Sharp County record., 1881-05-05


ger in our worldly prosperity. He's afeared
folks will give their hearts to it. He's always
a tellin' that the pleasures of the world Is all
veneer grass"
"Yender grassln we repeated in bewilder-
ment
Don't you know when you're mowin'
poor grass heyend always looks a dredtul slght
better, but when you git there it's al, OF
poorneSs. The deacon, he SAYS the pleasures
of the world is all jest so deceivin', and meDbe
they be. Ihaint so pious as I'd ought to be.
Mis- Jones, she's so terrible piOus that don't
Sc EN- to git no chance.n
The mention of Mis- Jones always drove her
husband to the cider mug. When he emerged
he went on in a more cheerful tone:
"Them fust settlers didn't hev no worldly
prosperity to contend with. | expect cold
AMI Injins and bears amt so dangerous, but
they're more tryin' to the material man. Them
! fust settlers was tough-fsted felers; they fit
good fight, and they don't seem to a found
life sech bad Job as some arter all, and there
| is comfort to be took for all folks grumbIln'.
We've all on us got our troubles, but some
times they 20 off and leave us for aspelI'-here
Mr.. Jones cast an uneasy glance towards the
door as if his trouble miGht be expected TO
walk in at any moment" and then we reallZe
what enjoyment is. And even cretur com
forts, sech as a good fire and mug OF cider,
aint to be despsed.
GAS | was a-sayin', folks here in them old
times used to take comfort and to hev about
as much gOiu' on as if they lived in the thick
est of the world insted of on the edge ont.
"I've heerd my father tell of funny doin's
amongst 'em-and of some that WANT so fun
ny. When a teller come amongst 'em that
hadn't got the right stuff in him, or was too
high-minded and hankered arter toothbrush
and scented soap, them lumbermen didn't
h,,, Il Ia ina ha a1urlS
lando Perry-I'ye heerd my father tell how
they served him. He was slick little chap
from down river, and his father was a jedge;
he'd been considerable wild and they sent him
up here to ct him out Of mischief lie wore
store close and lied his hair and was as pretty
spoken as a scEoOl-maSter Them things
mebbe they could a stood; but when he
stuck an eye-glass onto his nose and courted
Patty Hutchins, them two things was too
much to bear. Patty Hutchins, she was the
puttiest and the smarteSt girl in Number
Eight-there WANT no towns up here then,
you know; they was all deestricts and went by
their numbers-an the fellers, they didn't
like the idee of heyin' her kerried off by
stranger and little kid glove of chap inter
the bargain. Hewas a terrible hard drinker
and given TO gamblin', but his sickness and
his store close went long ways with the gals,
as they're apt to with women folks.
luG lcllclS, luGI pld1Cu COuolHoDlC many
tricks on him without seemin' to take him
down a mite till one day when he set on the
deacons seat up in one of the loggin' camps
aplayin' keerjs. Them lOggin. camps has
smOkehoe as big as all out doors, and an ash
tree grOwed so nigh this one that they tie
rope onter the end of one Of the branches and
let it down through the smoke-hole. 1t was
young and s0ople, the branch was, and then
while Orlando had his mind sot on the keerds
4. o1
fasten the rope round him under his arms:
then they let go and kerslap he went, yanked
clear'n out through the smoke-hole and
danglin' in the air. And they KEEP him danglin
there ii i he'd agreed TO sign the pledge and
quit courtin' Patty Hutchins.
" He KEEP his word, and he didn't stay long
arter that. But there mebbe 'twould a. been
better if he had. If Patty Hutchns had a
merried him perhaps it wouldn't a been no
worse"
Mr.. Jones had the important air of one who
has a marvellous story to tell, but waits to be
urged.
"Tell us all about Patty Hutchins," we said
encouragngly.
"-ShT Me6be hadn't better" he replied,
with an uneasy glance at Gram, who was STIR
ring in her sleep, Gram she might wake,
and she's apt to git worked up about them old
stories. But mebbe can think to speak low
and if you wont mention it to Mis- Jones"
Being assured that nothing would induce us
to reveal it to Mis- Jones, our host moved his
chair nearer to us andbegan:
AS Twas a sayin', Patty Hutchins was the
po ottiest gal in the deestrict; she WANT big
germ pint of cider, but she was red-and-
white Completed and her feturs was as harm
some as dOll's and she had black eyes that
would look you clear'n through to your back
bone, and I've often heered 'em tell how she
used to dance. She was jest as light as a hum
min bird and YOU couldn't tire her out.
"Of course she had her pick among the fel-
lers, and folks was kind of 'sprised when she
picked out Saul Eldridge. For Saul had the
name of bein' terrible odd. He was a great
big six-footer and he could lick his weight in
wild cats-mebbe you've noticed that the fe
male heart seems to set by size and heft in
man. And his bigness done Saul another
good turn, too folks didn't dare to |! chatf
him much about his odd freaks to his face; but
they done all the more of it behind his back
Saul Want sociable, in a gineral way; he was
fond of his own company and he'd set and play
on his fiddle by the hour, and they did say that
he used to play sost to draw tears from folks
eyes.
"He set sight by that fiddle and some on
'em said he used to talk to it as if twas a
livin creetur. But when folks begins to talk
about anybody they like to tell as good story
as they can, and mebbe that Want so. But
Saul GaS odd and no mistake. He thought
more of dumb animiles and little young ones
than he did of folks. They said that he only
jest had to call the birds and they'd come fyin
round him and even light on his head and
shoulders; and he tanned some bears cubs so
that they followed him round like dogs. He
couldn't bear to kill nuthin'; he never went
huntin', and some says that he never ate no
meat; but amt sure about that.
" But for all his queerness be was as brave
and manly feler as there was round. But
nobody ever thought of his takin' a shine to a
gal, he was kind of unsociable. He acted as
if he was afraid on em and he wouldn't go to
no parties where they was. But Patty Hutch
ins, she cooked his goose for him The fust
time that he see her he was possessed arter
her. Folks reckoned she wouldn't hev him,
but reckOnin' on women folks is mighty on
sartin business. And run of an idee that
they're dretful apt to set by a man that's got
weak spot
"Anyhow, Patty loved him like house
a-fre; she gin him her promise and they was
like two turtle doves-till one day Saul run
a-foul of little Injn baby.
I" You see there was some Iniins wanderin
round, campin' fust in one place and then in
another; they took notion to move acrosst
the river and they dropped this baby in the
woods on the way Mebbe they didn't do it
a-purpOse, but they never comeback to look
arter it. 1t appeared that It was a baby that
hadn't no mother and there didn't seem to
be nobody in pertikler to look arer it and
what Ia orinprallv looked haint ant tn ha