Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-01-24
The Arkansas Traveller.

" In the early settlement of Arkansas Il
traveller. after riding some eight or ten miles
without meeting human being or seeing a
human habitation. came at length by sud
den turn Of the road. to a miserable :. shan
ty, in the centre of a small clearing of
what had originally been a - black Jacket
thicket, whence the only sound that pro
ceeds Is the discordaut music of a broken
winded fiddle, from the troubled bowels of
which the occupant is laboriously extorting
the monotonous tune Of - The Arkansas (or
Rackensack) Traveller Our traveller rides
up to within few feet Of the door, which
was once the bed frame Of a cart body, now
covered with bear skins, and hung upon two
big wooden hinges.
After much shouting the inmate appears,
fiddle in hand. and evidently wratLv at being
interrupted in the exercise of his art. The
following colloquv ensucs, the indciatigable
fiddler still PLAYING the first strain of 5. The
Arkansas Traveller" which. in fact. he con-
tinues, at sudden intervals, until the dialo-
que, as viii be seen. is brought t. an unex-
pected conclusion. If this be not .' seeking
lodgings under difficulties we should like
to know what might be legitimately so con
sdered
Traveller. Friend can I obtain accom-
modations for the night with You p?
Arkansas Artist No. sir-'narv com
modation" "
Traveller Ny dear sir, have already
travelled thirty miles to-day, and neither my
self nor my horse has had a mouthful to eat;
why can't YOU accommodate me for the night ?'
Ark Artist Jest Gaze it can't be did.
We're plum out Of everything To eat in the
house. Bills gone to the mill with the last
nubbin Of corn on these premises, and it Will
he nigh onto the shank of tomorrow everm'
afore he Gums home unless suthin oncom-
mon happens"
Traveer-'' You surely have something
that [ can feed my horse even few pota-
toes would be better than no food.
Ark Artist Stranger, our eatin' roots
gin out about week ago so your chance
Is slim thar.
Traveller But. my friend, must remain
with You, any way. can't 90 any further
whether | obtain anything to eat or not.
You certainly will allow me the shelter Of
your ro0f?'
Ark. Artist. 1t can't be did, old hoss.
You see. we've got only one dried hide on the
premises, and me and the ole woman allus oc-
cupies that so whar's your chance p
Traveller" Allow me to hitch my horse
10 THAT ltlclliiiiNtl tltt-. anu WIN III IHi-NA
and blanket I'll make bed in the fence
corner.
Ark Artist -. Hitch your horse to that
'simmon tree? In horn Ina horn Why,
YOU must be nat'raI fool, stranger Don't
YOU see that's me and the ole womans only
chance for simmon beer in the fall Of the
year? If your horse Is SO tarnal hungry as
YOU say he Is, he'd girdle it as high up as he
could reach aforc mornin " Hitch your hoss
to that tree | spccts not; no, no, stranger,
YOU can't come nary such dodge as that.
Our traveller seeing that he had an origi-
nal to deal with, and being himself an anna
teur performer on the instrument to which
the settler was 80 aIdcntIy attached, thought
he would change his tactics, and draw his
determined not-to-be :. host" out little be
fore informing him Of the fact that he, too,
could play = Arkansas Traveller" which
once being known, he rightly coniectured
would be passport to his better graces.
Traveller. We'll, friend, if | can't stay,
how far is it to the next house?''
Ark Artist Ten miles; and you'll
think they're mighty long ones, too, afore
YOU git thar. | came nigh onto iorgettin to
tell you, the big creek is up the bridge is
carried off there's marry yearthly chance TO
ford it aud if Yer bound TO cross it, yer'H
have to 20 about seven miles mp stream, to
Old Dave L0dv's puncheon bridge, through
one Of the darndest bamboo swamTe ever You
see. reckon the bridge is standin' yet
twas yesterday mornin' though one end
had started down stream about fifteen feet or
sch matter
Traveller Friend. You seem communica-
sire and if it's no ofense. I'd like to know
what You do for living here2'
Ark Artist. No ohense on yearth stran-
ger we lust keep grocery.
Traveller A grocery Where in the
name of all that is mercantile, do your custo-
mers come from Your nearest neighbor Is
ten miles distant?
Ark Artist The fact is, me and the ole
woman is the best customers vet but we
'spects these diggings VIII improve too. How
someyer, we do suthng now, even. Me d
the ole woman took the cart t'other day,
Went 70 town we bort a harl whiskey ;
anu after We come home and gin to count
the balance on hand. we found thar wa mt
but Jlst one solitary pickavuue left, and as
the ole woman ailus carries the nus. in course
she had IT, Wei, SIT the barl arin one
side Of the room, and shortly artor tbe ole
woman seZ - Supp0sn vou tan vo,lr eend
of the bar'l ?'' and did and She bou,rb+ n
drink and paid me the pickavune. Pretty
soon. begun to get dry, and says -. Ole
woman, spozin you tap your eend Of the
bar'l?'' and she did and then she sells me
drink and the way that pickayune travel
ed back ards and for-ards over the bung o
that bar'l, Is caution to them as loves - rec
eve" But, stranger, losses is apt to cont
in every business and me and the ole wo
man has lost some in the grocery line an'
III tell you how it twas. That boy Bill
our oldest son, he see how the licker was 90
in, and he didn't have nary red to jme II
the retail bisiness so one night he crawl
under the house, and taps the barratwix
the cracks in the puncheon floor, and | rally
believe he's got more than me or the ole wo
man either the good-for-nothin' yagabond
to come the graf over his natural born pa
rents it's enuff to make man sour arir
all creation the boy'll be the ruination o
US yet. He takes to trickery jist as natera
as hungry 'possum takes to hen-roost
Now, stranger, what on yearth am to do ?''
He beats me and the ole woman entirely"
Traveller 1t would be difficult to advis
in regard to your son. as have no family 0
my own. You say it's ten miles to the mex
house; the big creek is up the bridge i
carried away no possibility of fording it