Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1884-01-03
A FLORIDA CRACKER.
Riding Away From Blood-thirsty
Indians on a Snow.

iIoul lic uIdIIC-ldhtu IullBS Illdu LHc
one told you about afore. Hit hap
pened along in 1897, wien Twas tollab-
ly young and spry and had just settled
in this country. l had a right smart
little clearin' OF forty acres, had just
married Sal jennings .an' likely
young gal she was, too-an' we settled
down To fdrmin'. We had a snug little
log house of two rooms, a good barn
and crib, bunch of cattle that l had
armed workin' out, lots Of chickens an
a long, gaunt, ungainly sow that SAILS
folkes had gin her when we got mar
ried.
"This here sow was the ornariest
lookin' animile that ever seed. She
was nigh onto six feet long and not
much fatter than gallon Of pump wa
ter. Her years had been cut off clost
to her head an her tail was jest hard
stump that you could hang bucket on
when you went to the spring arter wa
ter; but she had more solid hard sense
than any SOW I'ye eyer seed afore or
since. We called her Lot, bekase my
woman, who was we'll lafnt am had
nearly hull Bible, 'lowed it was goin'
20 take heap OF salt to pack her "a
way when we got outen meat an de-
cided to Kill her. She was a sort OF pet,
too, fed around the house gineraly; al
lus came TO the door aTter her bucket
of slops at night, an no matter where
she'd happen to be she'd come right up
when we hollered or whistled for her.
She seemed TO understand every word
said TO her an was a heap Of use TO
us, for she kept tie house clar of in
sects. She'd come IN the house just
aiter dicner and lay down on the n lot
with her mouth open, as If she was "a
sleep like, and the ants, flies and fl9as
would all crowd in, an then she'd shut
her mouth up clest and that crowd of
visitors was gone up. Then she'd turn
around an wink her eye at rue, too!
Yes, sir; actilly wink her eye at mel
I've seed her do bit many time. /
sot heap of store by that there SOW
an allus treated her kindly, an the
time I'm tellin' you about my narrer
escape she saved my life.
Zone night, arter we'd all gone to
bed, my woman was taken powerful
bad with some sort of misery in the
stomach. l tried all the doctor truck
l had in the house, but hit didn't do no
good, 50 1 concluded I'd best go 30 the
store at the ferry an git dose o. puke
for her. l knowed that if she could git
good chance of vomitin' she'd be all
right, SO saddled my creetur an put
out for the store, which was nigh four
teen miles off. got ther' about ten o.
clock, got the medicine an; started for
home fast as 1 could go, l tell you,
young man, hit was sort of resky to
leave yer wife all alone that way an
ride twenty-el ght miles through the
woods on dark night, but i'll them
days we often had to do lit. Well, /
rode along jest as fast as | could, an
when got in sight of the house | saw
hit was all dark, but that didn't troub-
le me much, for L thought the light
'ud fire had gin out, am my wife was
too sick to put more on or mought be
better am gone to sleep. Jest as l got
about half way to the barn my mule
give snort and jumped to one side,
nigh thrown' me oater the saddle. |
sburred her to make her go on, am
vim! came shot am she fell right un-
der me, shot through the head. On,
Lordy. my heart went up in my swal-
low, for there was an awful yell an my
house blazed right up. was all in a
trimble an didn't know which way to
turn. Bn owed my wife must be dead
an so 1 made for the swamp with the
red devils a chasin' and yellin' at me.
jest as l got to the edge of the
swamp l heard grunt am there riz up
that ole ow, Lot. Then the good lord
must have put the thought in me, an
jumped on her back, scrooch in nigh
ty close along her backbone an a-hold-
in on to her shoulder blades, with my
feet sorter clinched under her belly.
That ole sow seemed to know 'zactly
what to do. She just buckled down to
hit and into the swamp we went. The
Ingins chased us about six miles, but
Lot could outrun 'em and they had to
give it up.
81 gathered up my wife's bones,
what | could find of 'em, an buried
'em right over thar where you see that
little bill, and then | went to huntin'
an trappin' and kilIin' of Ingins fer a
livin' [ built another little cabin
this one you're in now-ar' gradually
got another farm again, my own work.
cookin' an all. l expect to live an,
die here, fer I'm gittin' too old to traY-
el much now."