Delaware State journal and statesman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870, 1863-03-03
"THE ARKANSAS TRAVELLER"

"THE ARKANSAS TRAVELLER"
A burlesque tune known as 1.-THE Ar
kansas Traveller" is exceedingly popular
in the West and South, and originated |
from the incidents of the following story,
which are exactly as related fifteen or
twenty years ago, by the author of the
tune and story, Colonel S. G. Faulkner,
of Arkansas. The narrator plays the air
vehemently on fiddle, for short time,
then relates portion of the story then
again, falls to playing as if he had given
his audience enough Of good thing for
one time
In the earlier days of Arkansas, when
the settlements were few and far between,
an adventurous traveller from one of the
old States, while traversing the swamps
of that portion of the kedn'try, gets lost,
on cold rainy day, in the autumn of the
year, After wandering till evening, and
despairing of finding habtation, while
searching for place to camp, he strikes
IA trail which seems to lead Somewhere, and
also hears in that direction the noise of
fiddle. Accordingly he takes the trail
and soon discovers, ahead of him, rising
above the timber, a light column of smoke,
which he knows comes from the cabin of
a squatter. AS he approaches, he finds it
to be Il log cabin, ten logs high, and
about ten feet square-one side being
rooted, and the other only half covered
with boards. He also sees the proprietor
seated on an old whskey barrel, near the
door-sheltered by few boards which
project from the eaves-playing tune,
or rather the first snatch of tune, on an
old fiddle.
After surveying the habitation and sur
roundings of cotton head children" the
traveller rides up to see if he can get LODI
gings; the following dialogue cnsues, the
Hoosier however, still continuing to play
the same part over again, only stopping
to give short Indifferent replies to the
travellers queries
TraVtler-" Good evening, sirl"
Squdtter-" How dye do, sir Z"
1rdUeter-"C Can get to stay all night
with you 2"
Squater-@ No, strip
Irdveier-" Can't you give Inc glass
of something to drink Pm very wet
~ %
'oqna"eT-" drank the last drop this
morning g ,, .,,
Iraee'er-" m very hangry-ain't had
u th'hg 10 eat TO-DAY VIII you let me
nave something to eat ="
SgudHer--" Haven't darned thing in
lne >, mouse"
1TaVefer-" linen can't you give my
horse something p
, 'oq"ot'e'- uot hothlh' 10 Iced him
, on, y
1rdvefer-" How far is it to the next
, mouse &"
{ oq"d"er-" stranger, don't know
I've never been there"
| 1rape'er-" We'll, where does this roac
[ go TO "
"Sq"@tfer-" II never been anywhere
| since I'VE llVed mere irs always here
+ when get up In the morning"
1raVeter-" AS am not likely to &c
4 to any other house tonight, can't you lie
/ me sleep IN yours, and III tic my horse tt
h a tree, and do without anything to cat o
/ drink
oq~dHer-" My mousse leaks There
4 only one dry spotin it, and me and Sa
@ sleeps on that
|. IrdretsT-" why don't you finish COW
IS erlng your house and stop the ksW
a SS,qudtler-" It's raining !"
/ 1raeeier-" Well, why don'tyou do
/. when it's not raining ~
: Sgu"ner-" 1t don't leak then"
$ 1rd"cler-" Wei, as you have nothing
c to eat or drink in your house, and nothing
/ alive about your place but children, hoy
/. do you Go here, anyhow :"
= S7@atter--" Putty well, l thank yor
How dye do YOURSELF"
Y Ird7eler-(Atter trying in vain all sort
+ OF ways to extract some satisfactory info
. nation from hlm)-" My FRIEND why don
" you play the whole OF that tune !"
S4uatter-(Stops playing and looks u
+ Tor the hrst time)-"l didn't know ther
10 was any more to it. Can you play tn
,e fiddle, stranger Z"
If Lfdeeler-"l play little sometimes
,r ,S2uatter-" \ on don't look much lik