The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-07-12


barn so years old. and she's never had
a lightnin rod or been insured-jest
had to dodge or bust all these years
and she's thar yit. Seventeen years
ago, when built my house, I put a
bell on the front door. Nobody has
rung that bell to this day. 1t would
be the same IL we put lightnin rod
on the schoolhouse-you wouldn't see a
thunderstorm around here fur the next
16 years. I'm all right on the empo-
rum of education bizness, and l can
see that thar schoolhouse rearin it's
proud roof to the blue vaults of heaven
Is plain as IL 1t wasn't 8 O'Clock at
,Aight. but / don't see no call to pay
oVt $685. Let her dodge or bustr'
'Thar's q pint thar. Enos- thar's
! pint" ways the deacon as he hits a
cracker bar'l with his cane. "Yes, sir.
thar's good deal in your theory about
dodgin. When all the cows around
here was hevin the lump jaw, "a Teller
offered to protect mine agin it fur So.
l said I'd let her take her chances, and
she come through all right. ! obsarye
Moses Forbush among the audience,
and, as Moses built the fence around
the schoolhouse, mebbe he's got sun
thin to say"
81 amt ag'in Hghtnin rods" says
Moses in his slow way-"I'm not ag'in
'em fur what they are. 1t pears to
me, however, that we'd better begin at
the bottom instead of the roof. Thar S
about 20 hogs nestin under the school
house, and thar's about 20 holes in the
,, floor. l sorter like the idea of light
lin rod, and I sorter like the idea of a
new floor and drivin the hogs out. One
idea sorter balances the t'other, and
don't want to cast my vote either way"
you hewitt made pint" says the
deacon, 'but nobody expected you to.
/ take it, however, that you go in fur
an emporium Of education, bein you
got the job of buildin the fence and
hev seven children goin to school"
Eyes, I think l do" replies Noses
eve allus felt that it was my duty
to uphold the Magma Charta of liberty
and when it comes to boostin the
wheels of progress and civilization I'm
good to lift a ton,
Itwas then suggested that the light
min rod man might want to say sunthin
more. and he went at it and made a
reg'lar Fourth of July Grafton. He pic
tured George Washington. John Han
cock, Thomas Jefferson and half doz
en- more goin to school to learn how to
| spell such words as liberty" ''free
DOM and "bulwarks.' He pictured
| them schoolhouses bein struck by light
min. fur the want of rods. and he had
tears in Joab Warmers eyes in less Il
five minits. Then he pictured the hap
| ply children of Jericho crowded into the
schoolhouse on a summers day
Among them was future lawyers, doc
| tors, editors, statesmen and poets
They was drinkin in deep drafts OF
| education when black cloud appeared
| over Jim Taylors barn, rumble OF
thunder was heard. and mint later
| thunderbolt shot out and struck the
schoolhouse. and thar was a tragedy tc
| convtilse the world. The town had
saved S38 on a lightnin rod, but whal
was the schoolhouse, the schoolma an
| and A scholars? Some was shoutir
and some was wipin their eyes wher
the man sot down. and after Deacon
| Spooner had declared it the strongest
| pint he ever heard he made ready tt
put the question to vote. Jest Their
in comes Lish Billings, and the deacon
turns to him and says:
"Lish, we are hevin meetin about
that lightnin rod on the schoolhouse
/ AS you painted the buildin mebbe
| you'd like to say sunthin. Are you ful
/ it or ag'in it?''
Neither one." answers Lish after
awhile.
Are you standin neutralY'
"Not exactly
''Then. how do you make it out"
''Why, the burned old buildin fell
down about an hour ago Of its OWL
self. and don't reckon thar's any cal
to waste any breath about the mat
ter" NJ. QUAD.