Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1902-12-03
UP.To-DATE FABLES.
Tom MoNeal in Topeka Nav and Bree1e.


One Of the boys was called y
smooth article by the people Of
the community IN which be resid-
ed. At school be could out cipher
anything in the whole bunch and
the way he recited the speech Of
Daniel Webster in reply to Hayne
at the country literary several
women said beat anything they
had ever heard. BE spelled down
four school teachers at one spell
ing school before be was 10 aud
nearly everybody said that he had
a bright future before him. The
boy, whose full name was John
Augustus Peterson, was also OF
the same opinion In regard to his
future. John Augustus mother
told the women who gathered at
the quilting bee that she never
''seed" such a child for books 10
all her born days, that when he
got a book In his hand ''yOu just
couldn't get nuthin' out Of him till
he had finished it." Johns father
who was a man Of toll, who lifted
up his voice as early as 4 O'Clock
in the morning calling ''cOpe,'
"cOpe' to the horses in the pas
tuIe, was Of the opinion that John
Augustus ought to get a trife
swilter move on him when it came
to helping round the farm, but
Johns mother insisted that the
poor boy was really not able to
work. Johns father, who had a
good bit of plough horse sense,
used to tell his wife that in his
opinion the boy was too tarnel
lazy to work and that there was
nothing in particular the matter
with his health, but when Johns
mother stood up for the boy, the
old man would drop the argument.
After John got through with the
country school, with the aid Of
his mother, he worked his pater.
nal ancestor and got him to put up
the necessary to send him for a
couple of years to college and
then he studied law in the office
of Judge Ketchum and was admit.
ed to the bar. When John Au
gustus came home after he had
been admitted, wearing a tailor
made suit of clothes and a pair o
toOthpick shoes several of the
neighbcr women said that hC
looked perfectly grand and tina.
there wasn't muchs doubt tina
some day John would be governor
and maybe president.
John Augustus had a brother
Samuel; everybody called hin
Sam. Samuel was never accused
of being a beaut. His hair was {
brick red and his ears hung on
from the sides Of his head like
couple OF shed roofs on a cOuntr!
barn. His nose sort OF fared a
the end and his mouth was 81
large that it looked as il he would
spill all the teeth out of his head
When it came to learning Sam wa
n 0 paragon. When there vas
spelling school in the neighbOr
hood Sam was always the last DO.
chosen on either side and geneT
ally he went down and out on tn
first round. He worked his wa,
through addition, subtraction
multiplication and division al
right, but when it came to iraC
tiOns Sam owned up that the.
were q few too many for him. TIL
neighbOrs said it seemed a grea
pity to have all the brains Of tn
family put into the head OF job
Augustus as we'll as all the goo
looks, and one old lady said tina
she supposed it was a dispense
ton of Providence, who worked il
a mysterious way his wonders Il
perform. Samuel's p%aternal al
cestOr was about the only M VIII
showed any disposition to bank o
the red headed boy. The old ma
said that Sam might not be so tai
nation smrrt when it came
books, but that he would take th
boys judgment on the weight an
feedin' qualities Of a steer soone
than the judgment Of half the me
in the country. twenty-five year
slipped along when one day job
Augustus sat down on a ricket
chair in his Office in the sever
teenth story and penned the TO
lowing epistle:
eMy Dear Brother: The ma
who has held the chattel mOrtgag
on my books and furniture hs
Just closed the same and take
possession. I have left a tabl
worth two dollars and fifty CEN
at wholesale and two brOken-leG
ged chairs. They we're OveTlOoke