Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-07
A STUDY IN DIALECT.


OF four miles brought me to farm house
where L had been invited to rusticate for q
few days with friends summerins there. in
whose company l had idled away months
IN succession among the hills OF Georgia
and travelled over the newly settled prairies
OF Kansas and Nebraska. My hostess,
cordial to enthusiasm in her reception, re.
talns IN her matronly estate all the vivacity
which made her, eight years ago, when a
l7-year-old girl, the life of our little party
of nomads on the plains. / well recall one
July evening in 1874, at Columbus, Neb.,
when she rushed to me to tell of charac
ter she had just heard of "a being in the
office OF the hotel |; one of John Browns
companions OF the Hsrper's Ferry expedi.
tion, and how we planned to call at the old
farmers the next day just when he was at
his "f feed to hear from his lips the nara
tive of that fanatical excursion. Not look
ing year older than then was she when
she exclaimed GIVE something for you
a reward for your visit !"
"a sunhower?"
No, no We are not yet cultivated up
to the esthetic craze. But you and have
heard and conned and laughed over the
provincialism of the Georgia Cracker
and the Western Hoosier, and I have for
you some of the expressions of the Down
east Yankee. l have recently been visit
ing the mountains of Maine and New
Hampshire, and while enjoying the sights
myself, collected some OF the sounds for
you; they are in this book" and she
handed me small memorandum.
You eau lug that off with you lug,
mind you, and not tote as the Southerner
would say, nor tack, a la the Western man
y" Why, hOac you talk !" responded, as
my eyes fell on that quotation il the little
book.
Yes" laughingly, she rejoined; " that
is one expression Of surprise, and rant to
kaoU is another, with there sure, aid du
tell! for wild ordinations of wcnder."
And then we drew our chairs near to-
gether like two school children, one know
ing the lesson and teaching it to the other.
s. will post you first as to swearing, +"
she began. "The Southerner who does
not use a big, big D, says PH be dog
goaed-too long and lazy expression for
the Yankee. He says / S1Can q swear OF
l saCuna. or if he must use D. he says
dun, as dun fool, dum rascal, etc"
Where were you when you wrote this
book ?"
"Please study its photography and
speak by it." she interrupted. 81 ,ora
what you have before you in Oxford coun.
ty, Me. l see people there on a holiday
from all over the country, a nGrStsr large
crowd. How the men did sOop bosses,
watches, boots, and knives on that day
1t was an enjoyable occasion. Two men
fit, but neither were much hurt Two
boys CHM far (frl tree, that made me
kinder marcus was Skeered they would
fall and get scrunched. An Injean encamp.
ment was once jest where we ct dinner.
"That is very good Clara Auqusty," re-
marked her husband. Go on and tell
about Miss Hills husbands boss"
"Waal, l wish you could have seen that
animil-he was such pooty cooter (pretty
creature). | couldn't help begrutchin MIR.
Hill, for the Gninit was not Skeered of any.
thing, not even the kers. He was a horse
of great Udtty (value). He was full OF
sperret, bat Mss Hills young ans have rid
i'm often. He was as round as 5erra,
and fine roader. Charles, be you really
gon-ter to try to buy him?" she asked her
husband.
"Ef could git red of two now have
the .tHSt house | Sot foot into would be
Hills"
"What did you find to eat so far north -
1 queried.
Chickens, aigs, butter, 6ris (berries)
/! and cake (biscuit) The last Sunday we
aoas in Oxford we had billed fowl for dinner
and it ,car n,onstrous nice. I think the
water of them folks wells be the best [ ever
drinked. Them people is mighty clever,
but awful curis. Now there is Bill Haskili
as has been keepin' company with Lily Jane
Virgins nigh on to twelve years and they
haiRt married git. There is Mss Ssellings,
a ariader 1conaan with sight o. money, but
they sag she Sot so much store by her husband
| (ioved him so much) that she won't let no
man keep company with her. Although
the sun was n'arster hot skeerSeiy anybody
had uns6riLs umbrellas | had a lace
fringed parasol with me, but when : riz it
l see two or three steerin' at me so hard I
took 1t down. The dressing of soma of the
men was not stylish. Soma of the cots
! (coats) fit gdunaiRg (uucouth) A few men
always sot kerled up (crooked) as ef they
| had the rumati=
"Please pause here for definition" I
asked, "What is this and where did you
catch it?
"Let me look; oh, yes that is skin,ig-
ilio,ts. That word was titSt heard in
church trial. The parson was arraigned,
charged with having attended dances.
Deacon Podger having been appointed to
put the charges in writing, read them at
the church meeting He stated therein
that the pastor had been guilty of an of.
tense of immense magnitude and prepon.
derosity, and that his punishment should
be skimigiiiOus 1t is said that upon the
pronouncement of the last word, the par
son skipped through an open window, ran
off al if for bis life, and has never been
heard of since. There are other words
worth observing, as luther for leather,
bio,oed for blew, kite for kettle, diu for
diyed, fer for far, bern for hers, youyn for
| yours, sdsse' for saucer, hadn't OTTER for
should not. A cat yo,es and bird yips ),
this keo1c gives more milk as the other, in.
stead of than the other"
/ g. As much entertained as l was by their
provincial expressions" she continued ::
The methods of living of some Of these
backwoods down-easters were yet more
old fashioned. / visited couple, distant
relatives of the friend who went with me,
who married in 1858, and neither Of them
has been five miles from home since their
marriage. They have no children and no
carriage of any kind. But they have a
library. and was allowed to examine it.
1t consists of family Bible, and q file of
the Weekly Portland Argus for 1859, so
neatly preserved, that one would suppose
it had been locked away every minute of
the twenty years. They have never bought
paper during this long time. They walk
more than q mile to church every Sunday,
but mel Their of them has spent night away
from h5lE since their marriage. They do
not owe dime never have, bat they
are believed to have hidden away several
thousand dollars in the wafis, Sey; or
some other hiding place. But they
pronounced orthodox religious viewY, and
he is an old hickory Democrat Neither
OF them was under 40 years old when they
married. There are hundreds of people in
Maine and New Hampshire whose news of
the worlds doings is limited to whaF they
hear tell at the meeting houses on Sun
days. But they are, as rule, honest and
industrious, substantial timber, from which
to send scions into buster spheres Of life. "
L Boston Post.
SWEET AURAw