The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-02-29

narshly. HAD he been great worker
he might have fallen from a ladder
and been killed years ago.
81 don't recllin Brudder SLY had any
pertlckler motto or watchword, and
count dat in his favor. De man dat
has to have sich things TO keep him
straight wild his feller man must allus
be mistrustin' hisself. hab known of
twenty different men takin' Excelsior
for motto. and not one of 'em cher
ARMED So a day. / bab known of
twenty odders pastin de motto Hon
esty am de best policy in deir hats,
and 1 reckon nineteen of 'em went to
Jail for stealin'
"If he had any motto at all 1t was
Take Things Easy Mebbe dat's dc
best way | has known men who tore
up de airth like wild bulls for n few
vars and died without 'nuff TO bury
'em No doubt Brudder Sly could hev
eaten hull bushel of turnips Mt once
had he been rusher, but he took
things easy and devoured only seben.
A Man Of Honor.
"As for honor, Brudder SLY had It far
in advance of thousands of other men.
If he lost 80 cents to me while play
in poker he would come around at
midnight to pay de debt. / might men
ton dat when he did come / allus got
UP in de mawnin' to miss n fat pullet,
but mebbe de thief was somebody else.
"Brudder Sly was constant I'm attend
ance at church, but large number of
people didn't glib him any credit for
dat. While he stayed frew de sermons
he didn't drap cent in dc contribution
box and he nebber paid dollars pew
rent Sorter q half religion he had,
but mebbe It was 'nuff to answer de
purpose.
"Dar war members of dis club who
looked wild contempt on Brudder Sly
bekase he had nebbcr read of Wash
ington, Napoleon or Shakespeare. He
had nebber heard of de leather or rub
Der trust. He didn't know dat aigs
could be kept in cold storage for three
years and den put on de market as
Fresh Long Island Aigs Received To
day. He didn't know dat his coffee
was half tanbark and his tea half tree
leaves. He didn't know how many
members OF congriss are owned by de
Standard lie company nor how many
legislatures de steel trust has bought
up.
"Brudder Sly was innocent OF all
these things and many mo-, but l
reckon he took mo- comfort dan we
who worry ober 'em. He did believe
dat dar was Mt least twenty honest
men left in de world, while de rest of
us hev got de number whitfield down to
two. One Of 'em hain't had no chance
to steal yet, and de odder am in de
porehousc and has no use for wealth.
Cautious Summing Up.
'My fr'en's, I'm not making out dat
Brudder Sly was either good or bad.
He was jest fair, like de general run.
He jest sized up wild de folks you meet
at de grocery and butcher shop. De
world hain't lost so VERY much, and
yit it could have made room for him to
linger on. Oar am no moral for use in
his life or death His ways wns his
own.
81 shall take keer not to say dat
Brudder Sly has gone to his reward
Oar am two kinds of rewards, and |
can't be sure which has been meted
out to him. ! amt hopin' which 1t am.
It's not only too late for dat, but I'm
not buttin' into other folkeses busl-
ness.
Mrs. Sly will miss him, but she orter
We miss our dawg when he runs away
or dies. We shall vote to glib her $50
from de benefit fund, and de usual
emblem Of mourning will be display
ed on de front doah Of de hall for
de usual time. De secretary will write
de word Gone arter de brudder's
name on de rolls and stop right dar.
Dar's heap of guesswork about 1t,
and we don't want to make any mis-
take. Let us go home"