 | Eli Perkins (at large) |  |
THE PIOUS MAN.
A pious old Kentucky deacon—Deacon Shelby—
was famous as a shrewd horse dealer. One day farmer
Jones went over to Bourbon County, taking his black
boy Jim with him, to trade horses with brother Shelby.
After a good deal of dickering, they finally made the
trade, and Jim rode the new horse home.
“Whose horse is that, Jim?” asked some of the
horse-trading deacon's neighbors as Jim rode past.
“Massa Jones's, sah.”
“What! did Jones trade horses with Deacon Shelby?”
“Yes, massa dun traded wid de deakin.”
“Goodness, Jim! wasn't your master afraid the deacon
would get the best of him in the trade?”
“Oh no!” replied Jim, as his eyes glistened with a
new intelligence, “Massa knowed how Deakin Shelby
has dun got kinder pious lately, and he was on his
guard!”
| Eli Perkins (at large) | |