Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1900-04-05
NUMBER 22

II" says tnnt Uncle Peter threw the
clods out again and cxhorted Lem to
he more particular and even TO take
time TO knock Off any dirt that might
stick to them taturs."
81 paid S2i an acre for that dirt,
Icm," he reconstructed "Not only
/ that, but I've spent n matter of SIS
moro for fertilizers since | took the
| place. What you throw into that there
wagon don't do nobody no good. 1t
don't hold it's shape long enough TO
| pass fer IA tatur and get paid for as
/ sich; it ist grinds up inter dust and
/ shakes out of the wagon on the road
| to town."
Lem rctortcd: Uncle Peter don't
! YOU reckon you git even on that with
| what mud you bring in Off the road in
| wet weather."
The hoe had been bought at the store
where the pleasant and outrageous
| town of Lombard now is. When it was
| new Uncle Peter used to treat it like
tinc-tcmpcred razor. He never al
! lowed hired man to use it, and he
used to bring 1t in with him from the
| field at noon and stand it up in the
! Kitchen, where he could watch it while
he ate his dinner. When the years
work was done he would give IL coat
! of axle grease to protect it from rust
and then would lock II UP in the tool
shed.
In course of time. however, the hoe
grew duh, and Uncle Peter had to take
u file to it. After the third filing he
let Lem jackson take it to hill up the
beans, and Lem got tired and leaned
on 1t too heavily.
Uncle Peter took It very had. He told
Lem he would just as soon have had
him haul Off and slap him in the face
The hired man offered to pay for the
hoe, and Uncle Peter said that was the
/ least he could do. lie held back 81 .G5 OF
LENS wages, figuring - cents for
wagon hauling from Lombard, Then
he nailed up the fracture in the handle
and swathcd It with wire, and. handing
il to Lem. told him to use il more care
fully in future.
81 dunno but ought TO charge You
fer my time a-tlxin' it," remarked Uncle
Peter.
The hired man said he'd like To know
HOW nv lliNlt lllul 'lll, ullNl bNN'lltlsl
to the way he flggcred the hoe he.
longed ter him."
IL amt a-goin' to argycr with You
about it," said Uncle Peter, with dig.
nifty. "rhe hoes mine. | bought an
paid fer il. II it was yours I'd still be
entitled to charge you for repairs, but
! didn't say that ! would charge YOU.
only said ! ought to charge you-nnd
20 | ought. BY gum! b'lievc | will
charge you"
"Whcn YOU get man that'l do
things like that you've got mighty
mean man." said Uncle Peters brother.
in-law.
81 used to pity his women folks" he
continued. He had a right nice wife,
and aS saving as n woman need be
hut she wasn't saving enough for
Peter. He'd 20 nosing around in the
pantry and figuring with them ON the
laundry soap, and he'd pick up Il scrap
of something or another that he didn't
thul, ought TO he thrown out and pack
n back into the house and say: soc
here. M'ricr; these blamed spru'thr,ft
ways of yours Ind ought 10 hc quit vt
the same time he never 20: mad or
mean before company. When there
was company at the house, his VIII" told
my wife once. she used To sit and Just
look at him and wonder If il could be
that she was mistaken about him after
nll"
About this time something c,ualR
occurs To break the thread Of The mar.
ratiyc. II seems 10 work the same wa,
with thrucphcw. w.sothatanobrdvi I'm the
suburb has ever heard thr story of the
,i,...
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