The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1912-06-27
When the Deacon
Cut Loose
BY NJ. QUAD
Copyright. 1912, by Associated Lit
erary Press.

lived in peace for almost twenty-eight
years, that her time on earth was
short, she had him called In from the
field that she might say:
Deacon, you haye never spoken an
angry word to me in all our married
life"
I'm glad ont" he replied.
I'VE have never quarreled."
"Noap."
81 have never seen you out OF tenn
per with the oxen, and when you've
been stung by humble bees you haven't
said n word"
mo use getting mad"
you've gone right along, deacon.
being as placid as an old hen and let
ting me do all the jawing and fighting.
and now you are to be left alone. I'm
sorry for you"
81 shall hope not to have any trou-
BILE with any one," was the deacon's
humble reply.
"But you will have unless you spunk
up. Promise me that you'll have
chip on your shoulder"
"I'll kinder have one"
The good woman departed for the
better land feeling that way. and the
deacon lifted up the added cross and
bore It along as best he could. His
wife had been right as to what the
world would do to him when she was
gone. He had always been considered
an easy mark, even with her TO defend
him, but now with her gone he was a
rich find. They borrowed his money,
his pillow, his hoe, his wheelbarrow and
his old gray mare. They cheated him
In buying and some more In selling.
They got him to indorse notes Of hand
and left him to pay for them. IL 1t
hadn't been such a task for him to
write with his stiff fingers they'd have
had a mortgage on his home.
As predicted by the dead wife the
Widow Brown did her fair share to-
ward making the widower's life miser-
able. She encouraged her scratching
hens, she encouraged her Growing
ROSTERS, she encouraged her mean
tempered dog, she threw more ashes,
and she helped herself to cucumbers
and squashes as long as they lasted.
Deacon Gray saw and knew all these
things, but he kept right on being
complacent and placid.
The Widow Brown was a woman
with a personality. No neighbor's
chicken dared to step foot on her land.
The boy that swung on her gate got
box on the ear to make his head ring
| nna lid
spotted cow had jumped the fence and
was In the deacon's cornfield, plain to
be seen by the deacon himself, she
walked over to the man and said:
Deacon Gray, you're bean podr'
"Mebbe."
you're a cucumber, d fishworml
You hain't got spunk nun to keep the
boots on your feet. Lor' bless me, I'd
marry a Eastwood hitching post be-
fore such a man as your
Eyes, reckon you would" was the
weary reply as the widow rounded up
her COW and drove her home without
another look at the man.
She had sowed a seed, however. Aft
er a few nights the deacon had a
dream of his dead wife. She was back
on earth again and calling him names
and jawing around because he hadn't
got his dander up yet. Her voice came
to him as plain as he had ever heard
1t when she exclaimed:
Deacon, you hain't no man to stand
all this. You're nothing but frazzlel"
What the widow and what the wife
said started a new train Of thought In
the good mans mind. Was he a fall
ure? Was he an easy mark? And I'm
being so had he lost the respect Of the
community Did folks say Of him
that he was q good man, but a half
fool at the same timer That new
train of thought lasted the good man
three days and nights, and on the
: morning Of the fourth day he woke up
and realized that he was q changed
: man. Before he was hardly conscious
Of the change he found himself throw
ing stones at the Widow Browns hens,
3 and the widow looking right at him at
I that. After breakfast he looked about
8 for her dog and pumped a rock
r against his ribs. One Of the widows
] ROSTERS few the fence to interview
+ the swill pail, and he didn't get home
e alive.
o you monsterr shouted the widow.
e The answer was another rock at her
: dog.
r "You unhung villainp'
e An old white hen was Jared by q
]. lump Of dirt.
e "Pn have you in jail within an
o hourp'
on came the deacon's hat and coat
e and with a yell be broke loose and
' Jumped the fence and had lifted the
o woman up to throw her into the old
v tomato patch when he heard her say
ing:
Don't go any further. deaconl I'm
In love with your'
"whatr' he demanded.
q eff you want me I'll marry you to
n morrow. thought you was bean
pod, but you are a man from head tc
/, heel. l thought boy ten years old
. could drive you all around the village
but see that 1t would take four meE
Deacon, I do Just dote on you"
No. they didn't get married within