Daily globe., 1883-05-13

measured off as follows:
Big Hickory Hollow amt the place
it used to be, even twenty-five years
ago. The old stock of people that once
lived there is all run out, and the scrub
oak has levied on most everything there
is there. But take it sixty years ago"
"I'm durn sorry this is a secondhand
yarn" said the old settler, opening his
eyes and looking disappointed. "But
then, O. course, you got it from yer
family afore yer, an that's good 'nough
recondemnation fur it." And the smile
came back to the old settlers face.
"But take it sixty years ago." contin-
ued the County Clerk, without making
any declaration as to his authorities,
"and Big Hickory Hollow was about as
clipper O settlement as there was be-
tween the head of the Bushl1ill and the
narrows of the Lackawack. There was
some curious people scattered through
that corner of the country, though, and
Curly Ben Teeter was one of the queer
est of the lot. They called him Curly
Ben because he wore two curls, nearly
a foot long, one in front of each ear.
Ben was about as tough fighter as the
Hollow could turn out, although it was
a tolerably even thing between him and
Hipe Sloppensifter, who lived on the
clearing next but one to Curly's. Curly
never missed dance, stone frolic,
wedding, funeral or lawsuit that
came off within days walk of his cab
in. He'd go further, though, to get in
a lawsuit than for anything else. The
principal reason for that, they used to
say, was because lawsuits were always
held at the tavern, and whenever Curly
Ben struck tavern he was just moving
in society, and no mistake. They al
ways knew when he was looking for a
fight. 1t came on by degrees. First
he'd throw one curl over behind his ear.
Then he was beginning to get mad. By
and by he'd flop t'other curl over 10th
er ear. Then he was awful mad, and
the boys that wasn't game would begin
to drop out of the bar-room. But when
he tied the curls in hard knot behind
his head the business was in, and he'd
fight as long as there was anybody left,
or until the curls came united. When
they ..ot loose the fight was done, for
it wasn't etiquette in Big Hickory Hol-
low to hit Ben after his hair came
loose. When the muss was ended
Curly'd get over his mad gradually by
bringing first one and then t'other curl
back to tie front of his ears. Then
he'd ask cvery one in the house to have
drink, AID away he'd pike for home.
when Curly Ben Teeter first struck
the Hollow he'd been married fifteen
years. His eldest child was daughter
by the name of Keturah, but they called
her Ketu. Curly's clearing was at the
foot of steep, barren ridge, about 100
feet high, and his cabin was built as
near the bottom of the slope as he could
get it. When Ketu Teeter got to be 16,
she was little the sickest chunk there
was in the Hollow, and what should
young Panama Sloppensifter do but
tumble head over heels in love with her.
Panama was the son of old Hipe Slop-
pensifter mentioned awhile ago. Old
Hipe was queer Dick, too. He had a
big family and he took all their names
out of the geography. Some were
named after mountains, some after riv-
ers, and so on. There was his dlugh-
ters Hecla, Andes, Carthagena and
Amazon, and his sons Darien, Nicara-
qua, Popocatapetl and Panama. They
wern't bad sort of people, as people
went in Big Hickory Hollow, but there
was a great animosity between Curly
Ben and Hipe.
Panama Sloppensifter made a liv-
ing by splitting shingles. Hewas about
q years old, and never took to gun. In
fact he had never killed q deer, let
alone bear or panther, and he wasn't
popular among the young bucks of the
Hollow on that account.
"Well, Panama got to hanging around
the Teeter cabin quite considerable, and
finally Curly Ben said he'd see about it.
Ketu, she likedthe youngster, and, when
Ben asked her if she did, she owned up.
One day he found Panama and her talk
ing together by the front door, and he
says to the young man:
"'Panama,' says he, 'ye got sort of
sneakin' notion for Ketu, amt yep
Wall, now, Curly said Panama
everybody called Ben Curly ye've
struck the proper tree for shingles this
time says he.
Wanter marry her, don't yep said
Curly.
"'Wall. now. r1lther' said Panama.