West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-03-09
Grandfather Iickshinglc's Stories.
luu Clty Derrick

( luu ClD Derrick
Grandfather fiCkshinglc is very old
/ His hair is silveTcd with the frosts of
many winters, and his eyes have long
since lost their luster. His step is slow
| and tottcring, and when his cane is mis-.
! laid, which is often the case, he can
not walk alone IL il then that the
/ children help him 20 the window where
/ he may look out over the fields, for he
/ grows tired of gazing into the fire, and
dreaming of the days and years gone
! by. The only faculty which the
dear old man has retained unimpaircd
is his memory. This is as clear ms sun
light. He remembers, rs il were but
yesterday, events which occurred when
he was a boy bent over his father
knee. Grandfather Lickshingle loves
To tell Of the strange things which
happened i'm these carly days, and the
children never weary of listening TO
them. Every evening he gathers them
close about his knees so they can hear
his feeble voice, and tells them story.
Last night he rocountcd this bit Of his
tory.
This began grandpa, will be
story of Lo, the poor Indian, whose I'M
tutorcd mind secs grog in clouds and
smells it in the wind. 1t was in the
summer of 1921, was small boy not
much larger than Charley here"
"Oh, how jollyp' exclaimed Charley,
clapping his chubby hands.
Whattcr yer soyT yelled grandpa,
savagcly, at the same time rapping
Charley on the head TO keep him quiet.
My father" continued grandpa,
. was heavy-handed son of gunsmith,
but was himself farmer, preferring
that vocation to that of his father
He used TO put me to picking brush
when he would be at work, and Keeping
the Indians away from our dinner
bucket. We lived in bowling wilder
ness where the Indians were always
hungry and troublesome. They pre-
asked them to show deed they could
not begin TO do it, The houses which
people occupied in those days were the
most primitive structures Imaginable,
being made nearly altogether of poles
and bark. They were sorry looking
affairs indeed, and reflected discredit
upon the architects and builders. They
contained but one room and fireplace,
which occupied one side of the room.
There were no front steps TO scrub every
morning, and no chandelier in the
parlOr. This was the style of all the
houses with but one exception. We
built seven-story brown stone front,
with an Absurd roof, and hot and cold
water up and down stairs. We had
velvet carpets all over the house, and
also lightning rods. Our place was the
wonder OF the country. AS soon as we
could clear of land enough we had
crOquet ground, private trotting park
and boulevard We had n silver
plated dOor-bell and two stone dogs that
laid on the front porch and looked
savage If tramps came up the gravel
walk. One day an old Indian sat on n
stump short distance from the house,
and tried his sweetest to whistle our
stone dogs over to him. The dogs
wouldn't go. Then he got some meat
and held IL mp 10 they could have seen
II If they had not been stone blind, and
called them all kinds Of pet names. The
dogs were not only blind to the meat
but they were deaf to Aattery. The
Indian had recourse TO miserable
swindle. He kicked the stump,
scratched in the ground with his fingers
and cried, "rats, rats, ratsW Not be-
ing ratters, the dogs didn't prick up
their ears and run over TO the stump rs
if they had been shot out Of cannon.
This shows that craven image isn't
likely TO lose presence Of mind, even in
moment Of the most intense excite
ment. When the dogs didn't take any
notice Of the red man, he got mad and
swore at them, and told them to get out
One day book agent came along, and
told the Indians that the dogs were
made Of stone, and couldn't bite the
fees that infested them. After that the
cussed redskins used TO come out of the
woods in droyes, sneak up 10 the porch
and play wretched tunes on the door
bell. When the servants would go 10
the door they would say they had come TO
borrow the smoothiDg.irons, or some
thing like that The truth was that
they only wanted 10 ring the bell,
because they couldn't afford anything Of
the kind themselves. An Indian Is a
great liar and dearly loves his gin"
Here grandfather fell asleep and be
gan to snore, when papa said that grand
father had been associated with the
Indians great deal when he was young.
Mamma said, Well / should think
he bad ~