The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-01-31
THE WICKEDNESS :
OF THE RIGHTEOUS .
By Mrs. Caleb Larrabee.



act wicked-not but what good
foks'll do mortal queer things some
times-but to do jest pure, downright
wickedness is what I'm talkin' about,
and when their doin's turn out bad /
allow they excuse themselves by sayin':
"Oh, well, / didn't mean them to take
il that way" jest as if their meanin'
made any difference. When you throw
a stone at anybody, an it hits them it's
poor liniment to say you didn't mean
to hurt them. An that's jest what lots
of folks does every day, figgeratively
speakin'. There is some that's alwus
thinkin' other folks needs takin' down
an settin' right, an so they make stores
out of their own extra righteousness.
Land, there amt none of US got any
goodness to spare. Seems as if Ole
Harry's that persistin' he keeps
body's goodness sort of thin in places.
There's good folks that seem to hev
pothin' else to do but go round huntin'
out the thin places in a body's good
ness. I'm not sayin' mines very thick,
but. land, whose is? Speshally when
folks gets rap an goes at me like
Sister Meachem did the other day. Now,
Sister Meachem's good woman, a
mortal good woman, but she's tryin'
at times. Her and mes been friends
these 40 years and more, but it's jest
because | am easy to get along with,
nothin' else in the livin' world.
Well, I'd bin a1lowin' all fall that I'd
90 in an see Maria Ann - that's my
niece that's named for me an lives in
town, an I'd writ to her that I'd be in
the next Thursday mornin', an that
wanted her to 60 long to the expo
sition. Well, l told Caleb all about it.
an | allowed he understood perfect
~, but there's no tellin' whether a
mans listenin' to you when you're talk
In or not, not even when they say:
Yes an keep noddin' like toy
donkey; ten to one they amt hearin'
word you say.
Caleb went to town on Wednesday,
an he didn't get home till evenin', an
he'd supper on the table, jest a picked
up supper, fur I'd bin that busy clean
IN up the house. / allowed to stay
TWO or three days with Maria Ann
that hadn't time to cook. l heerd
Caleb drivin' into the yard. but I was
At the sink washin' my hands, an
didn't look out the window nor turn
round till l heard him openin' the
ooer, mind you, bringin' her right into
the kitchen, an says he: Here's
Lucy, Maria. l was round there to-
Gay, an i told her to jest bundle up
an come out fur week, an here she
N. Well, there's some folks you like,
an there's some you don't like, an
! oonst like Caleb's sister Lucy. How
IA TINS world good, savin', kind-heart-
Gu, unselfish man come to have such
"a extravagant, coldhearted, selfish
woman for sister is past findin' out
lax about stores of Righteousness!
black an blue for months every
year after she's bin visitin' us.
AS | was sayin', Caleb fetched in her
saecnei, an l made her welcome. You
.ant treat body mean in your own
mouse. Jest as / had got her into the
.et'in' room, in comes Caleb a-luggin
TWO baskets, an says he: Here's
eome peaches Maria; / heerd YOU
ishin fur some last week, an ]
'nought now Lucy was here to heIr
you pare them, I'd jest fetch a couple
- oushel. An / got bushel of plums
.oo. An that man actually seemed
.alnk he'd done somethin' fine. Il
I woman was mad, jest downright,
nsd' was, but jest told him to take
'4su dowa cellar an hurry an Gil