The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-07-25
HOSPITALITY.
How a Liberal Squa,ter Entertained q
 City Guest,

|
 City Guest.
 A traveller who had stopped at the cab. in of an Arkansaw squatter, was cordially invited, when meal time arrived, to par take of dinner. AS he was gnawed by an appetite brought on by hard riding, he readily consented. The meal consisted of corn bread and fried bacon.
 Help yourself nov, stranger" said the host. "You won't find no foolish ness nur Sunday 6xin's round here That bread is as good, reckon, as any you ever s,ed, Ground with water mill down here on Caney Fork. Don't git no sich bread whar you come from, reckon. Now here some O the finest meat you ever sot eyes on. Amt no lean foolish ness about this meat Had some coffee yistidy, but ain't got none day, Would have plenty O milk, but old Red got snake bit an went dry. BiIl," calling a boy that stood near the table, fetch the stranger gourd O water"
 "Jule's got the gourd out in the yard playing with it, pap"
 Whar's the other one ?"
 It's had soap in it."
 "Wall. rench it out an fetch the stranger some waterp
 "I don't care for any," the guest re- replied.
 Better take some fo,ch rum way over on the mountain"
 No, I'm not thirsty" ---
 "Never mind, then, Bill. Waters sorter scace, anyhow"
 My friend" the stranger asked, do you eat corn bread and bacon all the time"
 "Oh, no, not all the time, fur couldn't afford it. Have to work some little"
 "Yes, understand. What do you do when you ge. tired of eating corn bread and bacon?"
 "I stop"
 But are there not times when you don't feel disposed to cat such fare z"
 "Yes, when I've jest got nuf"
 " Don't you think that you d be health fer if you had greater variety of food? 2"
 "I don't know, as never tried it; but l don't believe that nick-nacks are healthy. Old Absalom Coosetree, as hearty a man as a feller wants to see, went down to Little Rock some time ago. He had been eatin' corn bread an bacon for forty years an was stronger than two year old steer, but while he was down thar he ct so many nick-naoks that he tuck the rheumatic an is still a hobblin' round on crutches. Oh, it won't do to fool with natur. She won't stand it."
 Do you send your children to school r
 "Wall. no. Bill he went little bu, he tuck the big head an had to stop him. He hadn't been goin' morn two weeks till he commenced to sass me an mur Didn't he, mur2"
 A woman who sat at enc end of the table replied that after Bill took up book larnin," he was full of his sass. t"
 "Our oldest son, continued the squat ter, never went to school day in his life, but now he owns as goodeT piece . creek bottom land as you ever seed. Afore thar was 90 much edycation thar wa'n't half so many rascals in the toun- try. My daddy couldn'ter read his name q he had seed ii painted on the side O barn an he never stold nuthin', bu, my uncle what had spelled all the way through the book an cyphered all round the 'ri,h- metic-whar do you reckon he is now?"
 have no idea," the stranger replied. "Mur does, though, don, you mur"
 reckon do." "Yas, mur knows. He's layin' out in the woods, summers, keepin' away rum the grand jury. He's dun sarved one term in the peni,entiary. Talk sbou, edycation, " that man could read abou, lions an tigers on show bill. Al one time we thought that he was goin' to be i the gov'ner O the state, bu, he disAp- pinted us nightly. Nov here's my son Bill, ies' fur all the world like my Uncle i Dan. Gin tha, boy little edycation an CT putty good chance an he'd not hessi- tate to spread his hands on another mans hoss."
 Now na vou knox | woulAn't D xztd Bill.
 @Yes, you would"