The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-12-08

"As soon as tie moose was rcmov-
ed from my Geck I raised my finger
and said to my dish and spoon wash
er, You spoke first; you go and tie
that calf But beg your honor to
observe what a fool was for maxine
such bargain with a woman.
Then the second began his story:
! 1But Mr.. Cadi, have been great
Jer tool still. Some time ago was
troubled with toothache, and one day
when I was going to Amasia to mar
ket, my wife advised me to go to the
barber and have him pull it out. l
went to the barber accordingly; he
pulled the decayed tooth and the pain
was relieved.
"When reached our village that
evening, my house-sweeper inquired
how much 1 paid the barbar for pull
ing my tooth. I told her one cent,
whereupon she flew into violent
passion, saying it was not strange
that we always remained poor when
l had so little notion of economy.
Don't you know she rallied, that
it is all one to the barber whether
he pulls one tooth for a customer or
thirty-two? His price is the same for
any number of teeth. Why didn't you
make the most of your bargain while
you were about it,"
$50 the next day made an excuse
to go to Amasia again, and asked the
barber whether he remembered pull
ing a tooth for me the day before. He
replied that he did. I asked him his
prices and he told me that he charg-
ed the same price, one cent, for draw
ing any number of teeth from one up
to thirty-two. On my asking whether
he would object to giving good Gus
toner the worth of his money in two
installments, he replied that he had
NO objection whatever, so he pulled
the rest of my teeth.
II reached home that evening with
nv mouth full of blood, but without
a tooth in my head, and boosted to
my deficiency of my shrewdness in
bargaining and of the great return
had received for my money. But l
soon had reason to find out what
great fool l was to part with a mouth
full of sound teeth"
"My case was worse than that,
said the third man. 1--WE have al
ways been very poor, and at last l
got so tired of poverty that told
my wife 1 could stand it no longer.
have tried by every honest means IN
my power to better our condition, but
without avail, and now I was deter
mined to become highwayman and
wrest from others the Injuries that
could not win by toll.
She asked what / would do when l
was caught and put to cross-questlon-
ing as to my conduct, and said that
I would invent such stories as would
enable me to escape. But when she
inquired what I would do If they put
me to torture to make me confess,
then I hesitated.
my house-sweeper proposed, there
fore, that we should experiment lit
tie, and if l found could endure tor
ture l might embark on my plan to
become highwayman, while If
could not endure torture I should
continue to lead virtuous life. l
agreed and she began to apply various
kinds of torture to my person. She
applied pincers cold and hot to my
flesh, scratched me with razor,
placed hot Goals in walnut shells and
laid them on my naked skin, and l
easily stood these and many other
things.
"Then my house sweeper got the
iron brand with which they mark the
forehead of thief, heated it and APP
piled it to me, and that I found more
than 1 could endure. So with the
prospect of that terrible brand before
me I was afraid of becoming rob-
Der, and yet my forehead already
bears the mark. l am as poor as
ever, as virtuous as ever, and yet ]
bear the brand of thief. Am not
the greatest fool YETI"
The reader or hearer is expected
to make answer for the wise Cadi
and decide which was the greatest
fool.-Congregationalist and Christian
| World
SAVING "OLD SOUTH"