VOICE: How big, you say it was, Frank?
FRANK: Maybe not quite as big as that, but jus' about fourteen feet.
VOICE: (Derisively) Gimme that lyin' snake. That snake wasn't but four
foot long when you killed him last year and you done growed him ten
feet in a year.
ANOTHER VOICE: Well, I don't know about that. Some of the snakes
around here is powerful long. I went out in my front yard yesterday
right after the rain and killed a great big ol' cottonmouth.
SIMMS: This sho is a snake town. I certainly can't raise no chickens
for 'em. They kill my little biddies jus' as fast as they hatch out.
And yes ... if I hadn't cut them weeds out of the street in front of
my parsonage, me or some of my folks woulda been snake-bit right at
our front door. (To whole crowd) Whyn't you all cut down these weeds
and clean up these streets?
HAMBO: Well, the Mayor ain't said nothin' 'bout it.
SIMMS: When the folks misbehaves in this town I think they oughta lock
'em up in a jail and make 'em work their fine out on the streets, then
these weeds would be cut down.
VOICE: How we gonna do that when we ain't got no jail?
SIMMS: Well, you sho needs a jail ... you-all needs a whole lot of
improvements round this town. I ain't never pastored no town so
way-back as this one here.
CLARK: (Who has lately emerged from the store, fanning himself,
overhears this last remark and bristles up) What's that you say 'bout
this town?
SIMMS: I say we needs some improvements here in this town .
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