The Red Cloud chief., 1880-12-02

figgers as we was in them batbin' iog-
gerry. Mister Barnaby. | was ashamed
of INV family. an l was ashamed OF
myself, when I see how we looked. 1
Amt been the same man sinst- When
I come out Of the water that day, 4
took 10 drink; me. that amt 80 much as
tasted even a glass of beer in thirty
two wears, an a leadin' member of the
temperance society. tuck 10 drink
an tried TO drown the recollection Of
what ! looked like. an go; b lin drunk
afore I succeeded. Well. Miygles she
scolded because | went along lookin 80
sneakin', and ma she said | never did
have any pride or STYLE about me. Al so
I braced up. an went along. lookIn rs
bold as a sheep. When we 60. down
nigh the water. ma her nerve give
way, an she caught n holt Of the rope.
about five foo, above high water mark,
an belt on To it like it was a matter OF
life an death, an she squat down in
the dry sand, whar the water couldn't
reach her at all. an thar she sot. an
we couldn't make her bulge. Such n
figger, She he'd on q gray dress, not
half long enough for her. with red
stripes runnin' round an round IL. an
a pair o gray trousers that looked *
they had been made for the nan in the
moon an was a mi:it, an no socks. an
a pair OF great fiat straw shoes, an
then she he'd a oilskin cap on her head
TO keep her hair dry. An thar she
was, ~squattin' in the drv sand. holdin'
on TO that rope as though she wasgoin
to drown every minnit, and no water
within six feet of her. Miggles scolded
an I coaxed, but she only Jest sot thar
an shook her head. Bime-by ] lost all
patience an grabbed her by the wrist
an pulled her down a little higher the
water, she a holdin' back an kickin'
sand all the time. Purity Don tharcame
a wave that wet hcrfect. an you should
have heard that woman veil.
"'Oh, ma said Migg!cs, every
body's laughin' at us'
HEY some fOrchichude. ma j
a we can't drown'd here
but every time a came clust
enough to wet her feet. blamed ef that
misguided woman wouldn't rise and
stand straight up an yell like a Co
manche Iniin. But we coaxed and
rastled with her. and edged her down
cluster an cluster TO the low-water
mark, when all of a student. krr
swOrsh, Gums n wave that buried the
hull caboodle of us in a perfcck cyclone
of sand, sea-weed IN brine. Poor
Miggles was stood straight up onto her
head. | was landed high N dry UP
on the sand, a LAWN on my back in the
shape of a letter Y. an ma
well. sir. Mr.. Barnaby, that woman
helt on t o the rope like grim death till
that wave went back, an then she
opened her mouth, blew ont a gust OF
/ salt water. shook the sand ont of hel
! eyes, raised a war-whoop that would
lest ha' made your hair stand On end,
an lit out acrost the sand for the bath.
house, straddling along at 2:lO gait,
an hollerin' like all creation every
Jump, Mr.. Barnaby, sir, I'll never for
get that awful. inhuman spectacle ef
live TO he n thousand years old.
didn't know whether to cry. r laff, I
sw'ar. I follered along TO the bath
house. an put my head in at the door
".Ma,' | saws. ma, thurs no Too
like A old fool. is therc?'
"An' ma she Jest lifted up an hi
me such a swipe acrost the head will
that soakin' ridiculous bithin' dress o
hers. tibet fer a mint ! thought the enc
o. the house had fallen in on me.
well sir, Mr.. Barnaby, we didn'
90 into the surf no more. ma an mi
didn't. We lolled around down thai
mebbe six weeks longer, an got into
few more fool scrapes, an when we Ii
out fur home at last it was like comm
to Paradise. an | don't want To get out
side of Nodaway County agin fur thu
next ten year."--R. j. BHrdette. in Bur
Gngton HaWkey2.