San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-07-27

4Wake up, Emmerline. Emmerline,
its broad day light; come, come. get up,
we shant hev any breakfast ter day."
l was orful hard to wake, out after a
whileI managed ter, an while I was a
rubin my eyes, I SEE, SCOT good
fire, amt ye, Caleb2"
"Firel" said he. "No, never build
any fires. Nancy alters built the fires"
"Did sheP" sez l. cool as cucumber.
$50 did Danl."
I tuned over and went to sleep again
or at least, he thought I did.
Wall, he wiggled, and turned, and
twisted, an he didn't move ter get up
fer about an hour, an when the sun
rose an shone inter the bed room win
der, he got up and built the fire. An.
there wasn't no kindlin's, nor stick of
wood, an he had to skirmish round in
a lively way an get some.
AFTER the fire got to cracklin' in good
shape I got up. I didn't hurry none,
let me tell you. mos died lynn abed
so long, but, seq I to myself, "Ef I
make the fires now, I'll prob'ly hev to
to do it in cold weather, an I won't do
it for any man."
He was pretty sullen all day, but I
didn't take no notice of him, an he got
over it. The mex day he was ter begin
haydn, an he had six men ter help him.
I had ter do all the work, an take care
of the milk and churnin', an its was no
fool of of job. Come, time ter get
dinner, an there wasn't silver of wood
cut. sent Johnnie Che was then about
seven years old) out in the field ter tell
Caleb I wanted him.
He came in lookin' savage enough,
an wanted to know what it was want
ed. SEE +
II want some wood ter burn"
"Wal," SEE he, "ther's whole wood
pile out there. Help yerself."
"An' not stick split" SEE I. "You
will hev ter get bigger stove ter burn
that"
@Wall, it amt such hard job to split
it." seq he. Nancy used tew, often,
when I was bizzy."
"Did she?" sez I. $50 did DAHL"
He got the wood, an said, as he was
going out, that he didn't want ter be
called in out O. the moving field again,
unless twas for victuals.
"All right. SEE L.
The mex day twas the same thing;
not stick split. Thinks I, "Old fellow,
you amt got Nancy here. I'll larn ye
q little somethin' that p'raps ye don't
know" So when it was dinner time I
blows the horn, an in comes all seven
of these men an sets down ter the ia
BILE. SIGH 'stonished lookin' faces as
they had as they viewed the grub. The
biscuit was dough, the pertaters, an
meat, an vegetables, and everything
was washed clean and put on raw. Not
a thing was cooked.
Caleb looked blacker'n thunder
cloud.
"What does this mean?" sez he.
"It means what it MEANS" SEE l.
"You said yest'day that yeu didn't want
ter be called in from the mowin' field
again, unless it was for victuals, and
here they are"
"Nice shape, tew," SEE he.
"Wall can't cook 'thout wood" SEE
7, dryly like.
With that all seven of 'em started for
the door, an they never left that pile
till it was ready for the stove. l never
was bothered for wood again.
A few weeks after I wanted some
money purity bad. I wanted ter send
Johnnie and Nellie back to school, an
I was bound that they should hev some
clothes fit to wear. I asked Caleb a
number of times to let me hev some,
but he made all kinds of excuses. L
didn't tell him what I wanted of it,
mind We. So one day along comes a
peddler buyin' butter'n eggs. Ihad con-
siderable on hand that Caleb was in
tending to carry into ther city when he
had time. So sold every pound OF
butter an eggs 1 had in the house. L
I got nigh on to twenty-five dollars for