OCR Text |
Show 192 We had a harder time to convince the posse it was a joke, and I think we never did convince some of them. " This was typical of Kanosh, a townful of ribald characters whose main aim in life seemed to be practical jokes, and whose efforts at making a living only incidental. In the early morning of a summer, when all the people had moved their beds into the orchards to escape the twin-evils of heat and bedbugs (Papa said), the first man up would run to his neighbor's house, douse him with a bucket of water and run on. His neighbor would pull on his pants and shoes and follow suit, until every man in town would be running half-dressed through the streets. If the womenfolks had a "hen party, " the men would raise the windows a few inches, slip pitchforks through and steal the pies. When Ben Abraham came home from his mission (Papa said) he seemed to be too sanctified to suit his former companions in deviltry, so one night he had a visitation, a white-robed personage who called him forth in a sepulchral voice. '"Benjamin, I have come for thee. " '"Who art thou?" demanded Ben, arousing from slumber. '"I have come for thee, " quoted the visitant. Ben reached behind his cot and came up with a picket from the fence. '"Speak, or I'll hew thee down, " said Benjamin, brandishing it. '"Oh, don't hit, Ben, it's just me! " said Angel, doffing his heavenly robes. |