Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-07-31

say?
AYES said he. The farms all
right. | s'pose. But it's "A wonder
Uncle Todd wouldn't "A cut the
brush and fixed the fences little
before he went to willin' il TO folks.
There's most a quarter Of an acre O
brush that's got 10 be cut in the
back lot. and more than ten rod O
fence that's got to be fixed. Before
Uncle Todd went TO leavin' his farm
TO folks it's wonder he wouldn't "A
cut that brush and fixed that fe.lce"
Bound to kick and complain,
Charles p. Darlington was, and be
unappreciative and ungrateful. But
what started in to making folks
travel miles out of their way TO see
such ding bumblegusted kicker and
complainer as old Charles +. Barring
ton was something that out-ding-
bumblegusted anything in the way OF
kicking and complaining, and Of in
gratitude and unappreciativeness,
that even old Charles p. Darlington
had ever given a specimen of.
~ great big pepperidge tree stood
in a field on his place, and he wanted
il out of the way the worst kind,
but il YOU know anything about pep
peridge trees youll know that it
amt any gentle piece of work 20
move one out of the way. There's
no more grain To a pepperidge tree
than there is 10 cork, aud the wood
is as tough and springy as rubber
betting.
$50, by blasting a tree to pieces
with dynamite or such, YOU get il
into chunks you can handle, the
wood makes first-rate frewood. but
it'd be worth a good deal more than
folks could pay for it TO make il
profitable 10 put on the market
well. old Charles u. harrington
figured and figured on what it would
cost to blast that pepperidge tree
ont of the way and grub the roots
up. Any way he could figure il he
couldn't make the cost come out. so
he felt that it would warrant him
in doing the work. but he wanted
that tree off of that lot mighty bad.
He used to lay awake nights try
ing 10 think up how he could do il,
but there was no use, and il worried
him like Sam Hill. One night in the
summer time there came up IA big
thunderstorm.
It's great place for thunder
storms, back of Hopewell Junction,
and the lightning does cut up around
he oh
talk. At least il used 10 when ! lived
over there. Well. this thunderstorm
came up and seemed To lust more
than throw itself about the Earring
ton place.
The lightning shot around and
dropped down in regular chunks.
When old Charles u. harrington got
up next morning and went out to
take a look over his farm. he found
that the big pepperidge tree was
gone. Lightning had struck it. and
the tree stood there numbering the
lot no more.
"And lightning had done more than
simply strike that tough old pepper
idge tree. 1t had cut and split that
tree up into cordwood lengths, and
ranked it all up in rows ready for
hauling away.
Nov you would naturally suppose,
knowing how bad old Charles =. Bar
rington had wanted to get that tree
out OF his way, that he would have
just jumped and howled with JOY
when he saw that il was gone, ana
not only gone, but all ready cut and
measured TO put on n profitable mar
ket.
But did he? Not he. lie was ole
Charles p. Darlington first, last ano
all the time. He looked at the wood
all corded up as regular as could be
and then growled out:
Its a wonder the lightning could
mt just as well "a chucked that wood
over the fence yonder. into the wag.
on that's standin' there and not pu:
me TO the work o. comm in here anc
loadin' it,
We'll, there! When folks heard o;
that kick, they took to travelling
miles out of their way To see the man
"hp "ho ShNh uSltf'
kicker and cOmplainer and ungratd'
full citizen as old Charles p. Barring
ton was. And"
But say!" interposed Farmer Bill
Leonard, while the man from over
toward Pochuck still stares at Baldy
with his mouth open. That light
ming. What did folks seem to think
of that?'
THE lightning?" said the landlord,
as if he wasn't exactly clear as TO
what the lightning had TO do with
il. "Oh, what il did to the tree?
Why, that wasn't anything out Of the
way for lightning back of Hopewell
Junction, and nobody thought much
of that pepperage tree act"
Badly, the landlord, paused. Farm
er Bill Leonard sighed. The man
from over toward POchuck closed his
mouth with a snap, rose from his
chair, glared a moment at Badly, the
landlord, and strobe Pochuckward
without "A word.