The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1909-05-13
Uncle Bentley and
the Pocac-s
BY Hayden Carruth
Cop right. by J.H.LIpp.ncou Co.

TO he has made other people 5 DuSl- |
ness his own. and looked after il in
season and out-especiany out. If
there is a thing when nobody wants
done. to this Uncle Bentley applies his
busy hand.
one warm summer Sunday We were
all at church Our pastor mad taken
the passage on tuning the other
cheek, or one akin to it, for his text,
and was preachine GA peace and quiet
and non-resistance. He soon had rs
in 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 in a
front pew. with his neck craned up
looking backward to see if there was
anything that didn't need doing which
he could do. He always rinkered 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 inst
the people we didn't want to sit with.
If you failed to 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 to
attract your attention, the arm work
ing right along, like a Holland wind
mill.
On this particular warm summer
Sunday Uncle Bentley was in place
wearing his long. tull-skirted coat, a
queer, dark, bOttle-green, purplish
blue. He had ushered to his own ex
ceeding JOY. and got two men in one
pew, and given them single hymn
book, who wouldn't on weekdays
speak to each other I 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. 1t was really nothing
but one of Deacon Plummers 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 unregenerate
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 uI
like a iack-in-a-boX and cantered down
the aisle OF course, his notion was
that the roosters were disturbing the
services and that it was his duty tc
go out and stop them. We heard Wig
orous Shoes" and Take 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 floated il
at the window.
ne ttAl iilCi4if4lt titV holllilSo any
beating OF wings began again, and
down the aisle Went Uncle Bentley
the long tails Of that coat fairly float
inc like q cloud behind him. There
was further Uproag outside, and Uncle
Bentley was back N his place. this
time turning around and whispering
hoarsely: 4 fixed en-" But sucl
was not the case or twice more the
very same thing was repeated. The
last time Uncle Be1ley came back he
wore a calm SNUG expression, as who
should say: Nov ! have fixed m,
I We should have liked il better if the
! ROSTERS had fixed Uncle Bentley But
nobody paid much attention except
i Deacon Pumme. Tie thought oc
+ Cured to him thar perhaps Uncle
! Bentley had killed the fowls But he
I hadn't
However there was no more dis
turbance without. and after a time The
sermon closed There was some sor
of a special collection to be taken up
! OF course, Uncle Bentley always in
sisted on taking up al the collections
| He hoped up on this occasion anC
seized the plate with more than usua
/ vigor. His struggles with the roosters
! had evidently stimulated him. He
soon made the rounds and approached
the table in front Of the pulpit to de
post his harvest As he did so wei
saw to our horror that the long talk
of that ridiculous coat were violently
agitated 4 sickening suspicion came
: over us The next moment one o
those belligerent young ROSTERS
thrust a head out of either of those
coat-tail pockets. One uttered a rau
cous crow, the other made a vicious
dab Uncle Bentley dropped the plate
with a scattering of coin, seized Goa
skirt in each hand and drew it front
This dumped both fowls out ON the