The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-05-30
From the st. Louis ReveiIe.
NErTLE BOTTOM BALL.
BY "SOLITAIRE.'

We'll. it are fact, boys said Jim
Skies, that | promised to tell You how
cum to git out in these Plat diggins. and
| speculate you mout as well have it at
onst, kase it's bin troublin' my conscience
amazin' 10 keep it kiver'd up. The afarr
raised jessy in Ne,,le Bottom. and old
Sam Stokes yeH. when he swar he'd
'chaw me up gives my meat slight
sprinklin' of ager whenever think on it.
You see, thar wur small town called
Equality, in Illinise, that some specela-
tors started near Neitle Bottom, cos thar
wur sponlaneos salt lick in the diggins,
and no sooner did they git it agoin' and
build some stores aid groceries thar, than
they wagon'd from Cincinnati and other
upstream villages, pacel of fellcrs to
attend the shops, that looked as nice,
all'ays, as il they wur goin' to meein' or
on courtin' lrolic; and, salt their pic.
lors.' they wur etarnally pokin' up their
noses at us boys of the Bottom. Well,
they got up ball in the village. Jest to
lnlerduce themselves TO the gals round the
neighborhood, and invited few on us to
make contrary picler to themselves, and
SO shine us out of site by comparison.
AFTER that ball thur want any thin talked
on among the gals but what nice lellers
The clerks in Equality wur, and how NICE
and slick they wore their har, and their
shiny boots, and they way they siirrupp'd
down their trousers. You couldn't go
to see one on 'em that she wouldn't stick
one of these fellers at you, and keep a
talkin' how slick they looked. 1t got to
be parfect pizen 10 hear of, or see the
critters, and the boys got together at last
to see what was 10 be done-ihe thing
had grown parfec,ly alarmin.' At last a
meelin' was agreed on, down to old Jake
Bents.'
'On next Sunday night, instead Of Ia.
kin the gals to meelin' whar they could
see these fellers, we left 'em at home, and
met at Jake's, and am Of the opinion
thur was some congregaied wrath thar
-whew want they!
HI and scissors y says Mike Jct,
lets go down and lick the town, rite
straif!'
'No' hollcred Dick Butts, lets ki,cl
these slick badgers comm out of meeln'
and lare the hide and feathers off on 'em !!
why, On 'em, what dye think
boys busted in old Jake, Il swar if they
amt larnt our gals to wear starn cush.
ions; ony this mornin' l caught my dar.
ter Sally putin one on and twin it rount
her. She lho't ! was asleep, but | seet
her. and made the jade repudiale it, ant
no mislake-quicker!
The boys took drink on the occa
sion, and Equality town was slumberin,
for shortspell, over contiguous year,h
quake. AT last one Of the boys propo
sed before we attacked The town, that ",
should git up ball in the Bottom, an,
jest out-shine the town chaps, all TO death
afore we swallowed 'em. II was hard I,
gin in TO this proposition, but the boy
cum to it at last, and every Teller starte
to put the AFFAIR." agoin.'
Il had bin long spell hankerin' arte
old Tom Jones' darter, on the branch be
low the Bottom, and she mas critic
good for weak eyes-may be she I,adn
pair of her own-wel if they want
brace of movin' lighthouses, wouldn
say it--there was no calculalin' the g,
tent or handsomeness of the family til;
gal could bring up around her, with
Teller like me 10 look arter 'em. Tai