Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-08-03

as he ShetS up MS Jachhulie anu S'''
his feet under him. "I'm fur lettil
sartin things dodge or bust. The!
wanted to insure the meetin house y
years ago, but my advice was to LEI
her dodge. She's thar yit. I've got
barn 80 years old, and she's never had
n lightnin rod or been insured-Jes'
had to dodge or bust all these years
and she's thar yit. Seventeen years
ago, when | built my house. put q
bell on the front door. Nobody has
rung that bell to this day. 1t would
be the same If we put a lightnin rod
on the schoolhouse-you wouldn't see a
thunderstorm around here fur the next
Is years. I'm all right on the empo-
rum of education b~iZness. and ! can
see that thar schoolhouse rearin it's
proud roof to the blue vaults of heaven
as plain as If it wasn't 8 o'clock at
night, but I don't see no call to pay
out $3S. Let her dodge or bust"
"Thar's a pint thar, Enos-thar's a
pint" says the deacon as he hits a
cracker bar'l with his cane. "Yes, sir.
thar's a good deal In your theory about
dodgin. When all the cows around
here was hevin the lump jaw, a Teller
offered to protect mine ag'in 1t fur So.
I said I'd let her take her chances, and
she come through all right. l obsarve
Moses Forbush among the audience,
end, as Moses built the fence around
the schoolhouse, mebbe he's got sun
thin to say"
II amt ag'in lightnin rods" says
Moses in his slow way-"I'm not agin
'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 a light
min rod, and l sorter like the idea of a
new floor and drivin the hogs out. One
Idea sorter balances the t'other, and I
don't want to cast my vote either way"
"You hewitt made a pint" says the
deacon, "but nobody expected you to.
l take it. however, that you go in fur
an emporium of education, bein you
got the job of buildin the fence and
hev V children goin to school,"
Eyes. I think l do" replies Moses.
give allus felt that it was my duty
to uphold the Magma Charta of liberty.
and when it m to boostin the
wheels Of progress and civilization I'm
good to lift a ton"
1t was then suggested that the light
min rod man might want to say sunthin
more, and he went at it and made a
regular Fourth of July Grafton. He pic
tllred George Washington. John Han
cock, Thomas jefferson and half a doz-
more goin to school to learn how to
spell such words as elderly" "free-
and "bulwarks." He pictured
hem schoolhouses bein struck by light
min fur the want of rods, and he had
in Joab Warmers eyes In less'n
i've minits. Then he pictured the hap
~ children Of Jericho crowded into the
on a summers day.
them was future lawyers, doc
:ors. editors, statesmen and poets.
They was drinkin in deep drafts Of
when a black cloud appeared
,ver Jim Taylor's barn, a rumble of
hunder was heard. and a mint later
thunderbolt shot out and struck the
ch%OOlhOuSe, and thar was q tragedy to
'onvulse the world. The town had
aved $3S on q ligltnin rod, but whar !
vas the schooIhOuse. the schoolma'ani \
nd A scholars? Some was shouti.l
nd some was wipin their eyes when
mar sot down, and after Deacon
had declared it the strongest
tint lie ever heard he made ready to
ut the question to a vote. Jest then
Lish Billings, and the deacon
urns to him and says:
"Lish, we are hevin a meetin about
hat lightnin rod on the schoolhouse.
IS you painted the buildin mebbe
ou'd like to say sunthin. Are you fur
or ag'in it?"
"Neither one" answers Lish after
care you standin neutral?"
"Not exactly"
"Then, how do you make 1t out"
"Nhy, the burned old buildin fell
own about an hour ago of Its own
elf, and I don't reckon thar's any call
} waste any breath about the mat
r" M. QUAD.