The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-04-25

Nobody could ever exactly Ok the
date when the dispute between Joab
Warner and Moses stanseIl originated.
but It was generally concluded that It
lasted twenty.nlne years before Proyi.
dence put an end to 1t. One fall even.
ing. when Delhi consisted OF only seven
| houses and a huckleberry patch. Joab
aud Noses met ut the postoHice. and
after little talk Joab said:
Moses, I'm told that you've got a
toIerable appetite for CIDER
Eyes. toIerable. = admitted Moses
"You allus lay in bar'l for winter2"I
Il surely do
'ADd.wlnt do you put into It TO keep
1t from eettin' hard and twangyT
Il allus use little peppermint"
''pye heard you did, and I'm goin' to
tell you of better thing. Put in sas.
safras instead o. peppermint. and
you'il have bari Of cider equal to
champagne. You know how folks cry
for my cider along in the winter, aud
/ it's the sassafras what does It"
.'Sassafras couldn't beat peppermint, :
says Moses as he shakes his head.
but II does beat It all boiler" says
Joab. You use It once and you1l be
\ grateful to me all the rest Of your
life"
II don't doubt You mean we'll, Joab.
but SHAH stick to peppermint
I'm .gIvin' yon Snssafrns. Moses"
"And I'm givin' you peppermint,
Joab."
"waaf. wouldn't give peppermint TO
a grubby calfr'
"Aud wouldn't give sassafras to an
ailin' hogF'
Tint was the beginning of the dis.
\ pute. They didn't lay. hands on each
other. but they felt edgeways. and they
never met without bringing up the
question. They had 1t All TO them
selves ut FIRST, but after a bit other
folks were dragged into It and a good
share Of the county was divided into
"peppermints" and "sassafrasers."
Both dispuiants were church mem.
bers' and belonged to the same church.
fand-the pastor finally called. them be-
fore him and said:
See here brethren, why this dis.
EpnteT
cause Nose is a mule.r replied
Joab.
Cause Joab is an idiot" replied
Moses.
THAT is not Christian talk
Let him give up. then, and say he's
wrong"
hes the one that's got to give up.r.
"But you VIII divide the church If
I you keep this up" warned the pastor.
I'D hate to see tt" replied Moses.
''but peppernlint's the thing to preserve
cider"
And Twill sneyer divide church IL
1 kin help IT. added .Ionb. but mo-
body but idiot would use peppermint.
Sassafras is the thing, parson-sassa.
frasr' Y
Peppermint, parson-peppermintF'
But il both are good
But they hain'tg'
Almost every night in the year Joab
| and Moses met at the postoffiee. and
after sort OF elbowing each other
around for spell Joab would say:
why. hello, Moses. is that you? l
thought ] snelt peppermint around
herel' =
And smelt sassafras as soon as
you left homeF Moses would reply.
still stickin' to It. are you, that pep
permtht is the right thing to keep cider
from gettin' too hard7"
II am. aud allus shall. and so would
any one else but a born foolP,
There would be more to II. and a
dozen men would go over the question
and cnll each other fools and liars, and
the trouble kept spreading. It beat
Joab when he ran for supervisor. and It
downed Moses when be wanted to be
a deacon of his church. II a lightning
rod man or a tin peddler showed up
within ten miles OF Jericho be was
asked for bis opinion on the cider
question. and the man who favored
peppermint couldn't do business with
the sassafrasers. Many people tried
to smooth over the quarrel, but when
they went to Joab lie said:
I'm .willIn' enough to be friends
with Moses. but. durn his hide. he's
got to drop that peppermint business
fustr'
Then they would go TO Moses and
talk and argue and point out his duty.
but he would shake his head and reply:
ITS no use talkin' till Joab lets go
of sassafras. Hes stickin' TO 1t Jest
because he's pIghended and wants to
come ont on top
The thing had been going on for near
~ forty years. and Joab and Moses had
got to be grandfathers and old men.
when they met at the postoflce for the
last time. Rothswere tottering and
feeble. aud as they caught sight Of
each other Ioab called ont:
Its that blamed peppermint workin'
in your system, and don't care how
soon 1t takes you otf!a
ITS that sassafrls IN your blood, . re.
/ piled Moses, ''and- your folks needn't
expect me-to come 10 your fuuerulg'
The next day both Of them were In
bed. and after looking them over the