The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1909-05-13
Hesitating Sim
HsNsvs. Knew Ez.csiy What
He Wsnled.
By KENNETH HARRIS.

~~~----A A&A tAO UtOiG WIZ MnQ H8H@
cred for ten minutes between two
grades Of draw shaves and had ended
BY saying that he would look around .
while and see II there wasn't some
thing over at the hardware store which
would suit him better.
Hes like Sim Hoisington, /" remarked
Wash Hancock when he had gone Sim
was that kind Of feller.. He'd start to
build a fence around a hawg lot an
, use up the best part OF a week figgerin'
whether to go to the sawmill an get
him q load O. eight-inch stun or to
split rails. He'd start In with the rail
idea an then neighbor I'D come
along an allow that by the time he'd
got all the rails split he'll wish he'd
Jest hitched up his team an got boards.
"'You get board fence an you've
got suthin' that's hawg.tight.' the
neighbor'd say. Put up a rail fence
an mebbe you'll keep your hawgs in.
side Of It an mebbe you won't. an
you'll waste more time ohasin' 'em
than the lumber'll cost you
"Then Sim 'ud scratch his haid an
he'd say. BY jucks! I reckon you're
right III hitch up the team this after.
noon. I've ben needin' q bunch o.
shingles. anyway
'Erlong about noon Sans hired
man 'ud come along up from the field
an Sim 'ud tell him he'd changed his
mind about them rails, an he'd fence
with boards.
1t don't make no difference to me-
the hired man 'ud say. but hearn
tell they're askin' $40 thousand for
rough boards now an you'll need Z
couple O thousand foot. The rail
amt goin' to cost you nothin,' but the
work O. gettin' 'em an the roads, ID
bad betwixt this an the mill
"Sim 'ud scratch his haid again an
study. Then he'd say, I dunno but
you're right. Bill. II l don't use up
that there white oak for rails there
ain't nothin' l can use 1t for, 1ess'n
it's firewood. rd'hafter buy nails, too.
| never thought. % that. Wen grind
them axes an put new handle In the
maui first thing after dinner
Then while they was grindin' the
axes the schoolmaster d stop to gas as
he went by an. he'd nachally asst EN-
where they was goin to chop an what
they wanted the rails for.
WELL he'd say, course haint no
farmer. but seems like to me that q
rail fence Is the wastefulest kind Of q
fence. You take 12-foot rail and lay
It at an angle O. AZ degrees an then
count In the lay an you're wastin'
about three foot Of 1t. Three foot
morn II you we're building a straight
fence. II you stake and rider 1t you've
wasted 81 foot O. rail on each panel.
Then you count Jour land wuth soth-
In don't you?"
~ cert'nly do Sim 'ud say.
Then you've got the Jog on each
side O. the fence to figger In That'll
make strip O. land four foot wide
that you cant use. You take the ZENITH
o. your fence an see how much that
comes to at $50 an acre.
"Sim 'ud stop right there an send
Bill on to harrer or suthin' while he'd
go into the house an put in the rest O.
the day figgerin'.
That's how Sim was about every
thin'-politics, religion, temp'runce,
horse tradin', food for his stock an
food for himself, an gals an curing
hams, an hail insurance an the race
problum an bone fertilizer. Sometimes
somebuddy 'ud come erlong an talk
to him an he'd change right over an
take the op'sit views. Finerly he got
married"
How did he make out to settle on
the woman. that he wanted?" asked
Hank Tulliver.
We'll, that's suthin' Teller don't
allus settle on himself" replied Han
cock. Seems like Sims woman done
the settlin'. Sim was kind O. sochuble,
an one night he was calm on her an
he allowed that he wasn't right sure
whether Teller wasn't better OF sim
gle than he was married.
"'Well, you take my word for It this
time she says There's some that's
better married an you're one o. that
kind
.Mebbe you're right says Sim, but
who'd marry? I've thought Of It, but
dunno as there's any woman around
here that nd suit me-.
"'You don't need to go no further
than this place. she says, I'd suit you
FIRST rate. an willin, too, so as your
buggy's outside an the preacher 10
over to his house wen Jest hop right
In an drive over there
well. she put on her bonnet while
he was studyin' on 1t an the next
thing he knowed he was in the buggy
with her. After awhile he says 10
her, How do you know I'd suit,
1--WE thought OF that, SIM she
says. an I've come to the conclusion
that it's because your idees is Jest the
same ~ mine. You're hardshell Bap.
It's now an forevermore an nothin
won't never stir you the width Of !
rats whisker, an 70 an |. You're i
rockribbed, dyed-in-the-wool dimercrat
With no 1eanIn's lords them popyerlists
OF republican mugwumpsss an Win le
tan the day you die. an me an my