The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-05-16
AN EVIDENCE OF CULTIVATION
lopie P. Read, in Cleveland Sun. |


 To meet with an evidence of cultiva, ton, away of somewhere in the woods is almost as ch lrming as the sudden dis. covery of a flower, lifting its perfumed petals in waste place where only weeds were expected to grow. The day was dreary. Rain was falling The leafess trees, rattling their stifl fingers together, shivered; while occa- sionally rheumatic old oak, suffering his joints to shriek, would cry out in acute pain. A house-lonely and humble with stark chimney and clapboard reof, but house.
 Come in," said the whining, though not unpleasant, voice of woman. "Gi, outen the way, will you," she added, thrusting the toe of coarse shoe against the ribs of dog. "lt do peer like the dogs will take the place. Set down, sir"
 l sat down. The woman, while closely eyeing me, proceeded to twist up her tangled black hair, which, in the semi gloom of the ill-lighted house, looked like the network of an uncongenial night.
 reckon you air stranger in this here community ?"
 "Yes."
 "Out huntin' hogs, reckon?"
 No, l am not hunting hogs"
 "lt kain't be that you air the new circuit rider, ken it?'
 "No, madam, l am merely travelling through this part of the country with a view of writing it up for a newspaper"
 "Wall, wall," she said in astonish- ment. "A man some time ergo put something in the paper about our place. The paper is up here nov, reckon"
 She took down the county paper and pointed to a paragraph setting forth the fact that her husbands land was about to be "sould for taxes"
 "Where is your husband ?" asked.
 "Gone to whup the man that put that readin' in thar. Jim, he is a powerful smart man an ken read anything at first sight. l aiu't much uv a scholard myself. l uster could 6gser little, but when the war come on it so pestered me in my mind that ] forgot how"
 Dipping cob pipe into the fire. and skillfully securing coal, she settled her self down to solid enjoyment.
 The war was awful" she continued. "They tuck every chicken on the place, an aigs, why, couldn't keep one, no way could fix it. Pap he got awful mad. but he had to lay low. One time they tuck him outen bed, tisd him acrost a log an whupped him till yos mout uv hearn him holler mile an CT Ma'f. I was powerful sorry for him, but it couidn't be helped. That want all. While they was stIrrin' round with him they broke the finest settin' uv goose aigs ever laid my eyes on. Oh, it was shameful the way they did carry on."
 What time will your husband return madamW
 " Wali, it's jest owin' to how long it will take him to git through with the business in hand. He is usually putty peart. Laws a massy, how he ken slash round when he is at himself Don't know Lit Kelly, do you?''
 confessed that ] was not acquainted with Lit.
 Wait, seed pap whup Lit with one han an pay his respecks to the Parker boys with the luther one. Pap, he was edycated whar they turn out scholards.n
 On little table, near which sat. I noticed leather-bound book. Taking it up saw that it was an old copy of Byron.
 "That's pap's, she said. "He wouldn't take nothin' fur it."
 The book was well worn. "Pap" was evidently man of some cultivation. It was surprise to see that book away out there in the woods, and to know that a humble, obscure man felt the fire of it's pages.
 "That's the arnly book he's got" she continued, "an' it's the arnly one he keers about" " suppose he spends a great deal of his time reading it9"
 Law bless you, no. It's his razor strop. He lows that there ain't none o' these here new tangled strops thatll sharpen razor like that book. Don't be she added as arose.
 "Yes, l must go. The rain is about over."
 Stop in when you happen to come along. Wall, CT, good-day."