Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-06-10

~s~e~ 49,
anybody, but I hain't seen vet what the
right o. this thing is.
"Wal, the long an short of it is, Old
Cumming an them boys got to oe kind
o pirates in small way, an wherever
that sloop came folks was on the watch
for their gardens an hen-roosts. Most
everybody along the shore has ducks an
geese, an it was mighty handy to get
one or two o. these. An the queer
thing was, everybody knew, an nobody
ever caught 'em. Old Dunning had a
wheedly kind O. way. an he'd go up
into the village, an sit an tell stories
an like as not his boys were Robin the
gardens Of the very men that listened to
him. Then they'd set sail and make
for the middle O. the lake, an next day
try the other side, unless they got load
from somewhere. will say for him he
always carried his freight fair an
square, an, as say, might made an
honest livin' if he d liked.
s'This time I'm sellin' about was
sweet-corn time and plenty of nice
roasting ears, an Old Dunning calkila-
ted to live pretty easy. He was half
way up the lake, nigh a tirst-rate gar
den o atch he hadn't never been to, be-
cause the man was pretty stuffy an had
said he'd fog 'em all, and give them a
ducking too. if they meddled with him.
1t was dark night and pretty stiff
breeze, an the sloop came along after
nightfall an cast anchor. The boys
went ashore an filled sack with sweet
corn an going back they just wrung
the necks o. two geese an took them
along. They see the wind was goin'
down some, but they concluded it
would be all right, so they just hoisted
anchor an went below. First, though,
they shucked the corn and picked the
geese an threw the shucks and the
feathers overheard, an then they lit a
fire an had a royal supper; eat just like
them Frenchers, an then got ready to
turn in. Went on deck an cast anchor.
guess we're far enough out now to
keep 'em from lookin' US up says old
Dunning, and they went to bed.
They slept pretty heavy, and it
wasn't till late the next morning that
they reused up. Old Dunning woke
first, an started up on deck with a
goose's drumstick in his hand. He
rubbed his eyes when he got there and
wasn't sure but what he was dreaming.
The sloop hadn't stirred one inch. 1t
was dead calm, and there they were
not thirty rods from shore, an them
shucks and feathers jest lynn on the
water tellin' their own story. An be-
fore he could make up his mind what
he'd better do he see the man pulling
Oft from shore and the Sheriff along
" it'll him.
They say the devil helps his own,
an it does look that way sometimes
What do you thinkp Old Dunning went
forward an helped them aboard, an
he points to them shucks an feathers,
an he says:
Is. Ye see, I've jest lain in right here.
l told them boys when they come
aboard with that corn an them geese,
| said to them, ''Boys, SEE /, you was
hungry, an we hadn't lain in enough to
last, an there's some excuse for you,
bein' boys, but I tell you this, cook
what you've got, but here l stay, an in
the mornin' I'm going ashore to pay
for every mite you've taken. Robin
sons fair man, an when he sees II
fair he won't want toprosecute; but, by
the Lord Harry! I'll give you to the
Sheriff mysel fit I ever catch you at such
doings again. That's what said to
the boys
I" For moment Robinson looked at
the Sheriff, an the Sheriff looked at him.
They was master hands for joke, an
they see through this one we'll enough.
They burst out laughing, an Robinson
says, We'll, Cunning, We'll let it go
that way this time. Hand out your
money
"Old Dunning kind of WINGED, but
he took out his wallet and paid two dol
lars and fifty cents.
"'Call again, Dunning,' the Sheriff
says, as they pulled off. 'rve got some
pretty good geese myself, and I'll trade
all you like on the same terms
Cunning grinned, but he looked
pretty black; an them boys of his n was
black and blue too, when he got through
with 'em. First thing they knew he
had 'em out on the cabin floor an was
given it to 'em with ropes end. Still,
they was used to that. an it soon pass ed
over when they found out what he was
at them for. They was reasonable
enough to see foggin' 'em was the only
thing to ease his mind. Anyhow, that's
the way / account for their always stick
in together. The house burned down
one night in one O. their frolics, or after
it, when they was both drunk, an one
o 'em was burned pretty bad, an died.
Then the rest come down here-Pete
Dunning an what children there was.
That's their place half way up the east
bank as you 90 down towards the island. :"
s. Then these boys are not old Dun
ning's boys at all?''
~No, not his'n n, but Pete's. There
amt but two boys; but there four or
five gals all livin' in them two rooms,
an how, the Lord only knows. They
don't beg, that's one good thing about
them; but they're wilder than hawks,
an they amt as civilized as heather.
don't suppose one of 'em can read; an
them two boys, Antoine and Pete, they
ravage round in all the gardens. an
they've got all the cuteness of their ia
ther an their grandfather, too, and you
can't catch 'em. I've knowed folks
with grapes sit up three nights running
with shot-guns, an no sign of 'em; an
the fourth night there wouldn't be a
bunch left. Now what say is: What
you goin' to do with 'emp If they'd
heen this side the line. they'd had to