Show MEANEST THING I 1 EVER DID pa A great strong swedish farmer fanner told it to me this story of the meanest thing told it to me with tears and sobbing after a lapse of eighteen oars cars you know my son christian he began pointing to the big man spading the flower bed under the parlor window it happened when christian was ton ten years old and peter was waa only eight every night all summer long lone christian and peter had brought the cow from the pasture and had kept her out of the lucern lots where fences were down along the way on the fifth of october the school teacher took them to the hills to gather flowers and autumn leaves they came home after dark tired out and eluding no one at home crept up stairs and went to bed they were sleeping soundly when their mother came a few minutes later and she had not the heart to ask them to get up and got the 10 cow 1 I helped dig the last ten feet of hla his well that day and when we had finished he invited me to supper after that wo we sat for a long while enjoying our pipes and stories so it was eleven cloven when I 1 got home when I 1 come came IQ the kitchen I 1 saw that hat the milk had not been sot bet in th the window to cool then I 1 was angry I 1 took the pall and went out to milk the cow was not in the barn now I 1 was waa furious 1 I took up a loose halter balter strap that hung over the stall and rushed up to the boys bedroom muttering and banging doors as I 1 went my wife ife in her nightdress stepped before me at the head of the stairs and tried to explain I 1 pushed her aside and bade bad her hold her tongue the moonlight streaming in across the boys bed showed them sleeping 1 Ing soundly ekl locked in each h other a arms I 1 threw off the quilt and brought the strap down heavily across them peter gave a loud cry christian threw out his hie arms and pleaded father whip me do not whip peter ile he Is so BO little I 1 answered his pleading with a heavier lashing I 1 am ashamed to toll tell it how I 1 a great big bruto brute of a man stood over those two crying pleading trembling writhing helpless little boys my own flesh and blood and whipped them lash upon lash when I 1 paused for breath peter sobbed father what la Is it for what is it for I 1 repeated savagely ag ely como come I 1 will sho you what it Is tor for 1 ir I dragged them from their bed by the arms one in each of m mi monster hands down the stairs out into the night and a mile way down t to ti alio pasture bars the night was chilly and damp with autumn dew but I 1 was warmly clad and in my wrath gave no heed to the bare feet and thin night apparel of my abia ering boys the cow stood at the bars and when hen I 1 had let her out the two little fellows freed their hands from mine and drove her home in the morning peter did not get t up I 1 had relented by this time almo and ordered that he was not to bo be amak awakened ened till noon at noon he was in a burning fever and talked deliriously about the cow doctor davis came and said it was waa pneumonia m la A week latar we laid him away y to await the final call of god since ani v e that I 1 have suffered suffer edl wh what t n nave a v e I 1 not suffered my agony could not have been worse had the great avenging angel stood over and beat me with cruel stripes during all those eighteen years year christian did not got get whipped any more and he has forgiven me years yeara ago but I 1 would give my life and all that I 1 possess to know that at the last I 1 could clasp little peter in my arms arma and know that he be forgives me too ANNIE D PALMER heber city utah |