The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1916-10-27
THE HIRED MAN

Two preachers came into the same
village to hold revival meetings. They
were nice men. One held, however,
that Eve tempted Adam and thus
came the fall in the Edenic garden.
The other held that Adam was SON
of-a-gun from the very beginning, and
consequently Eve was no more to
blame than was Adam. Well, one of
these preachers got the bulge on the
other this time and in this place and
was having the most luck. i. e., he
was having the biggest crowds and
the most noise, etc. The defeated
preacher wished to God that the
tent down, or blow the high tension
crowded with those fooled fools. He
would slip and fall down while he was
the old dirty slough. The preacher
the little place wished the other fell
worshipping Baal and come over and
join in with the true worshippers of
Jehovah and, have unity He didn't
toward lot of false teachers like
thew had over there among those
ignorant folks. Finally one of the
second fellows followers actually did
decamp and join in with the first
mans troupe. This was too much for
flesh and blood to longer stand and
they wanted to call fire down out Of
heaven to burn them up, but this act
was withheld through the general
kindness prevailing throughout. When
the first man finally quit and went
away, all the second bunch said, thank
God
Dorothy Draggletale was scolding
wife. The Hired Man does not now
recall more sarcastic biting tongue
than hers. Her husband was a good
man, long suffering and kind. Every
thing he undertook that looked like
it would turn to money. this scolding
wife opposed. In spite of her con-
tinual hectoring and scolding and OPP
position, Draggletale went on and
made lot of community property.
Community property, you know, is the
property couple has made after they
got married. The wife is always en-
titled to her share. Well, years passed
by and Draggletale was an old man,
ready to die, and his scolding wife was
much younger, in fact she might well
be expected to marry again if left
with considerable property. Draggle-
tale called in an attorney and fixed
up his will and shortly thereafter went
the way of the earth. When the day
of probate the will came around, 10
and behold, Draggletale had cut out
his scolding wife in a merciless fash
ion. He had left her $236500 and a
few cents. She went into court al
once and spent fifteen hundred dol
lars for attorneys fees and the last
heard of it there was another suit
pending that would cost five hundred
dollars and hardly ghost of chance
that she would get another slice of the
big estate. Reuben Brown, widow
er of some Importance who had hi:
eye on widow Draggletale was no
pressing his suit very far until aftel
the last decision of the court in this
will matter. Mrs. Draggletale wa
washing dishes in cheap hotel wher'
she was learning to hold her tongue ii
marked degree.
John Brown and Ben Smith wer
neighbors, only Mr.. Brown was below
Smith on the ditch. That means
good deal, sometimes, and in this cas-
it mean about the usual amount
Browns stuff never got anything lik
the water it should have, for tn
reason that Smith took his water
They had some words about it, bu
then words did not change the geo
graphy of the matter, for Smith
place was still above Browns whe
it came to that ditch. After a Will
Smith took the typhoid fever an
needed somebody to look after hi
things for few days, but Brow
could not we'll do it only he was will
ing to chip in with the other neigh
bors and hire someone to come an
do the chores for Smith. After tn
stock had starved for three or fou
days, they finally got boy to com
do the chores. Mr. Brown used
tell the boy wrong about things an
advise him wrong, and really got tn
lad to muddle affairs quite har'
Brown was elder in the little con
munity church, and withall. was
pretty fair sort of fellow, but tn
water stealing matter always kept hi
worked up against Smith. Finally
was foregone conclusion that Smi'
would have to die. Brown was d
lighted with this bit of news for
was a sweet morsel to him. He h;
really been tempted to spat Smi
with his shovel many a time durir
the season, but had refrained, owir
to the office he held in the churc
Well, Mr.. Smith died. Mr.. Brow
was glad of it, for it had worn hi