The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1881-08-30
Examples OF Southwestern We.
racity

y
OF Arkansas, after listening to some
dog stories, said: "These are curious
Yarns, gentlemen, but believe them all
| had dog once, back in Nebraska,
that / kept to heard lumber Beg par
d"n, Judge. hut did ven say the dog
bearded lumber 2" Yes, sir, cottonwood
boards. We aleavs kept dog there
to h'ing the lumber in at night Every
body now paid the closest sttention, ss
they knew that The boss was at wufk
1T was ihis way: Cotton wood bnards
warp like thunder in the sun A board
would begin to hump its back up about
Gin the morning, and in half an hour II
would ,urn oyer By II it would warp
the other way with the heat, and make
another dop. Each time it turned il
moved couple OF feet, always follow
ing the sun tnwar,i the west... The first
summer I lived in B.ownville, over
10000 feet of lumber skipped out TO the
bills the day before I hsd advertised a
house raisiu went to the county seat
10 attend lawsuit. and when / got back
there wasn't stick of timber left. II
had straycd away into the..uplands An
ordinary board would climb two mile
hill during hot week, and when 1t
struck the timber it would keep worm
in in and out among the trees like a
garter snake. Every farmer in The State
had to keep shepherd dogs to follow his
lum ,er around the country, keep it to-
gether, and show where it was in the
N orning. We didn't need any fumes
there for lumber. We sawed it cost of
the place where we wan ed to use it, and
lie, it warp itself to its destination; with
men and dogs to head 1t off at the right
time, We never lost stick"
Hanks grocery, says New Orleans
paper. is situated on the edge of a prai-
rie in Southern Texas. and on Sunday
quite crowd used to meet there. One
Sunday Lem Williams himself was
seated in front of the store, when B II
Barker remarked:
"How's croIs up your way, Lem 7"
"Weil," be replied, "corn's sorter
gin TO tasseling, but the sand is power
ful poo,.'
"Tha. seems to he the general COM
plaint," remarked Bill.
Yes, this here country ain't good
for raisin corn" SAID Lem, as he took
a fresh chew, "but ii you want to see
corn what is corn, you just orter 60 to
Fort Bend. When / was farming on
the Braz>s, in that country, my corn
grew so tall and thick that had to hang
lamps On the mules ears to see how to
plow furrow. 1t was corn, and no
mistake; and in the fall the s'aks were
so high that / had to knock the ears
down with sassalras pole. Darn nv
skin, the ears were 80 big that it TUX a
strong man 10 carry morn three of 'em
,t time"
"Speakin' about strong men, remark.
ed Bill Barker, s'sorter causes ne TO re.
an old steamboat captain who
ased to run on tue Yazoo river in SO.
One day he stopped at landing for
some wood, and the niggers were kinder
slow about briDgin' it aboard Old judi
kiDs, the captain. reused up and cussed
every'hin' in reach Says be, walkin
up to the woodpile whar the niggers
we're at work; ',Ptle on your timber and
let me show yer how 10 carry wood,
an he stretched out his arms. Well,
sir, the niegers piled on the wood ami
Kept pilin' until Judkns bad o cord and
q half OF fire wood on bis shoulders,
and he turned and carried it on the boat,
lst as essv as If il was q bokay. He
was what ia call purity tolerable stout
man."
That reminds me of man I used
to know in Budford comfy, Alabamy,'
said a stranger named Upper. who had
been in the neighborhood but short
time. All eyes were turned toward the
speaker, and they hegan to size him up
IL guess old Pete Jennings" continued
the stranger, "was about the heftiest
man in these United States. il / amt
mistaken. You see, one day he was
hauling some fence posts in an OK wagon
when the wheels began to creek like IL
they needed greasin.' He looked under
the wagon for his tar bucket and found
it warnt thar, and what do you suppose
he did2" sr,
II don't know" growled Bill Barker
and Lem Williams IN chorus.
"WelI, I'll Just tell you what he did.
He propped up the axletree, TUX the
wheel of, an steppin' out in the woods
he picked mp pine knot, held it over
the axle and squeezed the tar outen it
Old Pete Jennings bad grip what bea'
a wise, you bet"