Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-08-13
Examples or Southwestern veracity.

While waiting for jury. Judge Cary
OF Arkansas. after listening to some dog
stories, said These are curious yarns.
gentlemen. but believe them all. | had
n dog once. back in Nebraska. that kept
to herd lumber" Beg pardon, Judge;
but did You say the dog herded lumber p
"Yes. sir. cottonwood boards. We always
kept dog there to bring the lumber in at
night" Everybody now paid the closest
attention. as they knew that the boss was
at work. II was this way. Cottonwood
boards warp like thunder in the sun. 4
board would begin to hump its back up
about nine in the morning, and in half an
hour il would turn over. BY eleven it
would warp the other way with the heat.
and make another flop. Each time it
turned it moved q couple ot feet always
following the sun toward the west. The
first summer lived in Brownville. over
ten thousand feet OF lumber skipped out
to the hills the day before had advertised
house raisin'. went to the county seat
to attend law suit. and when | got back
there wasn't stick of timber left. 1t had
strayed away into the uplands. An or,li-
nary board would climb q two-mile hill
during hot week. and when it struck the
timber il would keep wormin' in and out
among the trees like gartar snake
Every farmer in the state had 10 keep
shepherd dogs 10 follow his lumber around
the country. keep it together, and show
where il was in the morning. We didn't
need any fumes there for lumber. We
sawed Il east OF the place we wanted 10
use IL. and let it warp itself to its destina-
ton; with men and dogs TO head it off At
the right time. we never lost stick"
Hanks's grocery. SAYS the New Orleans
Times. is situated on the edge of prairie
in southern Texas. and or Sunday quite a
crowd used to meet there. One Sunday
Lem Williams himself was seated in front
of the store. when Bill Barker remarked
Flows crops up Your way Lem? ?"
WELL" he replied. .'corn's sorter gin
to tasseling. but the sand is powerful poor"
.'That seems to be the general CON-
plant" remarked Bill.
YES this here country amt good for
raisin' corn" said Lem. as he took fresh
chew ..but if you want 10 see corn what is
corn, YOU Just orter GO to Fort Bend. When
was farming on the Brszos in that couu-
try. my corn grew so tall and thick that
had 70 hang lamps on the mules ears to
see how to plough a furrow. IL was corn
and no mistake: and in the fall the stalks
were SO high that had TO knock the ears
down with a sassafras pole. Darn my
skin. the ears were So big that it tux a
strong man to carry morn three OF EN- at
. time
''Speakin' about strong men. remarked
Bill Barker. "sorter causes me TO remem-
Der an old steamboat captain who used to
run on the Yazoo river in IS. One dav
he stopped at landing for some wood.
and the niggers were kinder slow about
bringin' it aboard. Old Judkins. the
captain. reused up and cussed everythin:
in reach. Says he. wa,kin' up tn the
woodpile whar the ringers were at work.
Pile on your timber and let me show yer
how to carry wood. an he stretched out
his arms. Well, sir. the niggers piled on
the wood and kept pilin' until Judkins
hsd . cord and half of fire-wood on his
shoulders, and he turned and carried it on
the boat just - easy as If it was bokay.