Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1901-190?, 1902-02-14
A Forgiveness.
BY DABNEY

Ostensibly 81 was a farmer and
blacksmith. and occasionally a cattle
drover, but as the agricultural region
about him was poor, and the pasturage
though extensive was inferior, being
covered chiefly with pine straw, a diet
TO which the sheep and cows did not
take kindly and upon which with the
peryersity of dumb critters" they re-
fused to fatten, the income from even
a triple employment like this would
seem TO be necessarily limited.
But genius is always superior to cir
c~umstances, so Emerson says, d 81
exempliied the saying by always hav-
ing an abundance Of the comforts of
life and a plenty Of money. His wife
always appeared in a new dress at
each annual protracted meeting. his
boys wore store shoes, and always had
powder in their gourds and shot in
their pouches. As for 81 himself, he
owned a breach-loading gun a drum
mer might not disdain, and used
real smokeless powder cartridges. His
n~eighbors told visiting friends from
across the river In Amite county, that
81 actually paid two and a half cents
a piece for these, and the neighbors
heard the statement with ~unbounded
wonder at such evidences OF wealth.
When collections we're taker up for
what the preacher called ''the spread
Ing OF the gospel of the sweet Savior
among the heather in China and the
pore Catholics in New Orleans" 81 al
ways put o dollar in the hat. Mrs.
Hardsook fifty cents, the boys a dime
each, and little Lodelia, the only girl
Of the family. n silver quarter. In con-
sequence 81 passed for a deeply re-
ligious man. and the parson always
sailed him Brother Hardsook.
Nor was Sis generosity purely &C.
clesiastical. He had been frequently
known to leave the railroad with as
many as two %one-gallon jugs full of
Ticker" and arrive home with the
Jugs. owing to a liberal sampling OF
their contents on his own part, and a
generous distribution of the same to
all he met, who universally at first re-
fused to drink. but finally consented
being as how 1t was 81 as offered the
Kicker, and they would "moist a little,
ret as they were wlne-bibbers and
%gluttonous. but would take a swig for
"the good OF their innards."
Most of his ncighbors drank what
was offered them and asked no ques-
tons ard made 10 remarks. Blu some
OF then were deeply and audibly per-
plcSed rs to where 81 got all this
money. Certain circumstances con
nected with 81 would linger in their
\ninds and what was worse break out
o7 their tongues. They would com
ment how the cattle of n%eighbors near
81 had a Way, Of disappearing just
when they were most itten" for mar
ket. but in that great unfenced coun-
try what was thore to prevent cattle
from straying? Dumb critters" said
81, ARC mighty biggity and roaming
come ony how. and viii some times
Sdst rush 20 their ruin"
Scre tiEss also nlthe fail country
stores nca- him were robbed and their
safes blown open just after the money
had been received from the town banks
TO pay for the incoming cotton. Il was
q strange coincidence that after such
Lobbcrle5 81 had more money ard dis
tribntcd more flicker" than usual. But
81 said "lilo is iulI of condolences and
q mystery according to the scriptures.
"Leastwise," added he. that Is what
the parson says tho Word says. aad ]
tho man to, dispute a licensed
r,inister OF the gorsepell. nor &c you
nuther. neighbour" he would osk of h!s
liEtenor az he lovingly toycd with tho
trigger of his famous gun.
sNo, indeed" replied the nelGh.or
with al-crity, edging of 4 'littlt. 81
don't dispute the parson nuther you,
You air both right eS ssr as | knows
on
Still one folks would prove 'to1
leaky OF tongue" in regard to si's AZ
: fairs. and It was strange how rho corn
cribs and cotton houses of theag
"mcasly b~ack-cappers," % o. called
them, had a habit of taking hrc in the
dead hours OF the night.
But one day the grand jury actually
indicted 81 for grand larceny. He was
accused OF stealing ten head o: cattle
from Mart Smiggles. The chief Wit
mesa against 81 was Dune SwGriington
. good-natured farmer too stupid &c
be dishonest. Vase farm adjoined the
800 ovqr vyhfch 81 had m Iriva ~.