The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-08-24
HARMONY
CORNERS
BY M. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press
BY NJ. QUAD

shop. Moses Schiff ran the store
Jacob Schiff the postoffice and Peter
| Schiff the blacksmt shop. Then there
was Philetus Schiif. Aaron Schiff, Adm
iron Schiff, Goodheart Schiff Thurs
day Schif. Godfear Schif and Elijah
Schiff. all farmers, within radius OF
1.-TWO miles. Each Schiif was related to
all the other Schiffs by blood or mar
rage. 1t was a settlement of Sehitfs
alone and had been for fifty years.
NO strangers Were allowed TO butt in.
; Old Moses, who ran the store with
the help of son, was the patriarch of
the flock. He was adviser. judge and
jury in all matters. There had never
been case for the lawyers In that
community. If there was disagree.
ment 1t was taken to Moses He said
do this or do that. and it was done.
People said that Harmony Corners
was living, breathing example of the
morality and unselhshness Of human
nature.
| After all that half century of peace,
/
was the one to produce discord. 1t
WAS another proof that there's nothing
ia name. 1t was seldom that any
thing called Sch,ff away from home
but on an occasion Godfear had to
make q journey to rittsburg. eighty
miles away. 1t was serious event
ut called for serious talk and many
prayers. He might return alive. but
the chances were very much against
| II, His will had been made for years.
and he read 1t over fed the cows and
| departed.
| Godfear reached the Smoky City
right end up. much TO his astonish-
ment. He saw houses and stores and
| factories. He saw Il sewing machine
10 a show window and as he stood
looking at 1t Il barker" pulled him in
and the merits of the machine were
explained. He thought well of it,
| There were seven children in his fami-
| " and much sewing to do Not n
| Schif had labor saving machine of
| any sort. not even n corn shelter or an
| apple parer. AS their grandfatherS
| had lived so were they living. God
fear was 10 town three days He call
| ed to inspect that sewing machine six
different times. At last he drew
long breath and decided to take the
chances and ordered the thing sent on
10 him.
The Schiffs never dealt with ped
dlers nor agents. The very same ma
chine could have been bought al God
fears own gate any day in the week.
Moses sat on that machine in a Judi
cial capacity for a week and then de
cided that it must be given up. 1;
was witchcraft; it was an innovation.
II would break up the long prevailing
harmony of Harmony Corners. God
fear bucked. The invention had been
tested, and it would do more sewing
in day than his wife could do by
hand In a week There was DO odor
of birthstone about it. 1t ate no hay
or oats. and occupied but small
spac9. Some of the other Schiffs. and
particularly the wives. backed him up.
OF course, the news that Godfear
Schiff had broken OUT was passed
around the country, and the immedi-
ate result was to bring swarm Of
| sewing machine agents down on the
Schff tribe They had sewing ma
chimes that would tuck, hem, rufiie,
braid. embroider. patch, sew ON but
ton. rock the baby, churn the butter.
feed the hens, sort over potatoes. build
the fire and all that, and they came
and talked and talked Then the tin
peddlers and parlor organ men came.
Moses Schiff saw the cloud no bigger
than mans hand, and he called
gathering Of his clan. He was heeled
with statistics to prove how greatly
those inventions of Satan had increas-
I'd the wickedness of the world. Thou
sands of murders, burglarles. horse
| thefts, elopements and so on could be
directly traced to them. Did they
want 70 find themselves on the gal
lows? Did they want to know that
their children were in state prison?
In fact did they sigh to meet Satan
face to face and be caught up and sent
down TO the hot place by rapid transit?
II they bought parlor organs and
sewing machines. what next? Why.
brass bedsteads. chinaware, furs. new
hats, corn shelters. carpets and stuffed
chairs would be sure to follow. and
then farewell to the harmony Of Har-
mony Corners. With tears In his
eyes he besought and wrestled. but q
number OF the Schiffs had got started
! on the downward road and wouldn't
hold up. 1t was only four days after
the meeting that one Of them bought
an egg beater and the click Of the
spoon against the bowl would be heard
| in his family no more. Then came a
| dollar alarm clock, and this was fol-
lowed by a set of cane seated chairs.
Satan had got his grip.
| +, In one year from that visit of God
fears to Pittsburg the leaven was
working overtime. The Schlffs were
Mt odds: they were bringing lawsuits
against each other; they were putting
down ingram carpets In their parlors;
they were buying patent churns; the
men no longer went to church bare
footed and in their shirt sleeves. Old
Moses called another gathering and