The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-01-10
A Cure for
Melancholy
By r. RHODES.

kHORNIN', ST." said Hiram Pc
lvl tiers, cheerily, as, on the way
to his potato patch with hoe over
his she ulder, he came upon Si,as
Binckley, who, seated upon n log
some 200 yards from his domicile
with his elbows on his knees ard his
chin resting in his hands, was look
ing moodily at the ground.
"Mornin'," responded 81, rather
grumpily.
Hiram stopped and surveyed him
critically for a moment.
What's the matter?" he queried.
Mother dead?"
"No," answered Silas.
"Father?"
"No."
"Sister?"
mo"
"Brother?"
"No."
"Uncle?"
'No."
"Aunt?"
"No."
GRANDMOTHER"
"No."
'Grandfather?"
mo"
STEAL anything?'
NO"
''Tell a lie?"
"No."
"Then what under the SIN is the
matter with YEP" demanded Hiram.
pushing his hat back on his head,
and looking at Silas with a puzzled
air.
II dunno 'zactly," answered SiIas.
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, still
keeping his eyes on the ground.
Got wife, amt We, Si?"
Eyes"
San a fambly?"
eyes"
THAT reminds me-" said Hiram.
stroking his beard, 90 man II
knowed in the town where / was
raised. He had the meloncollv fer
awhiie-till he got cured. Want me
to tell We about him, Sie"
"Suit yerself," answered Silas. ex-
pectorating mouthful of tobacco |
Juice on a large green worm that |
was craxv1spu ecrr.. Al
right boot.
Then I'll tell We. l reckon there
never did live a crittur that the
world could have got long without
easier fer 40 years than Job Prince"
negan Hiram, removing the hoe from
ms shoulder and using it as a sort
OF prop to lean upon. "How he ever
managed to grow up is considerable
o mystery to me, fer he was the
most indolent, no-'count bow I ever
see. But grow up he did, though it
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
emery that he can't git married"
Here he paused and looked hard at
Silas, who went on chewing his TO-
bacco and expectorating the Juice
Now. / amt no objections to n
mans gittin' married." Hiram re-
sumed, EFF he's got sack o. -four
iaid up fer the future, ans got money
enough to pay the preacher. an
nun LOT o energy o. soul an BODY
But do hate to see man a-enterin'
into wedlock that's Altered o. ex-
ertin hfsseh. Becuz. somebody's GOT (;
TO do some exertin' after the wedd;n,
bells is rung; an eff it amt the man 1
It's morally sartin to fall on the
woman. {
wall, as said, job got married !.
Fer awhile he lived easier than he
ever did, i reckon, fer she was |
splendid worker, an kept herself an
Job without much trouble. But ono
day Job came home an found that
the weight o. his family was in :
creased by ten pounds. Natcburyx )
times got harder fer Job after that an,
as he had to do little sum in addition
bout every year frum that time on.
supportin 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 wanderin'
through the woods or long the river
with his gun or fishin' pole. or
s-ioafin' round town, always a-lookin'
as ct he was the most abused crittur !,
on earth. But he always managed
to be home puLctually at meal hours. !
but finally one day he didn't come .
home fer dinner. This bein' most
extraordinary thing, Mrs. Prince was
sure that somethin' was wrong with y
him, an commenced a-frettin' an =
a-worryin-jest as eff he was with