The Tupelo journal., 1905-08-04

the worst, ne vowed there wuz a conspir-
acy agin him, and / wuZ in it to keep
him down where we could browbeat him
and impose Upon him. Unreasonable?
Why, of course it wuz, but whats the
use of tryin' to git blood from a tur-
nip? When a pardner gifts pure reason
out of a sick man, specially sick with
the grip, then I'll tap a turnip and have
it run most anything you call for. So
/ held in, jinin' in with most every
thing he said, which seemed to soothe
him more than catnip or fetty, though
/ dealt them out LITERALLY.
knowed | could make it up when
he got well; l could correct him then,
and have my W way a little mite; so /
let him tear round and act, though my
conscience told me it wuz bad for his
morals, and liable to make him more
rambunxious and worrisome in the fu-
ture.
The doctor was quite skairt about
him one spell. And my heart wuz fair
ly in my mouth for several days when
he wuz the worst, but finally he pulled
through and began to git a little strong
er. Well, when he got up round the
house he WIZ as Uneasy as a whale
would be in our summer kitchen, and
Topped round most as much. | tried
to git him to read the Testament; ! put
some lib'ry books before him, and a
him book. But no, he wouldn't look at
'em.
And | seq, Don't you want to read
'Frenzied Finance or the Arabian
Nights, or 'Gulliver's Travels?' They're
all light readin', and real takin'."
No, he didn't want to read nothin',
he said.
Then | brought out the big family
Bible and put it in front of him on the
stand, and seq: Don't you want to
look at these beautiful moral pic
lures, Josiah? Mebby they'll do you
good" | dassent hint a bit closter that
his morals wuz runnin' down.
mo, ] don't" he snapped out.
WELL" SEE !, bringin' out Foxes
Book of Martyrs" (and / thought to
myself, with a deep sithe, oh what a chap
ter l could add to that book. if Miss Foxe
and | could git together and talk oyer
our tribulations, | thought / would
ruther have seven, and n at the
breast, than one man in his state). SEE
/: "These are dretful ~interestin' pic
lures, Josiah, and mebby it would do
you good to see what John went
through"
John Rogers!" SEE he, skornfully,
what did he know about trouble? He
never had the lay grippe that / hearn on.
No, nom, ! don't want to see no pic
tures!"
WELL" SEE I, don't you want to
croshay ?" SEE l. Some men love to
when they're shet up in the house. Or
knit tattin, some men git real in
terested in that at such times" SEE l.,
Deacon Gowdey tatted enough lace to
trim a piller case when he had the grip"
"Well, because he wuz a dun fool, do
yous'pose am land he addedon: when
you ketch me a croshayin', Samantha, or
maxim tattin, you may know | am in
my dowtage."
| offered to play dominoes with him.
and got the box down and he SEE, sar-
kastically: Don't you want to dance
q two-step with me? Ora Highland fling ?
Or a clog dance? feel like dancin' a
clog" And his axent wuz that mean
and scorin' that / put the box on the
upper buttery shelf and let him alone
for quite a spell, my conscience bearin'
me out in it. And there it wuz, he didn't
want to do anything reasonable, bf
wanted to do sumthin' he couldn't 70.
And it run along till the third or foIfth
day after he wuz up, and he proposyd to
20 over a visitin'. to Squire Pfhde-
grasses.
But / SEE: ut will be too mudp for
you. Josiah" Of course it wuznf FUR,
but / knowed his weakness Of nerves
and body.
SEE he: "The doctor wanted me 70
walk round all I could. and beout door,
He didn't want you to 20 a-visitle.
and sez !, a~nxiously. you = the
squire never agreed when you was we'll,
and dino how ynu would git along,