St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-01-03
A Cure for
Melancholy
By n. RHODES.

MoRN1N', ST." said Hiram Pc
lvl tiers, cheerily, as, on the way
to his potato patch with hoe over
his shoulder, he came upon Si!as
Buckley, who, seated upon log
some 200 yards from his domicile
with his elbows on his knees and 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.
whats the matter?" he qreried
"Mother dead?"
NO" answered S%las.
"Father?'
NO"
"Sister?''
"No."
"Brother2'
mo"
"Uncle7''
NO"
"Aunt?''
"No."
''Grandmother?"
mo"
''Grandfathe
mo"
''Steal anything?"
mo"
"Tell lie?'
'sNo."
''Then what under the sun il the
matter with yep demanded Hiram.
pushing his hat back on his head.
and looking at Silas with a puzzled
air.
Il dunno 'zactly," answered Si!as,
removing one hand from his chin and
resting the side Of his head in the
palm of the other; "seems as eff I
sort O. got the meloncolly."
Hiram removed his hat, scratched
his head, then put his hat back on.
Then he asked, somewhat ;rrele-
vanity: "What're We dom now, Sio''
"Nothir'." answered Silas, still
keeping his eyes on the ground
''Got a wife, amt We, SIP"
eyes"
can fambly?"
Eyes"
''That reminds me-" said Hiram.
stroking his beard, 60 man
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, Si?"
"Suit yerself," answered Silas, ex-
pcctorating mouthful of tobacco
juice on large green worm that
was crawling across the toe of his
right boot.
"Then I'll tell We. I reckon there
never did live a crittur that the
world could have got long without
easier fer 40 years than Job Prince"
hogan Hiram, removing the hoe from
his shoulder and using it as sort
of prop to lean upon. 'How he ever
managed to grow up is a consid ia BILE
O mystery to me, fer he was the
most indolent, no-'count boy 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-
baeco and expectorating the juice.
"Now, amt no objections to a
mans gittin' married." Hiram re-
suned, ''ef he's got 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 do hate to see man a-entern'
into wedlock that's Altered O ex-
ertin' hisse;f. Becuz, somebody's got
to do some exertin' after the weddn'
hells is rung; an eff it amt the man
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 a
splendid worker, an kept herself an
Job without much trouble. But one
day Job came home an found that
the weight O his family was in
creased by ten pounds. Natchur'ly
times got harder fer Job after that, an
as he had to do little sum in addition
bout every year frum that time on,
.:upportin' the family became 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 tishin' pole, or
a,loafin' round town, always a-looHin'
as eff he was the most abused crittur
on earth. But he always managed
to lie home punctually at meal hours.
BUT finally one day he didn't cure
home fer dinner. This bein' most
extraordinary t5:rg, Mrs. Prince was
sure that soi1cthin' was wrong with
him, an commenced a-frettin' an
a-worryin'-jest as eff he was wuth
1rettin' an worryin' bout. An when
two o'clock came, an Job hadn't put
in an appearance, she put on her