Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 2, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1858 — Look Before You Kick. [ARTICLE]

Look Before You Kick.

A minister recently, while on his way to preach a funeral sermon in the country, [ called to see one of his members, an old widow lady who lived near the road he was traveling. The old lady had been making sausages, and she felt proud of them, they were so plump, round anti sweet. 6 Of course she insisted on her minister taking-some of the links home to his family. He objected on account of not having his portmanteau along. This objection was soon overruled; and the old lady, after wraping them in a rag carefully, put a bundle of them into either pocket of the minister’s capacious coat. Thus equipped, he started for the funeral. While attending to the solemn ceremonies df the grave, some hungry dogs scented the sausages, and were not long in tracking them to the pockets of the good man’s overcoat. Of course this was a great annoyance; and he was several timers under, the necessity of kicking those whelps away. Having completed, the minister and the congregation repaired to the church, where the funeral discourse wap to be preached. After the sermon was preached, the minister halted tq-.make seine remarks to his congregation, when a brother who wished tq have an appointment given out, ascended the steps of the pulpit, anti gave the minister’s coat a hitch to get hjis attention. The divine, thinking it a dog having a design i upon his pocket, raising his foot, gave a sud- j den kick, and sent the gobd brother sprawl- : ing down the steps. “You will excuse me, brethren arid sisters,” said the minister confusedly, and without looking at the work lie had just done, “for I could not help it. il have sausages in my pocket,wind that dog has been trying to grab them ever since I came upon the premises.” Our readers may judge of the effect such an announcement would Have at a funeral. (ies mantown Emporium. oi7”Tde Grpen River Barrens, in Kentucky, that fifty years ago were covered with grass and strawberries, marning-glorids and other flowers, and were tHie resort of im- 1 mense flocks of quails and a multitude of’ rabbits, are now a great forest of oak, Lick- ! ory and chesnujt trees. This great chnngo from field to forest has boten made in less ; than half a century.