mandy, in her wonderful fight
of eloQuence. had uncOnsciously
arisen from her chair and was
wildly flourishing her handker-
chief, but John Henry read on as
placidly as if his life had flowed
forever in an endless song. Aman
da sunk into her chair and elo-
quently resumed her lecture.
Ah," said she, my John
Henry, dear. to me in spite of
cusses and whisky, days, weeks,
months. years. yea. even ages
have cyckled past sense Eve bit off
of that apple and Adam finished
it, but mans apertite has growed
and strengthened. He has shrunk-
en- in statute aud his eyes have
dimned and his years have become
dull of hearin' because Of improper
| food. hut his Stomaehe has pone