Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-06-06
Uncle Bentley and.
the BOOSTERS
CcOpy right, BY J. 3. l.Ippineo,, Coz
By Hayden Carruth

ness his own, and looked AFTER IL IN
season and out-especiaily out. IL
there is a thing which nobody wants
done. to this Uncle Bentley applies his
busy hand
One warm summer Sunday we were
all at church. Our pastor had taken
the passage on turning the other
cheek, or one akin to II. for his text,
and was preaching on peace and quiet
and non-resistance. He soon had us
In a devout mood which must have
been beautiful to see and encouraging
TO the good man.
OF course, Uncle Bentley was there
he always was. and forever III
front pew. with his neck craned up
looking backward to see II there was
anything that didn't need doing which
he could do. He always tinkered with
the fires in the winter and fused with
the windows in the summer. and did
his worst with each. His strongest
church point was ushering Not con
tent TO usher the stranger within our
gates, he would usher all of us, and
always thrust us into pews with Just
the people we didn't want to sit with.
If you failed 10 follow him when he
took you in tow, he would stop and
look back reproachfully, describing
mighty indrawing curves with his
arm: and If you pretended not to see
him. he would give low whistle 10
attract your attention. the arm work
ing right along, like Holland wind
ILL.,
On this particular warm summer
Sunday Uncle Bentley was in place
wearing his long. full-skirted coat.
queer. dark, bottle green. purplish
blue. He had nshered to his own ex-
ceeding joy. and got two men in one
pew, and given them a single hymn
book. who wouldn't on weekdays
speak to each other. | ought to men
ton that we had long before made a
verb of Uncle Bentley. To unclebent-
ley was to do the wrong thing
The minister was floating along
smoothly on the subject OF peace
when Uncle Bentley was observed to
throw up his head He had heard a
sound outside. Ii was really nothing
but one of Deacon Plummer's young
roosters Growing. The deacon lived
near. and vocal offerings from his
poultry were frequent and had ceased
to interest anyone except Uncle Bent
ey. Then in the pauses between the
preachers periods we heard the flap
ping OF wings. with sudden stoppings
and startings. Those unreSenerate
fowls, unable to understand the good
mans words. were lighting. Even this
didn't interest us-we were committed
to peace. But Uncle Bentley shot up
like a jack-in-a-box and cantered down
the aisle. OF course, his notion was
that the roosters were disturbing the
services and that il was his duty to
20 out and stop them. We heard Wig
orous "ShoOs," and ''fake that's" and
"Consairn yous," and then Uncle
Bentley came back looking very i'm
portant. and as he stalked up the aisle
he glanced around and nodded his
head, saying as clearly as words:
There, where would you be without
me?" Another defiant crow fioated in
at the window
The next moment the rushing and
beating OF wings began again, and
down the aisle went Uncle Bentley.
the long tails of that coat fairly float
ing like a cloud behind him There
was further uproar outside, and Uncle
Bentley was back in his place. this
time turning around and whispering
hoarsely: Il fixed 'em," But such
was no. the case. for twice more the
very same thing was repeated The
last time Uncle Bentley came back ne
wore a calm, SNUG expression. as wko
should say: Now 7 have Fixed M
We should have liked IL better II the
ROSTERS had fixed Uncle Bentley. But
nobody paid much attention except
Deacon Plummer The thought &C.
CURED to him that perhaps Uncle
Bentley had killed the fowls. But he
hadn't.
However. there was no more dis
turbance without. and after time the
sermon closed. There was some sort
Of a special collection to be taken up.
or course. Uncle Bentley always in
sisted on taking UP all the collections
He hoped up on this occasion and
seized the plate with more than usual
vigor. His struggles with the roostcrs
had evidently stimulated him He
soon made the rounds and approached
the table in front Of the pulpit to de-
posit his harvest. As he did so We
saw TO our horror that the long tails
Of that ridicEicrs coat were violently
azitafed. A sickcning suspicion came
over us. The next moment ore Of
those beliigerent young ROSTERS
thrust q head out Of either Of those
cOat-tal pockets. One uttered a ran
cous crow. the other made vicious
dab. Uncle Bentey dropped the plate
- .r.I~. mrI4l.T . cat