Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-12-05
Bill Arp ani Family.

Cousin john Thrasher came 10 SOD
US the otaer day and made us proud.
toc ii is no small compliment for r
man like Inn to ride t;Te miles ON a
dirt DAD in hot weather to do as hon .r
aad show his re arj. lie didn't stoJ
long, for he is always in a.hurry. aud
so Just be ore leaving he said he wante
to GO down TO the spr.ng and dip up n
drink pure water. went down with
him and kept . little ahead. / strpe
down of the log that was close by ths
spin, and Gus n John slept down
ust Behind me. aud he slept h ch and
he slept lar. and hollerel ..snake.J
Sure enoug IN had stept over the yar-
mht-a big, rusty moccasin and he
male for no in the rocks and We
lost him. Iousin John did 1T get over
1t for several minutes. and had to sor
q wn aud ow. for he is awsu!ly afr4id
o. snakes. It is mighty hard on my
wife, Tor snakes are her everlasting
hor.o:. II we Kill one on the prem
ises, she always. declares there is
anotaer close by, and II We
kill two she says there must bc
den o. them. and so there is mo-
way to racify aud make her calm and
serene. Carl is getting 10 le right
smart chunk of boy now, and hanks
ers after gun, and so the other d ~
told him we would go hunting shakes
l gave h m the small gun and took
the big one, AMI We meandtred slowly
along the branch. and sure enough h6
spicd that same big moccaSin down be-
low tho spring surn:ng himself on q
plank. and go. him a rest and cooked
his anI haat IN R ,h'ft.r mir
and firel and killed the beast and he
was the prcudest boy 1 think I ever
saw. We k He'd four on that excur-
on, and now he don't want to do any
thing but hunt snakes and swells uy
and sttutS round with his new import
ance. We killed rattlesnake's pilot
over IN the field and ten young ones
came crawling out of her mouth. Hot,
dry, dusty weather makes them travel
arou!d in search of food, and You can
see their wormy. squIrmy track across
the road most every day. The books
say that snakes that lay eggs are non-
venomous, and those that give birth to-
their young are venOmous, and that
none but the latter ever allow their
young to run in and run out of them.
Tut trey are all the same u me, and I
let none escape II can help it. Our
II ortal ant pathy to snakes is to my
mnd one of the strongest pro ifs of
Scripture, and it is part of my religion
TO "oruiseh:s head" whenever l have
q chance.
My wife, Mr.. Arp, loves tn 90 down
to the sprng house and see after tho
milk and superintend the churning.
and she Is proud of the rich cream.
and prouder of the butter, and l don't
want any of these insidious per-
ambulating re, les TO interfere with
her perfect serenity. love the butter
milk, the pure cold bu;tsrmilk that she
prepares, for know it is nice. She
called me down tt the spring house
yesterday to show me how much nice
yellow butter she had made at doub'e
churning. Of course complimcrfted
her with gushing and uxorious Ian
guage. and when she told me to 90 to
the house and look on the pantry shelf
and br ne her down the bowl of salt,
wberewiih to scason the butter went
with alacrity and brought it, and [
wa! ched her ai she sprinklcd it oil over
and stirre it in with the paddle, and in
course of tine she concluded to taste it
and see il II was salty enough. and
never will orget the lost an lamented :
look she gave me as she exclaimed,
''N iliiain, you brought me sugar
She sat uown OF a chair and looked
away of. II thought it was sa t."
said |. II found it Just where you told
me-" "Of cour5e ycu did," she safd.
"a m not blaming you n al; I forgot
there was bowl of sugar tir re. and il
| had had on my specs / could have told
the dileren, G. oh, my! what pity it
is 10 be old and nearly blind. ft was
beautiful Lob of butter and now it is all
spoit.
Only dear" said /. "Non't it do for
cake, and You said you wa, going t0
make bread pudding 10 day and 10
will g splcnd d for sauce. 1t is already
mixed"
She never said anything. but handed
me the butter and told me 10 set it in
the spring house. l did so and ven-
tured to remai k that it was mighty nice
sweet butter. Well. got the pudding
for dinner and eat about twice as much
as wanted just 10 show her how good
it was, and now everything Is calm and
serene. expect we will have pudding
and cake every day for a week, Dut /
don't cxpe to ever mistake sugar for
salt again as long as live. There are
some things that won't bear repeating
in family.
We are preparing to go into winter
quarters now. My wi @ has called my
respectful attention to a few broken
window glass and leak in the roof
and brick or two that are loose in the
oh mne ba *, and she has mentioned
that another pair of bank IS will
be needei, for the grandchildren will
be coming out, and she says that my
flannel shirts are getting old and d..
lapidated; she always looks a1tcr me-.
bless her heart, and l always look after
her, bless my heart. too. for she wnt
ask for anything, and | have 10 talk {.
the girls and find out what their moth
er needs If she ever asked ne for
ANYTHING in her life don't know it,
and reckon the reason is don't give
her chance. She has got things in
that big old :amily trunk now t at I
have done forgot | eyer bou, ht Win
er is coming, and / am glad OF II. I
do so love the cheerful blazing fire in
the family room and the children Sit
ting around, and Mrs. Arp in her nc
eli toned corner and the good. warm
carre. ON the oor, and the rich. fat
pine by the closet door to kindlc the
nre in the mocnIng.
We'll, there is power OF pleasure in
this sabloonary life il We will look for
it---BtH arp, IN AtantG Constitution.
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