The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-21

and when he melted you to take a
drink you pitched right in. You knew
what old cider was, and yet you drank
| half a gallon of it, Mr.. Jones did the
same, and then you both began to
| jump around and have fun. You boxed
each others hats off. you wrestled;
You jumped. And then both of you
began to brag, and itewasn't long be-
Tore you We're calling each other liars.
If Mrs. Jones hadn't rushed in be-
tween you, there would have been a
tight Think of it, Samuel-you, a
deacon, calling folks liars and saying
that you would lick them out of their
boots with one hand tied behind you,
Mr. Lamphere was going past and
heard it all Don't lie to me and say
that you didn't do this.
The deacon didn't lie. He didn't
come within 40 rods of it. He simply
turned to page two of the circular and
continued the history of the goose.
And one more thing, Samuel"
continued Mrs. Dolby through her
tears. "Only two weeks ago you were
down town one day and got into a
talk with old Mr.. Carpenter about
Japan. He said that if we had a war
with Japan he feared the worst, be-
cause they were such fighters and
would soon have the larger navy.
You replied that we could lick the
stuffing out of Japan in five minutes,
and that anybody who denied it was
a liar. Then when that poor old man
still insisted, you offered to slap his
chops and called him traitor. Think
of it! 1t was a wonder you didn't
bring on an earthquake or something.
[ believe 1 did feel the ground trem-
bling that day, but thought it was a
sawlog rolling down hill somewhere ,
Are you going to deny what you did, .
Samuel?"
Samuel wasn't He would neither !
deny nor affirm. He was following
that goose and learning that she I
could be made to act as playmate
of a young child if properly trained /
while yet goslfng.
well. this ends it, Samuel / 4
tainted away when I heard the news,
but I'm going. to do something be-
sides faint this time. You see, have
a rope here. I'm going out to the
henhouse and hang myself. I couldn't
keep my self-reSpect- l can simply
say goodbye to you and hope that if
we ever meet in that better land you
will have got over being pirate.
yourself tonight, but come out in the
m forming to cut my body down and tell
the neighbors.
Mrs. Dolby picked her way into the
kitchen and lighted a candle, and the
next moment the deacon heard the
outer door close. He did not get out
of his chair. He did not call out. He
simply read that the bite of an old
gander was equal to that of a year old
dog and that instances had been
known where it resulted fatally. Five [
went by, then ten, fifteen.
Then the door opened, and Mrs. Dolby
and her rope and candle appeared.
She was smiling. She put the candle |
and rope down and came up close to
him and whispered:
Samuel, do you know why I didn't I
commit suicide?'
He didn't know. but he didn't say So
Because, when I got out to the !
nenhouse I found that old setting hen
had Matched out ten little chicks, and
didn't want to be so mean as to
disturb them-yes, ten little chicks,
and they have come four days ahead [
Of time,''
Then the deacon laid down the cir
cular, yawned, stretched, looked at the
clock and said:
Its half past 9, and I'm going to I
1913, by Associat-
I'd Literary Press.)