Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-07-21
Border "Reminiscences.

In passing from the southwestern bOr- |
ders of Kansas into the outer settle |
ments of Missouri and Arkansas sud- |
den and complete transformation is |
observed, not only in the habits and !
customs of the people, butin the appear |
ance of all their surroundings.
For example, in the former State, |
churches and school houses have kept
pace with the pioneers, and are seen
among the TemOtest hamlets. The chill
dren here 90 to school, newspapers are
taken and read, and there is an air of
thrift and comfort about the most prim-
tive log tenements that marks the Eas
tern origin of their occupants. While
along the frontiers of the latter States,
a church or school house is seldom met
with, and it is rare to find a person here
who has received the first Tudiments of
education. The schOOlmasteT and par
son are strangers in those parts, and if
they were to make their appearance
they would be regarded as superlluOus
members of society.
These people are so local and circUm-
scribed in their sphere of life, and so
seldom meet with educated persons,
that the English language has suffered
a very considerable metamOrphOSis Un-
der their vernacular manipUlatOns
so that many Of their conventional
idiOms have become as remote from
the teachings Of our standard leXicOg-
graphers as the provincial patOis of
southern France is from the pure dia-
Iect of Paris.
Upon a hot and sultry summers day
in 1852, as l was jOUneying on horse
back over "BOston Mountain" by the
road leading from Arkansas to Missouri,
7 arnH piTiU
uD to the door of q Wretched shanty lthe
intervals between the logs of which
might well have entitled it to the APP
peIation of coax Openings I accOsted
a haggard-lOOking old woman who was
| in possession of the premises, and whose
smoky, deSsicated visage gave her q
! striking resemblance to my conception
of ScOtt's Meg Merrilies, and I express.
ed the hope that she was in the enjoy
ment of perfect health.
At this saIutatiOn she raised her dim,
CLASSY eyes upon me, and, in most
dOIeful tone of voice replied:
'rWa'aI now, stranger, III tell We
what's the matter; I war middlin' sort
o. pert yesterday, but, sure's yer bOrn'd,
pZe powerful weak to-day. Jist about
sun-up this mOrnin', maybe lcc-tle bit
afOre, I war tuck with q almighty miZ-
zery in the inards, an I'Ze been d-sqUr-
min, an d-kayOrtin', an d-hOWliu
ever since" quitting special emphasis
upon the italicised letter q, and iDhaling
her breath while she was giving it pro-
tracted UttCrance,) "an' Uze swallered
cords of apple-iacE an tObaccer juice;
but, stranger, faint no use, it don't
begin to knock it, an it's gettin wOsser
an wOsser all the time" Then spasmOd-
ically cIasping her long bOny fingers
around the region of the stomach, and
dropping her Iank body upon her knees,
she belched forth an uneaTthly scTeech
of agony, but instantly jerked back to
an upright position, and, in sharp au
thOritative tone, said: "Light, straan-
ger, am have a cher"
I dismOunted, accepted the seat, and
cOndOled most sincerely with the poor
woman, suggesting to her that possibly
the tobacco and liquor might have had
the effect of increasing her Troubles.
She said no, that when these remedies
would not 'I1ill pain" "all the YARDS in
Rackinsack (Arkansas) wO'dn't do it."
After the 'miZZeTy' spasm had passed
off, I inquired where l could get a drink
of water. Thar war plenty water in
! the spring. she said, but added, that
! she Tec'On'd she had some buttermilk
in the spring-hOusc, and she 'lOw'd that
! buttermilk war heap more wettinCr
nor water
In accordance with the suggestion,
drank cOpiOusly of the liquid, and felt
so much refreshed after it. that cheer
fully indOrse her opinion in regard to
the victim qualities of the two fluids.