Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-02-20
CHAPTER /. ~

q 1lrSt threat against the supreme
whitcness. The wind passed quickly
and on high, the shouting of the school
children had ceased ut 0 o'clock with
,.i,:ful sudGenness, no sleigh bells
laughed out Oh the air, and the muf-
ding of the thoroughfares wrought an
unaccustomed peace like that of Sun
day. This was the phenomenon which
afforded the opening Of the morning
debate of the sages in the wide win
dows Of the National House.
Only such unfortunates as have so
far failed to visit Canaan do not know
that the National House Is on the
Main street side Of the Courthouse
square and has the advantage Of being
within two minutes walk Of the rail-
road station, which Is in plain sight of
the windows, an inestimable benefit to
the conversation of the aged men who
occupied these windows on this white
morning even as they were wont in
summer to hold against all corners the
cane seated chairs on the pavement
outside.
Mail time had come to mean that
bright hour when they oil got their
feet on the brass rod which protected
the stills of the two big windows, with.
the steam radiators sizzling like kettles
against the side wall. Nj. Jonas Tabor,
who. had sold his hardware business
magnlficently mot magnificently for
his nephew, the purchaser) some ten
Eaf NC, IN nf
the fact that he remained a bachelor at
seventy-nine, the last to settle down
with the others, though often the first
to reach the hotel, which he always en-
tered by a side door, because he did
not believe in the treating system. And
it was Mr.. Eskew Arp, only seventy-five,
but already thoroughly capable Gym
ic, who almost invariably 'opened the
argument" and it was he who discov-
cred the sinister intention behind the,
weather of this particular morning.
The malevolence of his voice and
manner when he shook his finger at the
town beyond the windows and exclaim-
ed. with a bitter laugh, Look at It'll"
was no surprise to his companions.
"Jest look at it! l tell you the devil
is mighty smart! Ha, ha! Mighty
smartr'
Through custom 1t was the duty of
Squire Buckalew Justice of the peace
in 1850 to be the first to take up Mr..
Arp. The others looked to him for it.
Therefore he asked sharply:
whats the devil got to do with
snow?"
Everything to do with it, SIR" Mr..
Arp retorted. tits plain as day to
anybody with eyes and sense"
''Then I wish you'd pint it out"
said Buckalew, "if you've got either"
"By the Almighty, squire"-Mr. Arp
turned in his chair with sudden heat
"if I'd lived Us long as you
"You have" interrupted the other,
stung. Twelve years ago."
"If I'd lived as long as you," Mr.. Arp
repeated unwincingly in louder voice,
"and had follered Satan's trail as long
MS you have and yet couldn't recognize
it when see 1t I'd git converted and
vote Prohibitionist."
II don't see it." interjected Uncle
Joe Davey in his querulous voice. Gle
was the patriarch of them ally 81 can't
find no cloven hoof prints in the
snow" ~
.All over 1t, sir" cried the cynic
"All over It! Old Satan loves tricks
like this Here's town that's Jest one
squirmin' mass Of lies and envy and
vice and wickedness and corruption'-
"Hold ong' exclaimed Colonel Fit
croft. "That's SANDER upon oul
hearths and our government. Why
when was in the council'-
at wasn't bit worse then" Mr.
Arp returned unreasonably. "Jest yor
look how the devil fools US. He drops
down this here virgin mantle on Ca
nam and makes 1t look as good as vol
pretend you think it is-as good al
the Sunday school room of country
church, though that'-he went of on {
tangent venomously -'is generally
only another whited sepulcher, and the
superintendent mighty apt to have ,
bottle Of whisky hid behind the organ
and
"Look here, Eskew," said Jonas Ia
Dor, that's got nothin' to do with
| "Why amt it? Answer mew criet
Mr.. Arp, continuing without pause
"Nhy amt it? Can't yeu wait till
git through? You listen to me, ant
when I'm ready I'll listen to-
"See here" began the colonel, max
ing. himself heard over three others, Z"
want to ask YOU
mo, STRIP Mr.. ARP pounded tn
floor irascibly with his hickory stick
Don't you ask me anything. How cal
you tell that I'm not going to answe
your question without your asking |
till I've got through? You listen first
I say, here's town Of nearly 5000
inhabitants, every last enc of 'em-
men, women and children-selfish an,
cowardly and sinful If you could SEE
their innermost natures; town Of thu
ugliest and worst built houses in thu
world and governed by lot of saloo1
keepers, though hope It'll never gi
down to where the ministers can rur
It. And the devil comes along and II
one night-why, all you got to do i.
look at 1t! You'd think we needn'
ever trouble to make it better. That,
what the devil wants us to do-wantI
us to rest easy about 1t and paints i
up to look like heaven of peace ant
purity and sanctifed spirits. Snowfall
like this would of made Lot turn tn,
angel out of doors and say that the oil
home was good enough for him. Go
morrah would of looked like Puritan
village, though I'll bet my last dollal
that there was lot, and whole lot
that's never been told about Puritan
villages. A lot that
"What never was?" interrupted Mr.
Peter Bradbury, whose granddaughte
had lately announced her discover,
that the Bradburys were descended
from Miles Standish. "What WASH
told about Puritan vlllages?" -
Cant you waltz" Mr.. APPS &C
cents were those of pain. Haven't
/ cot any right to present my side of tn
case? Amt we restrained enough t,
- a..o 4.