White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1871-08-03
1.-THE ARKANSAS TRAxELLER.n

A lost and bewildered Arkansas traveller, ap-
preaching the cabin Of squatter, about forty
years ago. discovered the proprietor seated on an
old whiskey barrel the door, partly sheltered
by the caves, playing fiddle, when the following
dialogue ensued-the squatter still continuing to
play the same thing over and over:
Irarcller-HalloO, stranger!
Sqsattev@Hello, yourself!
TCan get to stay all night with you'
SLYou can get to go to hill
THave You any spiritsf
S-Lots Of 'em. Sal saw one last night by that
thar ole heller gum, and it nearly skeeered her to
death.
EYou mistake my meaning; have you any
iquOrs
1Had some yesterday, but ole Bose, he got in
and Tapped all NV it out'n the pot.
TYou don't understand; don't mean pot liq-
nor. Pm wet and cold, and want some whiskey.
Have you got anyf
so, yes, drank the last this mornin'.
TPm hungry; haven't had a thing to eat this
morning; can't you give me somef
SLANT a id thing in the house. Not a
mOuthfnl of meat or a dust Of meal.
T-Well, can't you give my horse something!
Scot nOthin' to feed him on.
T-HOw far is it to the next housed
S-Stranger, don't know; Pvenever been thar.
EWell, do you know who lives heref
81 do.
TAs am SO bold, then, what might your name
be.
Sit might be Dick, and it might be Tom, but
it lacks id sight oft
T-Sir! will you tell me where this road goes
tot
Sits never been anywhar since I've lived
here; it's always thar when git up in the morn
in.
TLwell, how far is it to where it forksi
Sit don't fork at all, but it splits up like the
ID.
EAs am not likely to get to any other house
tonight, can't you let me sleep in yours, and III
tie my horse to q tree and do without anything to
eat or drink!
S-My house leaks; thar's only one dry spot in
it, and Sal sleeps on it. And that thar tree Is the
ole woman's persimnnon; You can't tie to it, kase
she don't want um shuk of. She lows to make
beer Out'n um.
TLWhy don't yon finish covering your house.
and stop the leaksf
Sits been rainin' all day.
EWell, why don't You do it in dry weather.
Sit don't leak then.
T-As there seems to be nothing alive about
your place but children, how do you do here any
howl
S-Putty well, thank you; how do you do your
self
I'll mean, what do you do for living'
S-Keep tavern, and sell whiskey.
EWell, told you wanted whiskey.
S-Stranger, bought bari more'n week
ago. You see, me and Sal went shares. AFTER We
got it here, We only had drink betweenst us; and
Sal, she didn't want to use hern fust, nor me mine.
You see, had a spiggin in one eend, and she in
n
pays me bit for it; then I'd take one out'n hern,
and give her the bit. Well, we's gittin' along
fust rate, till Dick, DID skulkin' skunk, he BORN
hole on the bottom to suck at; and the next day,
l went to buy drink, they wurn't none thar.
Tim sorry your whiskcy's all gone; but my
friend, why don't You play the balance of that
tunef
SITS got no balance to it.
TT mean, you don't play the whole oft.
S-Sframger, can yom play the fddulf
Voc Ia
S-YOu don't look like fiddlur; but eff you
think You can play any more onto that thar chune,
you can jist git down and try it.
1.-THE traveller gets down, and plays the whole
ofit.]
S-Stranger, take half dozen cheers, and sot
down. Sal, stir yourself round like a six horse
team in mud-hOle Go round in the holler, whar
killed that buck this mornin; cut off some Ofthe
hest pieces, and fotch it and cook it for me and
this gentleman, directly. Raise up the board un-
der the head of the bed, and git the ole black jug
Il hid it from Dick-and give rs some whiskey;
know thar's sum left yit. Til, drive old Bose
Outn the bred tray, then cline mp in the loft, and
git the rag that's got the sugar, tied up in it.
Dick, carry the gentleman's boss round under the
shed, give him some fodder and corn, much as he
kin eat.
TLDad, they amt knives enough to sot the
table.
handle, granny's knife, and the one handled yis-
terdayf That's enuff to set any gentleman's Ia
ble, without you've lost um. Din me, stranger,
efyOu can't stay as long as You please, and I'll
give you plenty to cat and drink. Will you have
coffee for support
EYes,. sir.
: S-T1l he hanged Ell. you do tho' we don't have
nothin' that way here, but Grub Hysop, and rec
kOn it's mighty good with sweetnin'. Play away,
stranger; you can sleep on the dry spot tonight.
Fafter about an hours fiddlingIMy friend,
can you tell me about the road I'm to travel -
mOrfowf
STo-morrow! Stranger, You won't git outn
these diggin's for six weeks. But when it gifts SO
you kin start, you see that big sloO over thar
Well, you have to git crost that, then you take
the road mp the hank, and in about q mile you'll
come to n two acre and a half corn-patch; the
corn's mitely in the weeds, but you needn't mind
that, jst ride ON. About a mile and half or two
miles from thar, you'll come to the DIST swamp
you struck in all your travels it's boggy enuif
to mire q saddle blanket. Thar's fust-rate road
under thar.
EHow am to get at it!
S-You can't git at it nary time, till the wealth
er stiffens down sum. Well, about mile beyant,
you come to place whar thar's two roads. You
can take the right hand, ef you want to; you'll
foller it mile or 30, and you'll run out; you'll
then have to back and try the left; when you git
about two miles on that, yOu may know you are
WRONG, fur they amt any road thar. You'll then
think you're mighty lucky eff you find your way
back to my house, whar you can come and play
on that chune as long as You please