Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1902-12-03
~ RHonEs,

"No."
"Brother?" ~
"No."
"Uncle?"
"No."
"AuntP"
'No."
"Gra9dmotherP" 81
"No."
"Grandfather2"
"No."
"steal anythingf"
"No."
''Tell a lief"
"No."
"Then what under the sun is the
matter with YEP" demanded Hiram,
pushing his hat back on his head,
and looking at Silas with a puzzled
air.
81 dunno 'zactly," answered silas.
removing one hand from his chin and
resting the side of his head in the
palm Of the other; seems as eff !
sort O. got the meloncolly."
Hiram removed his hat, scratched
his head, then put his hat back on.
Then he asked, somewhat irrele.
vanity; "What're We dom now, SIP"
"Nothin'," answered Silas, stil
keeping his eyes on the ground.
SCOT a wife, amt We, SIP"
Eyes"
AN a fambly?"
Eyes"
THAT reminds me-" said Hiram,
stroking his beard, 90 a man l
knowed in the town where I was
raised. He had the meloncolly fer
awhile-till he got cured. Want me
to tell We about him, SIP"
"Suit yerself," answered silas, ex-
p~ectorating a mouthful of tobacco
juice on a large green worm that
was crawling across the toe of his
right boot.
"Then III tell ye. I reckon there
never did live a crittur that the
world could have got long without
easier fer 40 years than Job Prince"
began Hiram, removing the hoe from
his shoulder and using it as a sort
OF prop to lean upon. "How he ever
managed to grow up is a considerable
o mystery to me, fer he was the
most indolent, n~o-'count boy I ever
see. But grow up he did, though II
wasn't no fault o. his'n-ef he'd "a
had to exert hisself any to grow he'd
"a never growed-an' then he got
struck with what the poets call the
tender pashun, an got married
Seems as eff a man never gifts So
onery that he can't git married"
Here he paused and looked hard at
Silas, who went on chewing his to.
bacoo and expectorating the Juice
snow, I amt no objections to a
mans gittin' married." Hiram re
sumed, "ef he's got a sack o. -four
laid up fer the future, ans got money
enough to pay the preacher, an a
hull lot o energy o. soul an BODY
But lido hate to see a mar a-enterinI
into wedlock that's Altered o. ex.
ertin' hisself. Becuz, somebody's got
to do some exertin' after the weddin,
bells is rung; an eff it amt the mar
it's morally sartin to fall on the
woman.
"Wall, as I said, Job got married.
Fer awhile he lived easier than he
ever did, I reckon, fer5 she was a
splendid worker, an kept herself an
JOB without much trouble. But one
day Job came home an found hat
the weight o. his family was in.
creased by ten pounds. NatchurTy
times got harderfer Job after that. an
as he had to do a little sum in addition
bout every yea4 frum that time on.
s%upportin' the family became a mat.
ter o. consequence. But Job didn't
undertake the task. He shifted the
hull responsibility off onto his wife's
shoulders, an took to wanderini
through the woods or long the river
with@his gun n ishin' pole, OF
a-loafn' round town, always a-lookin'
as eff he vas the most abused crittur
on earth. But he always managed
to be home punetually at meal hours.
but finally n day he didn't come
home fer dinner. This bein' a most
extraordinary thing, Mrs. Prince was
sure that somethin' was wrong with
him, an commenced ~a-frettin' an
a-worryin'-jest as eff he was with
frettin' an worryin' bout. An when
two o'clock came, an Job hadn't nut
in an appearance, she put on her
bunnit an went down town an toId
everybody she met that Job hadn't
come home fer dinner; an she axed
every man she came across TO look
fer Job. Most Of 'em laughed. an
said that It wal good radiance o. had
rubbish;' but Mrs. Prince answered
right back at these real mad. an
told 'em that he was her husband
Al the same-no matter what he was.
Jest like a woman; seems as eff the
onerier husband one of 'em gifts. the
harder she'll stay by him. But
6nally she got i've or six men 70 &c
On 3 hunt fer Job.