Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1878-02-23
THE HIGH WATER.



But den Uncle Jawge is ole
Why, when he come TO dis country,
All desc piney woods you sees
Was one waviu' fier Of cane brakes,
Wild few pehsimnon trees
Scattered in and out among 'em,
Not gum tree in de state.
Might scanty 'coOns and 'possums,
sab, reckon, AZ dat rate.
Uncle Jawgc tole me de story
oh de big high watah yeah
When dc rivah's cawse got turned 80.
Tell your III you wants to heah-
Il was aftah cotton pickin',
Almost sugah plantin' time.
Uncle JRwge lived neah de riVah,
An he says, about dat time,
You could see de watah risin',
Rsin. risin', high an strong
An de hans was kept n workin'
At de ieyee all night long.
Night an day dey worked an worked dab,
Day an night de watah spread;
In de darkness dey could beah ii
Lappin roun' de levee- head
Bayou Rouge was overflowin'
oven on de othah side;
An de Chatalayah River
Was a-spreadin' fab an wide.
On De ives bank Of de Iiveh
Was de Mahstah's big white house,
Wild de niggah quahteh neah 1t;
nut between was bayou BOu-t.
II was nothin' in de summah,
An dried up one half de year,
But Just den you couldn't cross il
'DhOut YUC had a dug out neah-
So de Mahstsh stayed across it
In de cvebscah'- place,
An deg say lac got 80 changed dab
You'd hardly bnowed his face
Bat he stayed ont ON de icvee,
An, de nigsahs worked deb bes',
But de watah KEEP a-risin',
An deh WANT no time TO- res;
An de riyah WAS ics' iiilcd wild
Snags, dat come n -rushin' down,
An got druv into d, Ievee
An went whirlin' r9un an roun'.
An de wstah got 50 swift dab
Seemed a if. mos any day,
II would sweep de whole embankmen'
oi de levee clean away.
But de boys KEEP wohiAin', wohkin',
Day an night an all night long,
An de wataL KEEP a-Ifsin',
CROWN high an CROWN strong.
All de wee wis full Of watah,
Every little branch was high;
All de cas- was overfiowin'
From de Rouge an Chafalay.
One day, when de Mahstah come dab
Dey seed dc lcVee couldn' las,
But he tole dem up the rivch
DAN had broke a big crevasse,
IN heap q men was drownded.
" So" he said. "dah's dis ting shore,
Dat VIII take de weight o. watah,
An YOU needn't wOhk no mohr
Like you have been" De boys watched
him
AZ he walked of 70 de branch.
Dcy had all guy up deh wohkin,
Maitin' TO- de boat to launch.
He was -ittin' In de dug out
Dn de watah oh de Rouse,
An he called 20 Uncle Jawse 10
Come an row him to de house;
An, dev say, he sot DIAL, smiiin'
LookiH' crost, like he could see
Little Eustacr at de window
An Young Mistes Eulalie.
All at once tlah came a sudden
SOM, like thundeh ia de ain,
An De waiah sweep de leNce
Like twas straw dat had been dehr.
In the bayou rushed DE riyeh,
la n minute boie was gone;
foh de bayou WAS de rlNch
An dey bofe was mixed in one.
Fon de watah from the riveh
Caught de watah from de BOISE,
Till II seemed like "a great ocean
Rolliu' down upon the house.
BY de time dey heabd dat thundeh
All dc house was sweep away,
'Twa'n't no time 10 give no ohdehs,
Not a minute faw to pray.
Dan dcy tao web sirittiu', driftin'
On de riyeh big an wide.
Nothin neah but foatin' pieces,
>nag- aroun' on every side.
Jingle jaWge says Mahstah sot dab
White an still like he was dead,
Gain wid MS eyes wide open
On de watGh straight ahead
i suppose dat he was stunned like
Wild lie swif'ness Of de whole,
An il seemed as il de watahs
Was a rollin' Och his soul.
Il grew dahk arOuu', an still he
Didn't seem TO draw no bren
Amt felt Ike iioatin' down de
Valley oI dc Shade of Def.
Dab he sot a gain, gain
Straight ahead Wild starin' eyes,
TIL he seed a somethin' near EN-
On de watah fall an rise.
il Was Mahstah Eustace's cradle,
Dat had got ont from lie house.
An washed up. and now was floatin'
Bottom up'a-ds down de Bouse.
Uncle Sawge saws when he seed il
DAT he lcs throwed back his head
An slipped downward in de dug-out,
SO he guy him up 10 dead.
An it KEEP q growii' dahkeh,
Atteh while he seed stab,
But IL looked So white an awful