Evening journal., 1911-03-02
The Blue Ribbon
Pumpkin
By NJ QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lat
erary Press.

western STATE. Moses was the nea0
and front. 1t was only when the in
habitants got to number 200 that trou-
bic came to hirn. A church was want
ed. Of course. For two or three years
the people gathered in a barn when a
circuit preacher came that way. but
the day came when Moses Smith said
the devout must be ready to make per-
sonal sacrifices. Not a family In the
village but agreed with him. Each
subscribed all. and in some cases more
than he could really afford Lumber
was bought and piled against the day
it would be wanted. and things were
going along placidly and peacefully
when the county decided to hold it's
FIRST fair. II was 10 mean much to all
farmers and villagers, for each family
Of the latter had big garden and
could compete for prizes.
The soil around Unity was fine for
all sorts Of vegetables. but particu-
larly pumpkins. Pumpkins had been
grown there that had been the won
der of four counties. AS soon as the
fair was announced every head Of
family IN the village at once mentally
decided 70 grow prize pumpkin for
the blue ribbon to be given. They car
ried this decision to the public meet
ing called, and nt which Moses Smith
presided and said:
Friends. have sorter planned this
thing out for all OF US. Aaron Tomp-
kins will grow the prize squash Felix
White will grow prize cucumbers; Sam
uel Davis will grow prize tomatoes;
old Mrs. Tompkins will grow prize
beets." and he read the list TO the end
and announced that he would grow a
prize pumpkin as big as a -four barrel.
There was a row at once Each was
for a prize pumpkin. and no one was
willing TO give way. Moses argued
and protested. but 1t was pumpkins or
nothing.
Moses Smith couldn't positively for
bid the others to grow pumpkins,
however he might discourage, and the
result was pumpkins on every bill and
In every hollow.
One day it was reported that at night
some one was 10 make a raid on
every pumpkin patch In the village
and wrcak his spite That night
score Of men sat up all night prepared
10 sell their lives and their pumpkins
at any "ost After that the situation
became more tense. The circuit rid
er came again and again. but to find
that the church interest had been
overshadowed by the pumpkin inter
est and that most Of those who
should have formed his congregation
were in the fields or gardens. He
went TO Moses Smith. as the head and
front. to see how the church br.lding
progressed and was met by tlE. reply:
Nothing doing. elder. and may not
he for two or three years TO come. I'm
sorry to say that the town seems to
have backslid. and ] shouldn't he a
bit surprised TO see lightnin' strikin'
around us any time"
BY the date Of the fair a stranger
coming into the village would have
found everybody down on everybody
else. He would also have learned that
forty-one families were growing prize
pumpkins and that each family fully
expected 10 get that bit OF blue ribbon.
The show pumpkins must be got p
the county seat ten miles away. Two
wagons could have conveyed them.
but no. Each pumpkin must be GOT
there by itself. Il was carried the. e
in sheet. on a stretcher, IN a buggy.
by a team. When they were on ex-
hibition at last they all looked to be
about the same size and weight, and
as a matter Of fact they were. Each
/ one had been nursed aud encouraged
( to do its best. OF course a row could
be looked for. The pumpkin commit
tee had heard about the trouble al
Unity and did not wish to add TO It
The contest was so close that they
could very well bring in a report Of NJ
decision. but that was far from salts
flying the exhibitors. The upshot wal
an almost complete failure OF th'
whole show.
The fair over aud the pumpkins re
turned home 10 be made into pies, tn
common sense way would have been T.
drop the whole matter and let unit,
prevail in spirit as well as name
Common sense had nothing to do wit
It. however. The exhibitors blamel
the judges as well as each other, an,
that kept the quarrel alive for anothe
year. Meanwhile nothing more wa
done toward a church. and the sorrow
, ful circuit rider got the people togethe
for last sermon and said:
where pumpkins prevail instead 0
} the teachings of the gospel there Is n
vineyard and no work for q pilgrim
AS many OF you as viii pledge youl
selves not to grow pumpkins for el
hibltion another year please stand up.
Not a person arose, and the goo
man closed his Bible and put on hi
hat and rode away. Oh. no. he didn
take the town with him. It's ther
, yet The name Of Dificulty has bee
substituted for Unity, and I've simpl
, been telling you how It came about.
had a curiosity 10 inquire and didn
know but you had some as well. Righ
opposite one OF the half dozen saloon
In the place under the new state G
affairs is the church lumber rottin
away. and Moses Smith will answe
Jour inquiries with:
"Yes. sir; those plagiey stiff neck
went right at 1t aud split the prettie:
little town In the state with thei
blamed old pum'kin business. and Ii
: only unity around here IS when