The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-22

Yes" said Abe, as he thrust the
whip into the socket and tucked the
laprObe about his knees and feet
most folks hev reasons for their opin-
ions about things. and 1 hev mine. a
mules about the only critter that walks
or swims or flies that can't figure out
the why's and WherefOres of his opin-
ions and mOOdus upperandy.
We'll, / amt a mule-nOt quite-and
l hev a few reasons pasted onto the tail
end OF the six or eight ideas 1 can
hitch up in the dark and drive through
the gate 'thout ripping a wheel off.
80 when Hank Bowser hollered cross
from the big road today and asked me
If Is goin' 10 the cantater down TO the
Zion church a-Christmas. 1 says. Not
by a iugfuL'
Il got my reasons when I was a good
many years Younger Yes, | am not 50
blamed purity as I was then, but hev
a heap more sensei My first cam
later cost me 5hree thousand good hard
dollars. to say nuthin' of sundry items
Of modification OF the flesh and an
guish of spirit
Tidy Morgan was in them days,
about the likeliest bunch of young wO-
manhood in this part of the country.
That's what she was considered by the
most competent tedges, and my opin-
ion was pasterin' in the same meadow.
The fact is. got 10 likin' her when We
was little shavers gOin' 10 school When
we got older I'd beau her round some
TO the Changers picnics, and buy
tickets for her and me 10 ride in the
FLYNN jimmy Half a dozen times,
guess. I took her to festivals over to
Muttontown. and bought her ice cream.
She'd always say thank you so sugary
and tell me I was so kind and how
she wished she had a brother like me.
Honestly, she could feel grateful easier
and tell 1t smoother than anybody else
l ever laid eyes on.
Then we used to go 10 singin
school in my sleigh. She was A purity
fair TO middlin singer and knew a LOT
about music and ] fell into the bust
ness jest TO keep on the good side of
her. Ir fact, / used 10 whistle all the
way home after such trips. and you
although. Jest as l did. that I was
forty rods ahead of anything a-coming
down the pike-as regards Tidy.
That was the standin' Of matters
when the new railroad came up the
creek, and Pap Morgan sold the coal
under his farm. paid off his mortgages.
painted the house. barn and fences, and
lowed that his daughter could learn
enough to teach school If she went to
the town academy. Tidy went. She
was away about a year, but it was n
mighty long year when it unfolded it
self and got stretched out
she came home on FRIDAY re-
member IL like il was yesterday. The
next night a blind man could hev found
me. I was dressed up, purity as a soap
prize picture, sayin' my 'hOwdy' to
Miss Tidy.
''She was changed considerable in
some ways, but we soon got acquaint-
ed. As 1 hev said. I'm not a full har-
vest hand at talkin', and never was,
and that night 1 didn't earn a boys
keep. There wasn't half as much TO
the acre Of my conversation as there
was before she went away. She talk
ed about this and that school friend of
hers, and made speeches about things
/ knew nuthin' about and never viii
see She talked like a lawyer lection
eerin', and all I said was yes and no.
After i conversed in this comprehen-
sive manner for an hour or so and said
yes where no oughter been. jest
said nothin', 'cept when she'd block her
chase up a smile-one of those you
know-I- think you 're-smart kind, cause
I'd found out that was safer.
'-She wasn't stuck-uD-ish or nuthin'
like that. but Jest seemed TO hev a lot
of STUFF on her mind she had to NOW
off before goin' ahead.
''Tildy jest had TO talk about town
folks and town doin's TO satisfy the
family. but she didn't try TO act as if
she had never picked blackberries or
baked a stack of buckwheat cakes
She had too good sense for that, and
/ felt that she was jest the sane's she
used to be-and a leetle bit more so.
The next week chased myself over
to see her again, and il didn't take a
flock OF bulldogs TO hurry me. either
She had her say about foreigners, and
was ready TO talk home folks and home
things. and / got sOciabler cause ]
could tell more where / was at. After
we talked about Jim JohnSon's chill
dren that had the measles, she said
that the new preacher had been to see
her and informed her that the Sunday
school was goin' down hill fast and
needed spraggin'. 1t needed revivin',
and somthing oughter be did to revive
#. 50 they two decided that for re-
vivin' a Sunday school there was
nuthin' like a cantater, and they would
have one on Christmas.
"She said: I told him that 1 Jest
loved cantaters, for you know the folks
in town just go wild over cantaters.'
That's what she said, and 1 says
to myself. 'Cantaters, cantaters-whats
2 cantater? / was not quite ripe in the
cantater business Just then, don't for
get.
.'Then she says: Don't you think il
would be lovely; wouldn't it be spIen-
diferouso OF course she says, there
never was one here, but you know how
they are got up. says 'Yessum.'
Then there was something inside Of me
saysn', You're a lynn as fast as a horse
can trot.' I was powerful chilly for
fear shed ask me how I always took
my cantaters-With sugar or 'thout.
-.She helped me out purity soon how