Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-04-08
ABIGAIL PERKINS
DESIRES TO REFORM
THE PEACEFUL CITY
SHE STARTED \ CRUSADE
AGAINST THE GREAT WHITE
PLAGUE IN COWS.
HIRAM BLISS ARRESTS
TROUBLESOME ACTIONS
Citizens Make Up Purse To Have Her
CaTted ont of Town.

Votes for women ?" inquired my
friend the fisherman, cutting OFF "A gem
erous slice of chewing tobacco from
a black stick Of plug. Sure ] believe
in EN-. But you can't change nature
by no such means at that. A woman
that has a vote will be, more or less.
the same as "A woman without one.
Some women with the vote will be
angels, just the same as if they hadn't.
and some will be the other thing
whether they have the vote or ndt
Now there's that Miss Abigail Per-
kins you saw up here last summer.
Spinster age uncertain. temper un-
safe, home, Boston. Thought she was
filled with the love of humanity, when
il was plain ordinary--well. you'n see
what il was later. No, il didn't de-
velop until you had gone home. She
stayed up here all last winter you
know. Fact Is, she's staying here now,
but she's ehanged--greatly changed.
Well, sir, Tobias never prided it.
self on being anything but just an or
dinary village. No rich men, no poor
and them that's got the most money
earned it honestly. Decent fishermen,
for the most part, trying to make q
fair living and give their wives and
families the best they can. Along
comes Miss Perkins, wanting To re
form Tobias.
You remember last August 1t was
the flies that bothered her. Said flies
was disgrace to sanitation and civ
ilization and wanted to wipe 'em out
before the spring come along. Went
round about the back doors pouring
kerosene on the flower beds. Ruined
two dollars worth Of bulbs I'd set out
and spoiled half ton of fertilizer in
my stable. Did ] say anything? No.
] believe in peoples motives and Miss
Abigairs was all right, only the
strings got twisted.
Started a crusade against the cows
along about Christmas Said the curse
of the country was the Great White
Plague, coming from cows Got
tube full of some doctors stuff and
went round pricking every COW under
the ear. Few days later, said COW
would naturally go off her feed, hav-
ing all that stuff put into her system.
NllSS AblEdil says lildA > "a SASn Ol
r-tuber-tubers. Wanted EN-
killed. Tobias set up holler and we
saved our cows.
You remember Hiram Bliss, who
wanted TO charge the artists "a com
mission for letting EN- paint his seen
cry? Meanest man in Tobias, most
people thought. Hard old skinflint,
grasping, and always ready TO take
advantage of his neighbor. We'll, sir,
when Miss Abigail got the COW craze
it hit him pretty hard. He was the in
strument of saving our cows. be-
cause ne had twenty-six. and Miss Abi-
gail had got into his pasture and
pricked every COW he had. and they
all developed tubers. Well, as / was
saying, we saved our COWS, but when
we heard Miss Abigail was starting an
agitation to have half our cottages
pulled down, because they wasn't san
itary, we set up another holler. Miss
Abigail was fighting all Tobias then.
except Small, the builder, who was on
her side, being naturally prejudiced.
We held town meeting, and q few
of US formed committee-me, Joe
Emery, Jim Byles and Luke Thomson.
Something had 10 be done 10 stop
Miss Abigail from making our lives
miserable. She was here and there
and everywhere She had something 10
tell the mothers about the babies
feeding. andshe wanted physiology
taught in the school, and she didn't
think oats ought to be about when
the birds were nesting. Well, sir, we
were in the heat OF the discussion
when In walks Iii Bliss.
II hear you boys are holding a town
meeting regarding that Perkins wo-
man." he says We were so surprised
to see him acting neighborly that We
didn't know what to say Make me
the chairman" says III. "and I'll--I1l
settle her. Twenty-six cows, and saw
ed by the skin OF the neck"
tContinued on page 81