The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-01-14
OLD skIsSIM's MIDDLE BOY.
BY sUT LovINeooD.

mont tn hit. They walked him III eat,
an then he'd tn wake him agIn tn make
him quit eatin; walked him tu go tn the
spring, an walked him til start back agin;
walked him tn say his prayers, an walked
him tn stop savin 'em. In fac they wer
alters a-wakin him. an he wer alters
Il -goin tn sleep agin. Ole Skis~im wax
ed i'm wifi waggin whip, an a huckshot
in the cracker, what lI< toted apupus
His mann waked him wif the tea-kittil
an scaldin water BJf the buck shot
cracker an the warter los thar vartu ct
las, an they jis gin him over tn onaindin
sleepin, an onmitigated hardness owe
he'd. Charley Dickins's son, the fat boy,
mout been es nj kin tn him es secund
cuzzin. eff his mann wer pow'ful wake
ful oman.
hedn't foun' ont then, sartinly, that
wer a natrl born dnrnd fool. ] sorter
suspiShiond hit, but still he'd hopes. So
wer fool emf tn think I wer smart
ennff tn break him frIm snoozin all the
time, so lay wake owe mites fur week.
ixin the way tn du hit; an that minds
me tn tell yu what thinks owe plannin
an studdyin: hit am ginerly no count
All pends, ct Ias' on what yu dus an
how yn kerries yn$elf at the mon,ens ore
dckshun. circumstances turn about
pow'fu fas', an all yu kin du is tn think
jis' es fas es they kin turn, an jis' es
they turn, an eff yu dn this, Pm dnrnd
ef yu don't git ont sumhow. Long
studyin am like preparin supply owe
warter intu a wurm hole barril, tn pnt
out fire: when the fire dus cnm, durn'd ef
WI don't hev tn hustil ronn pow'fnl fas'.
an GIT more warter, fur thar's nun in the
barril. But es wer tellin yu, studied
out at las plan what thOrt wud wake
the devil; an ! sot in tn kerrin hit ont.
The ole man Skissim an his wife went
tn a mite meetin, an tuck the balance
owe his ur rather her brats-a feller
shu'd alters be pow'ful keerful in speak
in on that pint. Use alters hearn that
hit tuck a mons'us wise brat tn know
hits daddy, an thinks hit takes wiser
daddy tu know his own brats Dad new
er Nud speak sartin bout eny owe our
famerly but me, an he counted fur that
by sayin | wer by a long shot tn cussed
a fool tn belong tn enybody else, SO am
a Lovingood. My long laigs sumtimes
sorter bo,hers me, but then mann tuck a
pow full skeer ct an-hill crane a-sittin
on peel'd well-pole, an she out-run her
shadder thuty yards. in eumin half a
mile. speck owes my laigs an speed
tu that circumstance an not tu eny
frand on MANS part.
Well, they went tn mite meetin an lef
him in the kitchin fas' asleep, belevin
tn fine him right thar when they cum
back; but they wer misteken'd that pop,
fur when they cum they foun the widest
awake boy ever born'd in that ur eny
uther house, ur outen doors either, an es
tn bein rite thar he warn't by durn'd
site; he wer here, thar, an every whar,
ct the same time, an eff he he'd any aper-
tite fur vittils jis' then, he didn't hang
out his sign, that cud see.
| They lef him sittin ontu a split-bot-
tom cheer, plum asleep all over, even tn
his ole hat. ] tuck about thnty foot owe
clothes line, an tied him tn the cheer by
his neck, body, an arms, levin his laig,
loose. He looked sorter like the Lior
in the spell in book, when the rat wei
a-cuttin a fish net off owe him. Tha
wern't a skeer'd rat, wer he? / he'd hin
safe now tn practice on, an | sot in IL
duin hit, sorter this way: painted hi
face the cutler owe niger coal -burne r
scept white ring roun his eyes; an
frum the corners owe his nouf, sorte
dOwnards, slouch-wise. / lef a white strip
Hit made his mont look sorter like ontl
hoss track an nj ontu es big. He We
a fine picter tu study, ef your mind we
fond owe skeery things. He look't saw
idge es sot steel trap. baited wifi asnick
an wer jis' fit fur tresun, straterjim, ar
tu spile things. Tu this day, when
dreams owe the devil, dad, Passun Bul
lin, an uther orful oppressive thing
that infunel boy, es he look't that mite
am durnd intermitly MKT wifi the hol
owe EN-. ! speck he's dead is the reaso
owe hit
screwd ontu each owe his years
par owe iron hanvices, what his da
squeezed ole clocks, an crac't warnut
wifi, an they hung down like over-rgow
year-rings; l tied gridIrou tu wun an
xii, an par owe fire-tongs tn luther;
pour'd a bottil owe groun red -peppe
down his back, onder his shut; / turn
loose pint owe june bugs, what kotc
apupus, intu his buzzum, an buttone
EN- up; | tied baskit full owe fire crak
ers tn the cheer back, tn bis har, an t
his wrists; ! button d mp a big gray
whisker'd aggravated ole rat, tied wifi
string intu the SLACK owe his britche
tnther aind owe the string wer fas' ont
his gallus button, an the rat, like all th
res owe that tribe, imejunIly sot in cu
tin his way out; but OWN tn his parvari
: mater ur the darkness eve the place, b
sot in tn cuttin the wrong way; he wer
= workin towards the back bone, an furdt
: frum the britches. every cut. learr
e this fac frum the cheer risin frum n
fur an fallin agin jis' tu rise imejnn
q ly a littil higher, an sum souns, a mixtr
. owe snort, snore, grunt, an grean, whic
I he wer beginin tn isoo tolabil fas', al
' gettin louder every bounce owe the chee
. an becumin more like ontu a howl e,
1 cry pop. In the beginin owe his oneasin
= he dream d owe wagin whip, mex
n dream owe a tea-kittil es big es a sti
). an lots owe bilin warter, an mex
g drempt owe bof owe 'em; an now he W,
D a dreamin that the tea -kitlil wer a stea
n ingine, drIvin the waggin whip, an
cotton gin wifi red hot saws fifteen nu
dred licks a mint, an that he ner in {
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