Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-05-02
ALL FOR THE BEST.
ny CLARA

4 t-N - t@rE 1 ~
ties with another youngster a couple Of
years his senior, and had got badly taken in.
His early luck seemed TO follow him al
through-tbe man be traded with always
got the best end Of the bargain.
He was never known to do a good thing
for himself but once, and that was when he
married Martha Peaslee. She was a trea-
ure for any man, but more particularly for
a man Of Obed's peculiar disposition.
Whatever happened she always made the
best Of it, and no matter how bad and mr
fortunate for everybody il was, she always
| thought it was just tie best thing that could
have taken place.
We can illustrate Ohed's disposition and
that Of his wife by one days work Of his.
Obed had a yoke Of oxen-nice, fat,
s'handy" animals, good for all kinds Of work,
and sound to the backbone. He wanted TO
sell them, and nobody coming along to pur-
chase he concluded TO drive them to Brigh-
ton for a market. Martha quite approved
Of the plan, and started 0bed off early in
the morning with a hot breakfast inside Of
him, and q generous slice of bread and
cheese in his pocket, If he honld feel "a
sinking at his stomach" as he Travelled on
ward.
Obed started off whistling, for he was very
merry-hearted naturally, and it was a morn
ing fine enough to set anybody to whistling.
He had not gone more than a mile before he
met a man driving a piebald horse in a bug
gy. The man praised his oxen, and asked
If they were for sale. 0bed prieked up his
ears at once, and said they wereA The man
wanted TO buy them, but he had no money.
He offered to give the horse and buggy for
them. Obed closed with the offer at once,
and the transfer took place. 1t now re-
NAMED to sell the horse. He mounted into
the buggy, and drove on for a short dis
lance, when a man came out from a house
by the roadside and asked him what he
would take for his team. Obed mentioned
a very modest sum. The man was quite
willing to pay it, but he was short of money.
How would Obed like to swap for a nice
COW? Obed said that would suit him to a
T; and the trade was struck. He then
started on with the cow. The first man he
encountered was driving a pig. He admired
the COW, and asked her price. But the
money market seemed to be tight that day,
and he offered to let 0bed have the pig for
the COW. 0bed agreed, and soon found him
self whistling to the pig and ~trudging on to-
ward Brighton.
The first ~farmyard he came to the herds
man stepped out and wanted to buy his pig.
He would give him a buck sheep for it. So
the pig changed owners, and Obed drove on
his sheep. This animal was somewhat I'M
ruly, and being Of the "butting" persuasion
was rather difficult to manage. Twice Obed
found himself very unceremoniously pitched
into the fence by the proves OF his last pur-
chase, so he was not sorry when he met a
man with a dog, who proposed trading.
The dog did not take readily to his new
master, and Obed had to tie a string to him
and pull him along. And the bowls the
wretched little quadruped set up were hor-
rible. The next thing he traded for was
a gander, but this bird was possessed of a
very unamiable disposition, and pecked and
Kissed s~avagely at Obed every time he got
near it. So he was glad to change it for a
speckled hen. And the hen asserted her
independence and flew away.
She went up into the top OF a tree in a
gentleman's %dooryard, and Obed offered to
give the gentleman the bird if he would
shoot her. This he kindly consented to do,
and, as it was now nearly night and begin
ming to rain, Obed ate his bread and cheese
and turned his steps homeward.
He reached his own door about midnight,
wet, and hungry, and tagged out. But Mar
tina had a hot supper waiting for him, and
there was a big fire on the hearth, and a
pitcher of cider, with cayenne sprinkled in
to keep him from taking cold.
well, Obed," said Martha, "did you sell
the oxen?"
eyes, dear, and got a horse and buggy
for 'em."
"A,horse and buggy! just the very thing
I've been wanting! Now I'll ride to
church, and old Mrs. Tom Dodge will die
of envy"
"But | had a good chance to swap the
horse fora COW, and ] snapped him!"
"You did? That was the best thing to
do, Obed. A horse will eat his W head
off twice a year, and a cow is paying prop
erty, Now I'll sell butter all the year round,
and in the summer I'll put her milk with
Daisy's and make cheese"
Eyes, so you could" said Obed; but I
traded the COW for a pig-a nice fat one,
with a curl in his tail it would do your soul
good to seel"
"Of all thingsl A pig! Well. for being
sweet and interesting there's nothing beats
a pig! They grunt so cu~nningly, and root
such holes everywherel / shall enjoy tax
ing care of himl And then, when he's
killed, how splendid he'll be for %roasts, and
Drohss anu lIles, not 10 mention the
sausage, and liver, and sweetbreadsi"
But l snapped the pig for a buck sheep!
An elegant fellow, with horns as long as my
arm!"
"Well, now | always did admire sheepl
They are SO gentle, and quiet, and lovable!"
This one was anything but gentle. He
was the very old boy with wool oni He but
ted me over into the fence twice, and l
snapped him fora dog!"
"And we need a dog to watch the garden
and keep the hens out of it. And l shall
feel safer nights if there's a dog round.
You did Wen, Obed, to get a dog"
"But the dog didn't seem to like me, so
as | had a good chance l snapped him for
a gander."
"Well, Obed, you couldn't have pleased
me better if you had sat up all night study
ing it outl A gander is a noble ~bird-just
what we want for our Thanksgiving dinner!
| hope he won't be tough"
81 don't think it'll ever trouble us if he
is, for | exchanged him for a hen-one ofthe
handsomest speckled hens you ever set
your two eyes on!"
"And eggs are 40 cents a dozeni You