Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-04-21
A Stage Coach Incident.
New York Graphic.

house at the crossroads and stopped
Our driver got down and watered his
horses in a melancholy way, and
groaned as with deprecating ges
ture he came to the door and inform
ed us that there was another passen.
ger. We pricked up our ears. A
sweet grin came to the window, and
we hoped it was she. She seemed to
have all the qualities of an agreeable
fellow-passenger. She was petite and
pretty, with a shock of fluffy hair
that lay like golden sunshine on her
head
And her eyes were starry bright;
Lilies on her brow were blooming;
Roses red her lips perfuming,
| And her step was light and airy
AS the tripping ofa fairy
JIM shot glance at me as if / was
in the way.
l understood him and hated him.
The next instant we smiled forgive
ness at each other, for a large, bony,
rubicund woman came forth, bring
ing three bandboxes, and followed
by short, chubby man, who can
best be described as "kerchunkety."
He had only one eye, carried an arm
in sling, and his nose was irreso.
lutte.
"Now, Hezekiar," said she, "you
look out for yerselt. You hear me?
You keep outer the fire, and don't
yer 60 near nothin'. l never seen
sich a critter! Pm goin' away and
can't look arter ye. You hear me,
now?"
Then she climbed in and sat down
where Jim's legs had been.
"Gents-wy! How fare ye all? l
thought they want nobuddy aboard;
but he's the tryinest man! Got good
sense; yes; ben to the Legislator;
fust sleek man; but he's allus gittin'
hurt. 1 never know when he's safe.
He's the tryinest manw And she
gave her bandbox hearty thump
with her fist.
''Sick a good deal?" l ventured to
ask.
"Slck? No he amt. Never sick.
He tumbles into somethin', or some
thin tumbles onto him."
"Perhaps you will tell us about it,
remarked jim, as we exchanged a
glance which recalled our recent con
versation on fun, and our conclusion
that pain was fatal to it.
She was evidently ready to relieve
herself on that point. She put hel
feet up on the opposite seat and be
gan:
"Wall-le's see-he didn't hur,
hisself very often till a year ago
Then, one day he was out in the
woods chopper. He felled a big
tree on the saplin, then he hit the
saplin clip, and he didn't know
nothing for three + tour days
When brought in they said he was s
sight to look at. They thought he
was dead fust. was away. I'm al
lus away wen he gifts hurt. Then
cum home and doctored him up ant
most used up my strength in recover
in on him, wen, fiust l knows, l be
in called away over to a neighbor'
whar Sprony was sick, he went ou
to split logs and put blast into one
and thoughtlessly crept right up an(
peeked in and it most blowe6 hi
head off. He was senseless for thre,
days more, and one eye was put ou
clean, completely. Iwore myself on
agln gettin' him onto his legs, WEI
what should he do but go in the pas
ter wen l was away, and one of thu
bulls histed him. They say he lifted
him quite unusual. 1t mucilated hin
a good deal, and he was senseles:
for three days. He's allus senscles:
for bout three days. l cum home
and poulticed him till you couldn't
rest, and kinder must him up, and il
want a bit more'n a fortnit wen he
out loadin' hay without my permis
sion Il was away), and he ketched g
sunstroke, tumbled often the load and
lit on his head on pile O stones.-
Wen l got back l tole him he was 8
dumb fool, but he didn't understand
a word till his three days were up
I put lodlum poultices on him agiu
and made him smell of hartshorn
and bimeby he revived. Will you
bleeve that in one week, when l was
away that man managed to git in the
mlll-pond? Why he didn't git clear
drowned to death I don't know-he
ought ter; but they fshed him out
and laid him on the bank and rolled
HIM, and wen l cum home he was
settin' up on his elbow askin' about
how the lection went in Swampscot
| was pretty mad, tell you. The
bees got him next time. They
swarmed right on his head-mistook
it fer a knot, s'pose. l can't hardly
tell you how he looked after that
some like a pile of tomaters. How.
somever, Hezekier still lives; but |
expect Just s much IS I expect to live,
that a sheep III bite him dangerously
afore get home"