The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-10-25
Mans Word Was Coed.

sand years.
Mans Word Was Coed.
"Dar was time when a mans word
was good fur somethin' in business. II
you went to a merchant to buy he told
you the truth about bis goods. IL you
hadn't de money to pay he took your
word and trusted you. How primitive.
How silly compared to today! Find
the a man who'll take a tradesman's s
word Find me a tradesman who'll
take a customers word. We look up
on each odder as liars and deadbeats,
and as a matter Of fact we are. We
have to be to keep ahead OF de odder
feller. When a man says he will dc
thus and so you wonder IL he hain't
lyfn'. When he gibs you his note of
hand you worry fur fear dat he won't
meet it. When he sends word dat he
am ready to pay it you look for mig
ger in de wood pile. When lie has paid
1t and you have de more, ! your pock-
ct you feel & sort o contempt fur him
dat he was honest.
''In de old days when | bought hoe
it was hoe. De same wild shoes or q
hat or groceries. De seller made hi>
profit and his goods war honest. When
you go to buy a thing nowadays under
dis up to date system you am swindiCC
first in what you buy and next in Dc
price of it. Dar am swindles in ebery-
ting you eat, wear and use. We not
only swindle our own people, but de
world at large We send de heather
Chinese Bibles and missionaries ana
tracts, and we also send him cottOns
filed wild clay to make 'em weigh
heavier
''Now ana den, in de old days gone
nebber to return, / used to ask q few
nayburs to drap in of an evenin'. We
had a pitcher O cider, pan of apples
and some popcorn and all injoyed
deirselves. | was invited ober to dc
house of Brudder Giveadam Jones de
odder evenin'. He said it was gwine
to be a simple affair. Oar was six
kinds Of cake, wine, ice cream and ci-
gars, and when de eatin' and drinkin
was ober we had music on de phono-
graph. hain't sayin' word of critti-
cism. Brudder Jones Arms $15 a week
and hasn't a cent in de bank, but de
up to date programme must be foller-
ed or he would be out of de swim.
Even if he can't get doctors pre-
scription filled he must make bluff.
What He Found In the Country.
ST hope it might be different out in
de kentry, whar it used to seem to me
dat God libed most of de time, and de
odder day / took wander to git near
him. Waal, | found a farmer who
charged me 5 cents for glass of but
termilk dat was gwine to de pigs.
found a boy who called me an old mig
ger. l found farmers wife who said
I looked like thief. / found cOun-
try grocer who asked me , cents too
much fur q paper Of smCllin' tobacco
I found a constable who wouldn't let
me lie down Cn the green grass, and |
found a farmers hired man who want
ed me to change 4 bogus half dollar
fur him and cuffed me bekaSe |
wouldn't. God wasn't OFT dar. It was
all man, mal. E"an-de same sort o
men dat you meet in de city, de mp to
date man.
II hooked and looked and looked, but
7 found nuthin' like. it used to be It
was keep off de grass bekase the
grass was Wuth money. You mustn't
lean agin de trees, bekase de trees was
sold You mustn't wander in de woods
bekase q trust owned them You
mustn't fish in de brooks, wander il
de medders nor hunt fur blackberrIcS.
''L come home disappointed and dis
couraged and wild tears in my eyes,
but I'm not gwira te, kick. Progress
has, dun all dis, and I have failed to
keep up wild de pUrceshun. I'm has
been. I'm a back number Let IS
break de meetin' in two and go homa."
M QUAD.