The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-01-20
Ira Had His Good
Points.
BY KENNETH HARRIS.


you get to know him." said the store
keeper, as the sharp-nosed veteran
with the peaked cloth cap left the
store. Some folks don't like him an
say he's pretty mean, but there's mean
~ than what he is"
"A derned sight worse" supplement-
Cd Washington Hancock. There's
some that don't pay their groc'ry bills
an there's others that haint got one
red cent to rub against another. It's
s'prisin' the meanness that there is
In this yer world, an when you see
shinin' light like Uncle Jimmie weth
$4,000 or more nthe bank, cash
money, an a hull section Of the best
farm land in the county, it makes you
think that all the white whiskered an
gels amt in heaven"
u reckon there's suthin' in that" re-
marked Sol Baker. 'Bein' tol'able
well fixed makes a difference"
IF Uncle Jimmie wasn't piller O.
ehe Farmers National an if he done
his tradin' with Seth Bowker mebbe
Rufe wouldn't stick up for him the
way he does," insinuated Marvin Per-
sons.
'I haint sayin' that a mans virtues
rs all hid when he's pore" said Han
cock, but do say that a feller en- see
his good qualities a right smart plain
or If he's we'll fixed. 1t reminds me of
Gre Sibley over In Buchanan, that uster
fiye neighbor to us when | was knee
high to grasshopper.
81 reckon the Lord never made a
man weth boweder laigs than what
Ina had. When l met him a-comin'
down the road | cd see the meth dist
shureh-all 'ceptin' the spire-the
blacksmith shop and Col. Barker's
brick reserdence atwixt Ira's laigs all
a4 one clip. Looked like picksher in
enc O these yer ovel round frames.
You've seen bow-laigged men, but you
never seen one like him. II they'd
been Strengthened cut he would have
been erbout seven foot tall, but as it
wuz he wusn't more'n an inch or two
ever FIVE foot Then he had red whis-
hers, which wusn't never combed out,
an bald haid an both eyes turned in
t'ords his nose, 'sif somebuddy had
toP him there wus smut on it. He
nhorely, wus powerful homely.
''He wusn't not only homely, but he
was kind O. dumb. There wus some
who allowed that he didn't have
enough sense to run loose but | reck-
on that wus on ercount of him bein'
the only feller in the township to vote
the Republican ticket. He done that
tight erlong. He wus jest contrary, to
my notion. He'd lie wussnt Sol, there,
will, an there wus some who said he'd
steal, an he was so plague-taked shift
Bass an ornery that nobuddy ever
wanted 70 go anigh him.
There was one OIL widder woman
th&> ~us some kin to the Bigbees an
worked for 'em. Her name was Trum-
Ale an when Ira's house got too de-
spirit cluttered up he'd go to work on 1t
veth hoe an send for her to put on
che fnishin' touches. He paid her for
4, though he was too pore to have
hsr often an too nomely to get him a
wife"
You can't make me believe that"
observed Parsons, sagog.
You never seen him." said Han
cock. Whether or no, Mis- Trumble
earned all the money she got on them
eae&nin' days, an bein' one o. these
Ter cliketty wimmen an him not hav-
~ much to say she started in an KEEP
a-goin' the hull enduring time she wus
vorkin; callin' aim all the hawgs an
1awgs she cd lay her tongue to. Then
Ihe'd go back to the Bigbees an lam
1aste him to them. I've heard her
manys the time an never knew one
human cd have sech a pore erpinyun
Il another.
''Well, one time when she wus due to
alean up, one O. the neighbors drop
psd on letter for Ira. 1t seemed like
me Of his kin in Arkansaw had died
N lef him a heap O money. Tdis-
1smember how much it wus, but it was
. oousid able He studied over 1t for
kwhile an then he jammed the letter
down in his pocket as Mis- Trumble
sune over the rise O. the hill, an went
n the we'll after water.
-'She opened out on his just as soon
- abe got clost enough for him to
nsar. I don't see what brings me a.
,1Esipsin' over she says. I'm fol
- % It. II you had lick O. decency
about you you'd clean up yourself once
- week, anyway, but you'd rather
tmoke an guzzle two-thirds Of the