, 1884-05-23
THE M'ALLISTERS.


patch over one eye, and his arm in a sling,
entered the Crissman house and dropped into
a chair behind the stove without n word TO
anybody. This caused a lull in the proceed
ings previously before the meeting, and pres
emily the Old Settler suggested a new line of
thought by remarking to the somewhat shat.
tered stranger in sympathetic tones:
wat mowt the matter with yer arm be.
neighbour"
The stranger jerked the thu NIB OF his I'M
tethered hand back over his shoulder.
@Wall, sir, said he, "clenr from Fishrool
Holler, If you know whar that is. It's a
good ten mile beyond Pizen Rock yit."
The Old Settler looked puzzled, and some
Of the boys had to giggle when they saw the
expression of his face.
"No. yer arm" said he, with a smile.
WAITS the matter with yer armin
"No," replied the stranger, giving smile
for smiles mot all the way a foot. Part o.
the way | rode with Slab Jones' OK team.
Rode ez fur ez Gander Ridge with 'em. Say,
that's an all-irel slammin' good yoke o.
steers Slabs got; dye know itfr
The Old Settler turned to the boys with a
look of confidence in himself. He had dis.
covered the difficulty.
"Deefl" said he. "Deef, an don't want
folks to know it. So don't let on, an I'll set
him all right"
Raising his voice and measuring the ques-
lion off deliberately word by word the Old
Settler said:
Il said w'ats-the-matter-with-yer
-armF'
@Oh, Pm one O. the McAlisters," said the
stranger, with II laugh. I'm Limpy Meal
lister, of Bishpole Holler. But mebbe you
don't know bout the McAllister familyl'
The Old Settler began to grow warm. His
fingers worked nervously on his cane.
tf 1pngar sta hfa INaprnl -, f,t,,-f In -
claimed, "he cant hear no more'n a ton of
coal. Wall, now, I'll make him hear, or I'll
split my wizzen a tryin' of itl' The Old
Settler drew his chair up nearer to the
stranger, and improvisng a speaking trumpet
by placing one of his hands on each side of
his mouth, he shouted through init he was
red in the face, and two men came running
in from the street to see what the trouble
was.
oyer arm, neigkbori l SEQ ye've got 1t
strung up in a handkerchief. What mowt be
the ailin' of itl'
The stranger gazed calmly at the Old Set
tier for a moment, and then, placing his hand
behind his ear, said;
"H-a-a-yr
The Old Settler sank back in his chair and
stared at the deaf gentleman in amazement.
The latter placed his hand on the Old Set
tiers knee and remarked to him confden-
italy:
al mowt as well toll ye that l hain't very
loud o. hearin' SOS ye'll know that ven hef
so raise yer tune a leetle wen yo wanter hev
me ketch We. The boys to the Holler has to
git clean up to the top notch, sometimes,
fore l kin git the hang o. WAITS gojn' on.
Jis' raise her a l%eetle, an I'll be thar"
The speaker replaced his hand behind his
enr. The Old Settlers temper was equal to
the occasion. The time had arrived for him
to use il.
"Raise what, consarn YER he howled.
"Rnise WHAT TIL hain't nothin' left to raise,
b'gosh, but the roof, an Pm burned il
don't think I've started that. A BUSH
whncker that's ez def ez you be kain't got
no business to be cavortin' round the coun-
try with only one eye, a stiff leg, an one
arm done up, a purpose TO make folks burst
their gizzards askin' of him what's the mat
ter The best thing you kin do is to trade
them ears o. your'n fur IA dose o. quick pizen
an go off inter the woods an swaller it all,
an take yer game leg an arm with ye, con-
sarn ye."
The stranger sat with his hand behind his
car, as solemn US an undertaker's sign, until
the Old Settler sank back in his chair, putting
and glaring. Then he took his haud from
his ear, pondered Il moment, Ind shaking his
head, remarked again in his confidential
way:
"Im Altered yen have to string it down
On paper, cause yer voice seems a leetle
weak, an ye don't git jest up to my pitch. l
can't ketch we, deacon"
For n moment the Did Settler was n sight.
He raised his cane, but it came down again
quietly to the floor. He opened his mouth,
but not a word escaped him. Presently he
turned toward the boys, and, with disgust
pictured by every look and move, he gasped:
"'Deaconr Gosht'lmighty, boys, 'd~eacoup"
The stranger, as cool and unrufled as a
frozen mill-pond, turned to the sheriff and
said:
"E-a-a-s; l reckon he'd better string it ont
on paper, Sometimes even to the Holler [
hain't quite SO loud o. hearin ez be at others,
an then the boys alluz has to string it out on
paper. Mebbe ye never heerd o. the McAllis-
ter familyF said the stranger, turning sud-
denly to the Old Settler again.
Never heerd on 'em, an don't wanterl"
shouted the latter, fan l don't want nothin'
TO say to no Teller what's pitched so durn
high that ye hev to run the risk o. gittin' took
up fur disturbin' the neighborhood when ye
talk TO him, an then he can't hear ye, b'gosh,
till ye write it with u pencil"
"Mebbe they're the same family" said the
stranger; "but, anyhow, ole Solomon Nc
Allister were the starter o. the McAIlisters o.
Fishpole Holler. Ye see, he were short o. one
eye, somehow, an couldn't count much on
tother one fur a longer range than twenty
foot. So If any one ever struck the deestrick
with anything n little Off bout his eyes, he
got to be one o. the McAllister family right
Off. The family CROWD so that most ev'ry
Teller yo'd meet in the Holler were some kind
o n McAliister, cause the boys war a gittin'
an eye plunked out ev'ry little whipstitch by
flynn chips or splinters in the mills am woods.
Thar war Big Shingle McAllister, an Little
Shingle McAllister; but their names war
Riley. They wor cuttin' single trees, an
lost an eye apiece. Job Jimsen were shearinI
a ram one day, an 1t riz up quick. and jabbed
his horn In Jobs eye, an to his dyin' day be
were Wool McAllister. Then thar wa Nc
Allister the Crank, an Cockeye McAllister.
which war cousins by the namo o. johnson.
Wen | walked inter the Holler lookin' fur a
job, ten years ngo, they asst me wat my
name war. John Z. Riggs, i says. Wall,
sca'ce,y it hain'L' thOy said. Yer name is
Litnpy McAllister.' An Limpy McAllister
I've been ever ssnca.
wall, tn got to he "a heap % McAllisters,
nm himeby their regular names was furgot,
or the fellers kinder Crowd out of 'em, an
new folks ez como inter the Holler never
heerd or know'd what they was. Wunst a
letter come thar directed to Gilbert Fry. The
postmaster didn'u know who GiIbert Iry
We're. He asst everybody TINT come in who
the blazes were Gilbert Fry, an I'm jiggered
II anybody know'd, wen all of u sudde \ ole
Nosey Fraselr ack thinks to hiSseif an says: