The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-30

conschience-stricken becuz he had from
time to time opened private letters
which had come through the P. o. by
steaming them over the tealoettle at
home, being as he was curious to know
what the contents was & then sealed
them up agin, good as ever, which he
didn't call1ilate was emmy harm, but that
Rev. Moore had made him see the mat
ter in a different light and that after
Jan. LIST he would stop this pracktice
and would only read postal cards &
circklers in envellupS not sealed & that
he wanted patrons Of the Bingvile p
O. to feel that they could hereafter
mail private sealed letters with irnpunity
but would sujjest that they first show
him the contents of the letters so he
could judge as P M whether what they
wrote was obseen matter & fit to go
through the mail or not, which was his
duty to find out. Eph also said he
was a going to stop the praclStice of
removing the cancellashion marks from
old stamps which had been used and Of
fering them for sale to customers agin.
Then Eph set down.
Next Miss Polly Skinner, who has
been a Miss" for 10 these 40 years or
more agone, riz up and said that after
Jan. lst she was going to stop circulatin
skandal in our midst, and when she
heerd a roomer about some woman in
Bingville she wasn't agoing to repeat
it, and add somethink to it as she had
been in the habit of doing in the past
Polly sobbed & wept she was that CON
schience-stricken and took sollum vow
newer to let the breth of skandal pass
betwixt her lips agin. Then Polly set |
down.
Up to this time Bill Hepburn, our
artistick blacksmith, who had been set !
tin away back by the door, had been
turrible Uneasy and had been shiftin
back & forrid in his seat enuff to al
most wear out the seat of his pants.
Them as watched Bill knowd he was
having a awful rassle with his con-
sentence and was strugglin aginst his
better nachure, which told him to git
right up and denounce the Demon Rum.
Finally Bills Conscience got the better
of the struggle & Bill riz to his feet
very much embarrassed. For a minnit
he couldn't say nothinl< at all-all he
could do was to twist up his soft felt
hat in his hands like as if he was try
ing to wiring worter outen it and he
twisted it so much that he twisted it
all outen shape and now the hat looks
like thunder on Bill Finally he said:
Mister Chairman, Ladies & Gents
7 ou all know that 1 am a hard drinker
and sometimes rum gifts leetle mite
he best of me and"
1T does every timel" hollered Dea-
,on Bradbury Bill started to cline over
he seats to git holt of the Deacon, but
iell, and before he could git up the
Deacon run outen the church & dis I
oersed down Main St. to his home as I
last as he could dispense Bill then |
;aid if ennybuddy else had ennythink
'urther to say about him being hard I
tinker to go ahead and say it & he {
would kick them clean outen the church.
Bill then paused for a reply, bur no.
buddy said ennythink. Then Bill went
IN:
"As I was saying I have been in the
labit of going TO the Co. seat every
and coming back to Bingville t
ull as ushual- Rum is a turrible thing S
When it gifts holt on a man. If /
ould drink in moderation and on the
ly like some of the stanch pliers of the f
3ingville church l could name (& here J
Bill looked very severe at Cy Hoskins c
Deacon Andrews & Lem Brown who v
II scrooched down in their seats and v
rembled) it would be all right, but I 8
ant-unless I can Ticker up & git full Y
5 tick I amt satisfied. But line go
ng to reform beginning not on Jan k
St but right now-Ime going to begin a
ractisin tonight and from now until
an 1st, 1913, not a single drop of ticker
ViIl tech my lips I got jug half full Il
f old hard cider hid in my blacksmith n
hop right now, but line not goiD TO f,