Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-07-17
A JUG::FUL
OF BEANS
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1911. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

founded five years when the inhabit-
ants began to talk about a church.
Then it took three more Of hard
scratching to get up building that
stopped short at 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 dissension.
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 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 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 a 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 of
log" he explained, "and you can
have some fun over it at the same
time. I'm going to lay up here for a
couple of weeks while 1 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 go. Indeed, Deacon Hos
mer, who was always considered a
lucky man, planked down So 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 a
week most Of the farmers for five miles
around had caught the spirit. The ped
dler had charge Of the money as we'll
as the beans, and every evening there
was gathering at the postoffice 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 a committee up
to Troy to buy the bell. Everybody
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 a hymn, but upon a hint from Silas
Wigfall, who had just got over the
measles and was feeling happy, he
recited a poem and gave Christopher
Columbus 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: -.
II observe that Mr.. Billings has just
entered the hall. May ask him to
give us some information on the SUBJ
ject of church bells?"
@"You may" answered Lish. ''You
are going to buy bell for the meet
ing house, but don't understand where
you are going to hang it. Will 1t be on
a fence or a post? There's no tower
or belfry. Why didn't some Of you
thick headed people think of that %
Eyes, why didn't he?" shouted a
dozen voices in chorus.
ut wasn't my fault" explained the
deacon. II was bossing the bell, and
I supposed some of you would look out
for the other things. It's no use to get
a bell until we get a belfry.' .
Perhaps the tin peddler can help us
out" suggested some one. and there
were shouts of Peddler, peddlerr'
from all over the hall. AS he did not
stand up in response Deacon Hosmer
held up his hand and said:
Perhaps Mr. Billings will be kind
enough to act as a committee of one to
step across to the paint shop and bring
the peddler over.
wouldn't be any use' replied
Lish. with a grin. q e left town half
an hour ago. and he had gait Of If
teen miles an hour on him when he
ratified over the bridg