Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 22.pdf/335

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The Editor's Bag body, mind, understanding and affections to

be held by you to the use of you, the said Ann Bright, for and during the term of your natural life in case you shall predecease me, or for and during our joint life in case I shall predecease you. And I hereby promise and declare that in the event of you, the said Ann Bright, inti mating to me in writing or otherwise within the space of seven days next after the date upon which this letter shall be served upon you or left for you at your last known place of abode, your acceptance of the offer hereby made as aforesaid, I will within a reasonable

period thereafter intermarry with you, the said Ann Bright, at such church or in such

other building as you may select for that pur pose, and will at all times thereafter during our joint lives at my own expense in all things maintain and keep you, the said Ann Bright, as my lawful wife. Provided, always, and the offer hereby made as aforesaid is upon the express condi tion that if you, the said Ann Bright, shall

not within the space of seven days after the service or delivery of this letter as aforesaid intimate by writing or otherwise your accept ance of the said ofier, the same offer shall thereupon be absolutely null and void, any thing herein contained to the contrary not withstanding. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, designating myself as

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"FOR SALE-A nice. kind horse. Easy to drive. and will stand without hitching. Now owned by a man in the country who wants to go into town.

"If I didn't happen to be a member of the bar, I would say that that farmer missed his vocation and should have been a lawyer."

IN THE TENNESSEE MOUNTAINS OAl-l W. COOPER of Nashville, Tenn.. is an eloquent and graceful orator and a genial whole-souled man. He tells of a novel experience he once had in amazing a Tennessee farmer's family by showing them that a lawyer could conduct family prayers. "I had been to Smithville, Tenn.," he says in the Nashville Banner, "to try a mountain land lawsuit. In coming back to Nashville I rode in a buggy from Smithville down the mountain to catch the evening train near Brush Creek. But the train was gone, and the snow and the night were falling fast. So I stopped at a farmhouse near by, and begged lodging for the night. We had a good supper and then the family gathered round the fire and listened and looked at me. I told them my name and occupation where I'd been and where I was bound for. They seemed to think that it was my business to talk, and I talked a good deal, and asked many questions about the farm, the children, their hopes and prospects. I asked them about the lawyers in that country. I saw they were

Your humble servant, John Smith. skittish about lawyers, and doubtless had

—Kansas City Star. THE

FARMER WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN A LAWYER AMUEL J. ELDER of the Boston bar tells the story of a farmer "who had a horse which had worked for years in front of a plow, but which had never been away from the farm. The old fellow's driving horse died, so the next time he wanted to go into town he hitched the plow horse to his buggy and started off. "He had driven but a short distance when he reached a bridge across a stream. The animal had never seen a bridge before, and

refused to cross it. Coaxing, whipping and every other method known to the farmer was of no avail. “Finally he gave up in disgust, and turned the horse homeward. The following Satur day this advertisement appeared in the local

newspaper :—

the average opinion. "Along about nine o'clock we all got sleepy. Somebody said something about going to bed. I had been looking at their books, and found a New Testament on the mantel. It looked like it had been used. I reached up and got the Testament 05 the mantel and said, ‘I see you all believe in the Bible, like myself. When I'm at home I always have family prayers before going to bed, and if you don't mind it, I will read a chapter

and we will have prayer before we go to sleep.’ Well, sir, I never saw a sleepy crowd wake up quicker. It was like a. thunderclap. When I finished, all arose, every eye on me. Their amazement at a lawyer having family prayers was simply speechless. “Next morning the old gentleman asked me to say grace over breakfast. That showed growing faith in me. But as I took my grip and walked down with him to catch the train for Nashville he came up close to me and said,