The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-06-12
By
John
Luther
Long

, used 10 do in the hills about here.
| Next day | could see the window In
the gable OF the Order tavern. for
The first time In my Afe-aRd, by
hockey, the reason was that three
trees in northerly line from the win
/ dow had been cut down.
rode over
Ben, ! says. why did you cut
those nice old trees down"
"Fire-WoodlI says Ben briefly.
This war'll be making Us do worse
/ things than that before It's over,
Wen be burning up our grain eating
our horses. and cows and mules, ct
cetera. About the only thing that
Will be plenty, presently, will be pure
spring water-and I'd hate 10 live on
that A dollar'll cost two dollars and
a hall before the thing is done, and
your have TO give your farm TO get
a suit of clothes. Are you still so
crazy for it?"
full"
SO am l. Then why don't you help
70 stop it?' yells Ben. mo one can
be peaceful. It's one side or the 9th,
er Where are you"
"Me?"'I says "How can | stop it?"
BY hghting joining the Knights
helping the Underground-doin
everything you can against it,
What I asks. shall make the
Unions do? I'm Union. you know!
You want me TO help the rebels"
Make Abe Lincoln let the South 90
her way She deserves IT, She'll go,
"a ~ 80 hns
North Why shouldn't she? If you
want 10 leave me. have | right TO
pin you TO your chair and keep your
But you wouldn't rather have
twenty or thirty little tomcat govern
ments none OF EN- having any power
or dignity than this one great, grand
glorious UnIon?" says !.
III the people Want it that way
yes says Ben, violent ITS their
country, not Abe Lincoln's."
You can bet says |. that they'd
be cutting down each others trees
then 10 beat the band.
Ben flares up entirely unaccount-
able, and says
Who's cutting down other peoples
trees"
No one yet, as | know" says l.
I'll cut down my own as often as
/ please" says Ben.
No only once" says |.
You're an ignorant fool says Ben.
But that's So amt it--that you
cant cut tree down more than
once?"
Fool, says Ben.
Ben" | says on, III It's fre-wood,
why done you cut IL into cord sticks
instead OF laying whole on the
ground?"
Ben was a bit puzzled for minute
Amt had no time?" asks l.
He grabs on that
You bet not This dam wars
mighty Dusy business--night and day
especially night"
What's in the war to keep a lone.
~ country tavern busy" says /. "espe-
cially at night? That's funny"
Well, you try keeping one. First
a company of Confederates comes ard
eats me out OF house and home. Then
a regiment OF Federals does the
same
You get your house eaten pretty
often, Ben, says l.
Some one rides off with horse
bNh bOto On, ledNllB NE pOllte
note to the I. S. A. or the c. S. A..
TO pay for em. got twenty such
notes. Well do you think any OF
EN- is going to get paid? And there
are other things keep me busy and
poor. but he didn't tell me these
You got hard luck, Ben" says l.
and I'll send the hireland over TO
cut your trees into fire-wood and help
anything else"
NO, you don't" says Ben. more
angry than | could see any excuse for.
You mind your own business and
keep TO your own pasture and I'll do
the same. | know where you stand.
And, while we're about 1t, you might
as well know that the neighbors think
some OF your family had better join
something-or enlist in the army
one side or the other"
Suppose, Ben" says /, you take
your own advice and tend to your
own business and keep behind your
own fences and join things and enlist