Smyrna times., 1868-02-19

em of very Gurus carakter; but I'll not ak of
the gentul reeder the trubble of redin about
EN- all now What | remember most distinkly
was the licken parts. Mi stepp-muther licked
me at home reglar every day; the big boys
licked me whenever they could find me; |
licked the little ones whenever | found them
an not to be slited in that important respect
both wea ks that l went to skool the skool-
master licked me every day; that, spose wus
what made me lern so fast. That skool-master
wus faithful one; but he's ded now. In the
languidge of Shakerspeer-" In little creme
grave in the valy Ben Bolt he sleepest l
don't think L wus very sorry when | heard he
wus diseased, an [ don't think hev bin very
sorry any time sinse; but l forgive him all the
harm L ever done him.
Mi chances for a good eddycashun wus nifty
sllm-oWln to varyus cawseS-mos ly, | ses-
pect, to mi not bein much on goin to skool, so
L m what the picter papers and other people
call selt-m MANIFEST like Ginral Grant,
an Glnral Banks an Andy johnson.
=, Plees don t send this papus to these men
Grant, Banks and Andy-they'd want to no
mi Vues on redistrucshun, an | don't quite no
EN- mlsef yit but i m larnin EN- fast or mite
want to a pint me as ratrap down South.
Josh Perkin' s-Sary James brother-him as
correcks mi ritin and spellin, you Sc he went
to skool longer nor me-he says rattrap is rong
III
pose Is a corupshun of setterotp, which is the
name of the boys that set up ten pins arter
they re all nocked down in 10 strike; they
set EN- up to be nocked doun agin, an I'm
ateared Josh is rite; for it semes to me that
these satteraps is jest settin things up down
South to have EN- all nocked doun agin. But
I'm wandrin from mi subjeck, mainly, viz =
mi own histry.
MI CoURTIN DAYS
wus jest like mixchure of molassus candy an
red pepper--sumtimes nifty sweet an nice, an
other times nifty bitin. Sary Jane had or 4
other felers hahgin round her, an tho | noed
she liked me better nor any of EN-, yit she wus
nifty aggravating peese, and sometimes rite
afore me she'd do somethin to make me on
easy. L noed at the time what she done it for,
ylt could'nt help feelin all worked up about
it. Sometimes [ thot ID git mad and put on
Pouts, and not go to see her for ever so long
but couldn't stan that; it hurt me wus than
it hurt her. You Sc | luv'd her so nifty hard
that | wus oneasy ev'ry minnit she wus out O.
uni site. Now we've bin splised goin' on 20
five years, an think jest as much of her as ever.
| rit you the last time that she wus the best
woman in the wurld-an so she is-an |
wouldn't give her now for hole meetin house
ful of kweens, if they wus all pirty as Kresus
an rich as Cleeuppatry.
OF MI DOINs AS A MAN
1t would take more timRan paper, an pashunse
10 rite about nor is nessary for short skech.
L commenst life kechin oisturs in the kriks,
an sellin of EN-; but that didn't pay muchly.
| rid constubbe for while, but thort wus
maid for better things, so | went travellin as
agent for Henry Clay; don't mean the man
that run for presydent, but hoss of that
nalm. From that L riz to be he'd assistunt at
sawmill-an soon got to be sawmiller miself.
An so on l riz, step on step, (some of these
things LII rite you about on fuehur Ockasun;
as sum of mi bruther riters sa, " of this more
anonn,, -ontil havin mi fortin told, bust
forth on the wurld as shinin lite in a litera-
rial lamp establishment
Mi appeerence is epoSsessin-ruther ham
som L think-tho Sary Jane sez [ wus mt never
much hansum-that she taken me for mi
mind qualytys, which she SCI she diskiverd
when fust got hankerin arter her; but she
sez she never tho't of sch thing as me a
wantin of her ontil told her so. Me and ner
has good deal of fun taukin over them hap
py old days of our youth.
Plees don't send this papur to Sary Jane,
she mite'n like me bringin her naim in so.-
III rede this peace to her miself, an artfully
skip over the offencive passidges.
Mi family is all WELL an hopin your n is,
I'm respectfully yourn,
ZADOCR DAnpIEp0v