Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-10-12
curl Of Hopes hair in his stiffened I'm.

NN'' II 80 MI
gers and held II to the lamplight.
"what silky gold" he whispered.
as n skein O. fate, my dear girl"
Suddenly the schoolteachcr rappcd
on the desk and badc us come to order.
and Ransom Walker was called TO the
chair.
"Thet there Is talent in PARKWAY
township" he said, having reluctantly
come to the platform, land talent Of
the very highest order, no one can
deny who has ever attended II lyceum
at the Howard schoolhouse. l see evil
dences Of talent in every face before
me. And I wish to ask what are the
two great talents Of the Yankee-tal.
ents that made our forefathers famous
the world over? I pause for an an
swer."
He had once been n schoOlmaster,
and that accounted for his didactlc
style.
what are the two great talents of
the Yankec?" he repeated, his hands
clasped before him.
"Doughnuts nm pie" said Uncle Eb,
who sat in n far orner
mo, SIR" Mr.. Walker answered.
"Thcrc's some hev a talent fer sawin'
wood, but we don't count that. It's
war an speakin'-thcy are the two
| great talents of the Yankee. But his
greatest talent is the gift q Cab. Give
him n chance { talk II over with his
cncny. an he'll lick i'm without n fight.
An when his enemy ia another Yankee
why, they both git licked, jest "a It
was in the case of the man tibet sold
me lightnin' rods. lie was sorry he
done it before I got through with him.
If we did not encourage this talent in
| our sons they would be talked to death
by our daughters. Ladies' and gentle.
men, it gives me pleasure { say that
the best speakers in PARKWAY township
have come here { discuss the important
question:
"Resolved. That intcmpcrnncc has
| caused more misery than war;
IL call upon Moses Topper to open
for the Affirmative"
Moses, who rose to respond. had a
most unlovely face, with Il thin and
bristling growth Of whiskcrs. In Civ
ing him features nature had been gen
erous to a fault. He had a large red
nose and n mouth vastly too big for
any proper use. 1t was a mouth fash
toned for odd sayings. lie was we'll to
do and boosted often that he was a
self made man. Uncle Eb used to say
that if Nose Topper had had the
"makin' NV himself he'd oughter done
it more careful"
I remember not much of the speech
he made, but the picture of him as he
rose on tiptoe and swung his arms like
n man fighting bees and his drawing
tones are as familiar as the things of
yesterday.
Gentlemen an ladies'" said he pres.
emily, 'let me show you n pictur'. 1t
Is the drunkard's child. 1t is hungry,
an there amt no FOOD in its home. The
child IS poorer II a straw fed boss.
'Tain't he'd a thing t. eat since day he
fore yistiddy. Pictur' it to yourselves
rs it comes cryin' to its mother an
says:
"'NIa, 81 me a piece O. bread an but
ter
"She covers her face with her apron
an says she, There ain none left, my
child
AN bime by the child comes ag'in
an holds up its poor little hans an
says, Ma, please 81 me n piece o cake
AN she goes an looks out o the win
der or mebbe pokes the fire an says,
There ain non left. my child
An bime by 1t comes ag'in, an it
says, please gi' me a little piece O.
pie
An she mebbe f1ops into a chair an
says. sobbin', There ain none left, my
child
mo pie. Now, Mr.. Chairman" ex-
claimed the orator as he lifted both
hands high above his head. IF this
amt misery, in Gods name what Is
it?
Years ago, when l was a young
man, Mr.. President. l went to Il dance
n night at the village of Migleyville.
l got a ~tOOthache. an the devil tempted
me with whisky, an l TUX one glass
an then another, an purity soon | be-
gun t think was n mighty hefty sort
of a character, l did, an | stud on n
corner an stulnped everybody t. fight
with me-, an bilne by an accommodate
In kind Of a chap come along. an that's
all l remember o what happened.
When l cOme to my coat tails had been
tore Off, I'd lost n leg o my trousers.
a bran new silver watch, tew dollars in