The Arkansas banner., 1843-10-14

PoNoIIu SOOu Hdllu to WedNS, anu utU lHiilk she'd helped me power. Well, arter she'd bin here awhile, her baby hit took sick, and old Miss Stringer she undertuk to help it-- she's powerful good hand, old Miss Strin- ger, on roots and yearbs, and sich like. We'll, the Lord look down from above! She made sort of tea, as was a-saying, and she gin it to Sally's baby, but it got wuss-the poor creetur -and she gin 1t tea, and gin it tea, and looked like the more she gin 1t tea, the more-D
 "My dear madam, am in hury-please tell me how many yards of cotton cloth you wove in lS40! want to get through with you, and go on.''
 sWcll well the Lord-a-mercy who'd a thought you'd a bin so snappsh2 We'll, as was sayin', Saily's child, hit kept gitten wuss, and old Miss Stringer, she kept a givin' it the yearb tea, till at last the child hit looked like hit acould die any how And bout the time the child was at its wust, old Daddy Sykes he come along, and he said if we'd git some night shed berries, and stew lem with little cream and some hogs lard now old Daddy Sikes is mighty fine old man, and he gin the boys a heap of mighty good counsel about that case-boys, says he, I'll tell you what you do; you go--''
 '.h Gods name, old lady,'' said we, sstell about your cloth, and let the sick child and Miss Sninger, Daddy Sykes, the boys, and the law suit, go to the devil; l am in a hurry"
 "Graeious bless your dear soul don't git aggravated; ;, was jist tellin' you how it | Ii1o1t al 1oet
 "Oh, we'll, you didn't weave dny cloth last year. Good we'll go on to the next article"
 'sYes you see, the child hit begun to swell and turn yaller, and hit kept willin' its eyes, and mnanin', and knowed-n
 eNever mind about the child-ust tell me the value of the poultry you raised last year''
 sOh, well, yes-the chickens, you mean ! Why, the Lord love your poor soul, reckon you never in your born days seen poor creetur have the luck that l did-and looks like we never shall have good luck again, for ever sence old Simpson tux that case up to the chancery court-o
 "Never mind the case; let's hear about the chickens, if you please.'
 God bless you, honey, the owls destroy ed in and about the best half what did raise. Every blessed night the Lord sent, they'd come and set on the comb of the house, and hoo-hoo-hoo; and one night particular, re- member had jist got up to the night shed salve to mint the gal with---''
 Well, well, what was the value of what vou did raise?"
 "The Lord above, look down They got 70 h"1 .l~ I,-l- A:1 .hn. .l,,nsr tuk the old hens, as wells the young chlcKehs. ie HiS ,,s night was telling bout, heam somethin' sqnaHl squaHtt and, says 1, I'll bet that's old Speck that nasty oudacious owls got, for seen her go to roost with her chickens up in the plum tree, fornenst the smokehouse. So Iwent whar old Miss Stringer was sleepin', and says l, Miss Stringer !-oh! Miss Strin- ger!-Sure's you're born, that stinkin' owls got old Speck out'n the plum tree Well, old Miss Stringer, she turned over 'pon her side, like. and says she, What did you say, Mrs. Stokes ? and says sI-"
 We began to get very tired, and signifed the same to the old lady, and begged she would answer us directly, and without cir cumlocution.
 ssThe Lord Almighty love your dear heart, honey, Pm tellin' you as fast as kin. The owls they got worse and worse; after they had swept old Speck and all her gang, they went to work on 'tothers and Bryant, that's one of my boys,) he lowed he'd shoot the pestersome creeturs-and so one night arter that. we hearn one holler, and Bryant, he tuk the old musket and went out, and sure enough there was owley, as he thought, settin' on the comb of the house so he blazed away, and down come--what on airth did come down, do you reckon, when Bryant shot"
 ssThe owl, suppose"
 s'No sich thing no sich thing! the owl wam't thar. Twas my old house cat come tumblin' down, spittin', sputterin', and scratchin', and the fur fyin' every time she iump'd, like you'd busted feather bed open. Bryant he said the way he come to shoot the cat, instead of the owl, he seed something white"
 "For heavens sake, Mrs. Stokes, give me the value of your poultry, or say you will not! Do one thing or the other.''
 ssOh well, dear, love your heart, i reckon had last year nigh about the same as Pve got this"
 s.Then tell me how many dollars worth you have now, and the things setted.o
 "I'll let you see for yourself" said the widow Stokes, and taking an ear of corn out of crack between the logs of the cabin, and shelling off handful, she commenced scat tering the grain, all the while screaming or rather screeching, " chick-chick-chick- chick-ee-chick- ee-chick-ee-ee"
 Here they came, roosters, and hens, and bullets, and little chicks-crowing, cacklng, chirping-hying and iiuttering over beds, chairs, and tables-alighting on the old wo- mans head and shoulders, huttering against her sides, pecking at her hands, and creating din and confusion, altogether indescribable. The old lady seemed delighted thus to ex- hibit her feathered 6 stock,'' and would occa- sionally exclaim, "A nice passel!' p "Ain't they nice passel ;'' But she never would say what they were worth. No persuasion could bring her to tn. point; and our papers at Washington contain no estimate of the va l,,e of the widow Stokes poultry, though, as