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

'EAT1N' ABOUT SEVEN BIG RAW TCRNIPs."
inform you dat Brudder Asbestos SLY
will be wild us no mo- i'm dis hall. He
can't be, for he am dead and buried.
"Brudder Asbestos jined dis club nine
years ago. While he nebber forged
to do front as statesman, he nebber
brought his dog wild him nor spit on de
red hot stove.
"He nebber arrived at de pint whar
he could make speech on any ques-
tlon, but on de contrary he ginerally
went to sleep at once and. was. not
disturbing influence.
''He nebber had any money to lend,
but on de contrary he would allus
speak de truth and was nebber cotched
wild de chickens on him.
"He was slow to anger, but when he
did git mad he tore down things and
den went his even way ag'in.
Exonerated.
ION two different occashuns widin de
past five years have ariz at midnight
to find niger in my truck patch dig
gin up my taters. AS l got nearer l
recognized dat nigger as Asbestos Sly.
but both times, after swattin' him wild
q club, | found dat he was walkin' In
his sleep and unconscious Of his acts.
'In politics he was liberal. If he
could git SO for voting for a sartin
candidate he wouldn't take two. He
didn't seem to kcer much who was
president, and he nebber sought an Of
fee. lie believed dat de office should
seek dc man instead, and dat's whar
he fell down. He might have libed a
thousand years widout an office comm
around and beggin' him to fill it.
Asbestos died after eatin' about
seven big raw turnips, but jest whar
dose turnips cum from will nebber be
known to smlrch his record as an
honest man. When he went out of an
evenin' to approach an object he allus
walked backward, and if de police hit
his train he was safe.
81 am not gwihe to criticise de dead
and gone about de turnips, but simply
to say TO you dat when cooked wild a
ten pound chunk Of con beef de ban.
Iuet am above reproach or danger.
His Independence.
Asbestos rented no box at de post
ufiice, and neither did be carry a cane
or wear pink suspenders. AS you saw
him one day you would find him de
next. He had de strength of his con-
victlons and allus wore "a straw hat
la winter and catsllin cap in sum-
iner. He contended dat it shortened
de seasons by two weeks. In dis con
nexshun l have heard men call him
both crazy and wise.
"Our departed brother nebber pat
,Onlzed a quick lunch place. He want
cd at least three minutes in which TO
ont his dinner.
''Dar was times when he would sot
tn de fence and argy Biblical queshuns
ly de hour, and dar was odder times
when you couldn't git word outer
Linn. 1t used to puzzle me at first, but
Limeby / cotched ON and gave him due
credit He didn't propose to make a
fool of himself twice I'M de same week.
$50 far as | knowed him, Brudder
Sly didn't long to be a millionaire. Glib
him plenty o. bacon and taters and de
bread could be left out widout any
kIckin'. He was slow about payin'
his rent but he made up for IL In neb.
bsr AKIN de landlord for repairs.
A DON'T Worryite.
"He used TO be faithful In his attend
ance at camp meetin's and was de
same about de circus Whether one
appealed to him mo- dan de odder |
can't say but he nlus looked happy
when either performance was over
"Brnd1sr Asbestos was not an untlr-
mig worker. On de contrary, he tired
out in fifteen mlnits Arter strikin a
Job. So long as he had a wife dat
could airn dollar d0y dar seemed
no pressin' necessity for him TO break
his back He might have been sayIn'
his strength for u meetin' with San