Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-02-16
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE MINISTER'S FLOWING.

Copyright, 1905. by Mcclure. Phillips & Col
Things came about one spring day
that Farmer johnson, living two miles
from the village of Lansing, traded
number of hogs and calves and COW
| for a yoke of oxen. Farmer Johnson
| had been a farmer for good many
| years, but had never owned yoke OF
| oxen. He was good man and meih-
| Der of a church congregation In the
| village and his wife was known 1ar
| and wide for her gentleness and benev-
| olence.
The robins were tuning up their Tyres
and making ready to build their nests
| and go in for the simple life when the
| farmer yoked up his oxen and hitched
| them to the plow and started III 10
break the soil of Il five acre lot which
| was to be planted to potatoes. The
oxen turned furrow twenty rods long
and then decided TO rest. They were
coaxed and argued with, but they
were obdurate. Not an hours work
was got out of them that whole day.
The May sun was shining just rs
brightly and the May robins were
singing just MS gayly when the FARMER
and his oxen started in on the second
day. Peace on earth and good Will TO
men seemed to prevail all along the
line but Il close observer would have
noticed that the farmers jaw was set
and that the oxen had a defiant toss
of the head. Things developed early.
When two burrows had been ploWed
across the land the oxen suddenly
started and ran away, and plow ana
farmer were dragged 'along for ten
minutes before there WAS halt
When the oxen were brought out aft
err dinner the farmer was armed with
stout club and the light of Bunker
Hill shone in his eyes. Perhaps the
bovines had prcmonition' of the coming
cyclone, for they logged along in Il
sober and industrious way'for half an
hour before breaking ont; then it was
another runaway and halt in fence
corner. They had only stopped to
breathe when the farmer was on top
of them with his club. He also broke
forth into language. He dubbed and
he exclaimed; he pounded and he ejac-
ulated; he walloped and he cussed.
One of the travellers along the high
way that afternoon was the widow
Barnes. She belonged TO the same
church as the Johnsons. She drove up
as the circus was in full swing, and,
jumping out of her buggy, she mounted
the roadside fence and shrieked out:
stop that! Stop that, Samuel John
son. have you gone crazy"
"None o. your business was shout
ed back.
''But I'll make it my business. Don't
you swear another swear in my pres
encer'
by thunder and lightning and lingo
and Peter and Paulr'
And don't You hit them oxen anoth-
er blow
Whack. Whacki Whack.
II command you to stop! In the name
of the law l command You not to strike
another blow
Farmer Johnson struck n dozen.
VERY well. l know what / shall do.
The people around here shall know
what sort of n man you are before the |
sun goes down.
The widow drove to the village and
TO the minister's, and the story she told |
made the good mans hair stand up. He |
L
duty to go out and investigate. and the |
widow lent him her horse and buggy |
for the drive. He arrived at the John |
son farm to find the oxen resting under |
a tree and the farmer sitting on the |
fence with n straw in his mouth. The |
oxen We're wondering what further dew
iltry they could be guilty of.
II am sorry, Brother Johnson, very |
sorry began the minister as he heav-
ed n long sigh.
Sister Barnes told you all about it,
did she?"
"Everything.'
''She said 1 pounded the oxen with a
club?"
''She did, and l can see proofs of it."
"She said 1 swore?"
Like a pirate of old, and / can al
most smell the fumes of sulphur
around here. Brother Johnson, until a
man can control his temper he cannot
Dc looked upon as n Christian"
''Parson, did you ever drive oxen"
asked the farmer after bit
Il cannot say that ever did, but
lothing can convince me that it is
necessary to resort to profanity and
,yed oxen along" In
Come along and give 1t trial.
The good man hesitated, but the
ken were attached to the pillow and
loaded around, and he advanced and III
eized the pillow handles and gave
hem the word to go. They went.
Their movements for the first five min
ties were as gentle as grease running
cross the kitchen floor: then they
topped, wheeled. turned the yoke and
an over the plowman and dragged him
long for ten rods before they could be
eaded Off.
That's the way they have been act
ng for day and a half" observed
he farmer.
The minister llmned toward thu iii