West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-08-28
MRS. poLsv's TALK s.
A Number OF the Dcacon's Shortcon.
ings Are Exposed to tho
Public Gaze.

4
the kitchen door with her sewing In hand
aud when she had taken seat on the ster
she called
say TO you. and want you to come aud siI
down here"
The deacon looked up az the sky and
around the yard. and In deliberate way
he hung the hoe on the limb OF cherry
tree and sat down with jar and sigh.
~ am no hand to scoid or lecture or
nag" began Mrs. Dolby. "and never say
anything until I am driven to Il by a feeling
Of duty. One day last week you took the
| wheclbarrow to the blacksmith shop to be
repaired. You were gone over two hours.
aud when you came home you didn't
look me square In the face for a long time.
l thought mebbc you had been playing
mumblety.te.pcg or marbles and was a
little ashamed OF It, but know now what
Il was. Don't dispute me. deacon. for the
evidence Is overwhelming. The black
smith has parrot. That parrot swcars
like pirate. You were hanging around
there to hear that parrot rip and tear.
The deacon gave a start Of surprise. aud
a blush mantlcd his check. but he attcmp
| ted no words In defence.
"Yes. long after the wheeibarrow had
been fixed" continued Mrs Dolby. you
stood around and listened to- language from
that bird which ought to have made yonr
| blood run cold. Mrs. Parsons heard and
saw everything from her kitchen window.
and she wrote most OF II down. You stood
In front OF that parrots cage and never
uttered a word of rcproof while he said
Get on to his shape.
| Fiji EN- up again.
4" Go way back and sit down.
"'who struck Billy Patterson 2
you not only uttered no words OF re.
proof, but you actually grinned at the
parrot and encouraged him to go on and
shout out as many as IS swear words.
Mebbc there was more. but when Mrs
Parsons had counted up to IS she tainted
away want to know what you have got
to say for yourelf In this natter
Deacon Dolby reached down for hand.
ful OF grass aud opened his mouth as u TO
speak. but closed II again after few
seconds without having spoken. There
| was chance for him to rise to the occa.
sion. but he didn't rise. Mrs Dolby gave
him three long minutes to clear his rcputa.
ton and then proceeded
Last Tuesday you went over To John
Taylor's TO borrow his scythc. When you
had got along to the school htuse two
| dogs began to fight One was a brindled
| dog. the other yellow. Mrs. Shaw was
upstairs making up the beds. and when
she heard the awful sounds OF conflict she
looked out OF the window. Nobody was
a AZ. 81
expected to see you rush In and stop the
6ehi. but you didn't move a foot. You
just leaned against the fence and let EN-
bite and claw and roll each other In the
dus, Tor good ten minutes. They wanted
10 stop once or twice. but Mrs. Shaw
heard you go Zzkzxl to encourage them
to keep on. II II had been Mrs Harrison,
who is crosseycd and n little deaf might
have believed her mistaken. but with Mrs.
Shaw there is no loophoc for YOU. Deacon
Dolby. you enjoyed that doghght, aud it's
no use for you TO say you didn't Think OF
III Think OF you standing by and seeing
dogiight! My head went round and
round like top when Mrs Shaw told me
OF II. and don't know why don't faint
away and fall over Have you anything to
| say about IL p
The deacon hadn't lie WIS looking at
the bed OF holIyhocks and wondering why
they were no green ones among the white
aud purple. and he missed another golden
opportunity. Yes. there had been a dog
hght--a conflict that had broke out with
suddenncss and ended with a victory for
the yellow dog. but he could not go into
explanations. No woman understands
about dogfshis. They begin and end In a
minute. and even tho best OF men have an
aching to see the smaller dog get the best
oil
"Anothcr thing" continued Mrs. Dolby
as she reached over and killed a horse fly
that had settled on the back OF the
dcacon's neck. Two weeks ago Moses
Harper asked you TO come over and help
him break a baiky horse. You was so
| anxious to go that you couldn't hardly
wait for dinner. You didnt get back iii
near s"ndown aud I noticed that you
sIammes things around a good deal and
was shon spoken TO me. didn't know
what TO make OF II then. but ! do now. I've
heard all about II. Deacon Dolby you are
a convicted mani I've got Witnesses to
prove that you lost your temper as many
as 10 times that afternoon. You began by
saying pshaw' and sugar bat how did
you end What did you say when that
balky horse finally kicked Gp behind and
landed you against the fence Don't try
to wriggie out OF IT, for your words was
| plain and made folks catch their breath.
/ ! sit here feeling as cold as ice TO think Of
H. All that afternoon there was swearing
going on. and YOU never once raised your
voice against II. No wonder you came
home TO sIambsng thingsi No wonder
| you had the nightmare that night No
wonder you wound up the clock with a
whew and almost kicked the cat out Of
doors Can you say one single word in
extcnuation Of such conduct 2"
The deacon couldn't. Knowing that he
couldn't he set himself 10 watching robin
which was trying TO pick up grasshoppcf.
and In dim. underlined way he bet two
shillings that the hopper would escape
And while am about H." said Mrs.
Dolby. as her tones grew harder. Il want to
say that know all about your being In the
postoflcc the other nigbt when lot Of men
were tslking about prizc6ght You went
there for mail. bot you hung on and hung
on 20 hear them men talk about right
swings. left Jabs, upper cuts and ailthsf.
and IL was most 10 O'Clock before you got
homo. Don't tfy TO deny il. for have wit;
nesses. You didn't say much. but you had
your eyes open. and u was dead and you
could sneak OF to prizc6gh, believe
you'd DO H. II you wouldn't I want to
hear you say So"
The deacon took the matter under sd.
| vlsement as he pulled another handful Of