Imperial Valley press., 1911-12-14
A JUGFUL
OF BEANS
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1911, by Associated Lit
crary Press

IOunQeQ nNe years Nnen the IludDit-
ants began to talk about Il church.
| Then it took three more Of hard
-, scratching to get up IA building that
stopped short ut the roof. There was
neither spire nor belfry. but the people
were we'll satisfied with things as they
were until tin peddler drove into the
village one day and raised il discussion.
He got hold of Uriah Goodspeed and
Deacon Sparrow and others and said:
I'm telling you that nothing makes
me feel like telling the truth and leav-
ing off swear words as the sound of a
church bell. It's the same with lots of
other men. You want a. bell on a
church just as much as man wants
a hat on his head. If you don't have a
bell you might as we'll put your preach
er in a stable to preach
The peddler went his way. and there
was talk and talk. After three or four
days he came back, and there was more
talk. Everybody had decided that it
would be good thing to get bell,
but no one knew just how to go to
work to raise the money. 1t was for
the peddler to show the way.
1T can be done as easy as falling off
log" he explained, land you can
have some fun over it at the same
time. I'm going to lay up here for a
couple of weeks while | paint my
wagon. and I'll see you through"
His plan was to get gallon jug and
put lot of beans into it. No one else
should know how many. Everybody
should pay so cents to guess, and the
one who came nearest the number
should get his half dollar back, and the
rest Of the money should go for bell
Two or three of the deacons hung off a
little. thinking the plan looked like a
lottery. but after a day or two the
thing was a go. Indeed. Deacon Hos
mer. who was always considered a
lucky man. planked down 50 and re-
corded four guesses. and the ball was
started rolling. Inside of four days
every man in Swan Creek had paid for
at least one guess. and inside of
week most of the farmers for five miles
around had caught the spirit. The ped
as the beans. and every evening there
was gathering at the postofiice to
talk the thing over.
After two weeks there were no more
guesses to come in. and meeting
was arranged to count the money and
the beans and send committee up
to Troy to buy the bell. Every body
turned out to the meeting. Deacon
Hosmer took charge. He didn't ex-
actly know whether to open with a
Fourth of July Grafton or the singing
of hymn. but upon Il hint from Silas
| measles and was feeling happy, he
recited a poem and gave Christopher
Columbus a certificate of character
for sobriety.
Then the meeting waited for the
| peddler to show up, and while it
waited Fearnaught Pilgrim got up
and started to eulogize George Wash
ington. He had been sorting over po-
tatoes that day and had got things
mixed. He said Washington and Nero
had gone down in history together
! and that the Father of His Country
and Captain Kidd would never be
| forgotten while the fires of patriotism
| continued to burn. Just about that
| time Lish Billings came sauntering in
! 1t had been whispered around that he
was the only man in Swan Creek who
hadn't come with a guess, but nobody
! had dared to ask him. AS soon as
! Deacon Hosmer caught sight of him
! he said:
81 observe that Mr.. Billings has just
entered the hall. May l ask him to
give us some information on the sub
ject of church bells?'
"You may" answered Lish. "You
are going to buy Il bell for the meet
ing house. but don't understand where
you are going to hang it. Will it be on
fence or post: There's no tower
or belfry. Why didn't some of you
thick headed people think of that?'
Yes. why didn't he:' shouted q
dozen voices in chorus.
1T wasn't my fault" explained the
deacon. Il was bossing the bell. ano
! supposed some OF you would look out
| for the other things. It's no use to get
"a bell until we get belfry.'
Perhaps the tin peddler can help us
out" suggested some one. and there
| were shouts of "Peddler. peddler!
from all over the hall. AS he did moi
stand up in response Deacon Hosmel
| hold m his hand and said.
perhaps Mr. Billings will be kline
enough to act as committee of one tC
step across to the paint shop and brine
the peddler over
1T wouldn't be any use" replied
Lish. with a grin. HE left town hall
an hour ago. and he had a gait of fif
teen miles an hour on him when hi
ratified over the BRIDGE"
The people were benumbed for thirty
seconds. Then they broke loose with 8
yell and began humping one another
and it took some of them four weeks tC
get rid of their black eyes and skinned
noses. Deacon Hosmer lost three from
teeth and most of his chin whiskers
and Eearnaught Pilgrim had his nos,
knocked out of plumb and his ear bit