Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1886-06-24

y
over g Nose Potter's, last nightPh
"No; what's up nowP They're allus
havin' time there. wonder how that
woman can be sich fool as tive with
sich a man."
80 do |. But this time twas wus'n
any o their quarrels. Didn't ye know
bout the fcllers from Dobbs' factory
a-comin' up ttar an feather MoseP"
My goodness gracious, Miss Brown,
ye don't mean itP'
And Aunt Hannah stopped in her
work Of breaking eggs to raise her
hands in astonishment
''Do take n cheer an set down, and
take of your bunnit," leading the way
into the kitchen, and setting a chair
for her visitor. "Do tell us all about
it.m
Aunt Hannah deposited her two hun
dred pounds rather heavily on the soft
feather cushion on the huge rocking
chair, and commenced beating her
eggs in a mulberry crock-bowl-she
could not stop work even long enough
to crafty her curiosity-and the two
tined steel fork with which she was
| doing the work had not tue efficiency
of tho modern egg-beater.
"Well, ye see, Mrs. Brown began.
pushing the hugo framework of paste
board and gingham back from her
face. ''Mose's Wits took her tailor-work
home yesterday an got her money for
~ fe know Nose use c carry 1t. and
he wouldn't let her hev the money for
I; jest spent jest's he'd a mintor. an
she an the children had c 60 hungry
half o. the time-for Nose never q
bring nothin' in to speak on.
81 know It; an I've told her time'n
ag'in she was fool t'work so an let
that crazy lummox git hold o. her
money" said Aunt Hannah, beating
her eggs more briskly in her indigna-
dation. He'd set behind the stove all
last winter an sing The Lord Pervide. ;
an wouldn't lift his finger t pervide
for his younguns himself The hyper
critr
'Well, yesee," Mrs. Brown resumed,
''she le'rnt bettcr'nt { let him carry
home any work; so Yesterday she an
Jane took big bundle out to the city,
an when she got back, Nose told her
to give him the money, n she wouldn't {
do it. He was mighty high over It, an
threatened what he'd do IL she didn't
let him have it. But she'd got her back
up, n ye know Sally's pretty kinder
sot when she sets out { be, n Nose
couldn't scare her wuth cent She
jest told him the money were her'n:
she earn't il, m he shouldn't tech one
penny ont. Then she sez he Jest grab
bed her by the arm an throat, an tried
to git il, m she kicked an pulled till
she got away from him; but her hair'd
come down in the tussle, an he grab
bed her by that. an afore she could
git a |ay he'd pulled out lock as big
as my thumb. Her head look Just aw-
ful when she cPme over 10 our house
an, told ont, an her arm an throat
was black an blue where he'd pinched
'er. i told her I'd go straight { Squire
Pease n make complaint against him.
An she started; but afore she got there
she met Dave Tuttle, m We know what a
high-ilyer Dave is; m as soon as she
told hiin bout Nose, Dave sez. seq he:
"'Mrs. Potter, We jest go right straight
back'n get the young uns m yer clos,
an If Nose SAYS any thing, jest tellhim
you've made complaint against him.
an he dassent tech ye. an I'll get my
team n meet ye here in half an hour,
an fetch ye to my house. an We can
stay till We can make a shift some way.
80 she got the young uns an things
an mighty few things there was. too
an Dave fetched them home with
him.
'What did Nose have Z say for him
self when Sally came back?"
Never said nothin'. only asked 'er
where she was goin', an she told him
twas where she'd be better Off than
she d ever been with him. She saws
he kinder hauled in his horns. as if he
was little afeared, an he let 'er 90
without sayin' nothin' more"
1.-The mean scampl Lucky for him
wasn't his wife, said Aunt Hannah.
iiercely. I'D a-learnt him what's what
afore this time"
"Well, We see. Dave went an told
them factory fellows how mean Nose
had used his wife, an they'd allus had
kind of a grudge against him. an
didn't want no better iIn n { scare
him half to death; so th,v just rugged
up in old clos, an turned their coats
wrong side out, N blacked their faces,
SOS he couldn't tell none on 'em. Then
they got a big bag o. feathers an
tried 10 git Nose out. But he smclt
rat, an they couldn't raise him. They
pounded on the doors an told him
they'd break 'em down if they didn't
let EN- in. but he never let on he heard
'em. Bimeby some of EN- got the hog
trough AN threw it through the win
der"
"Good for 'eml" said Aunt Hannah,
chuckling with delight. That's the
most sensible thing they ever done. a
hogs trough is the best thing they could
find for sich hog"
"rhey staid round there purity nigh
half an hour, and one or two on 'em
got in through the broken winder an
looked high an low. but they couldn't
md hide or hair of Nose. Arter they'd
been gone r spell. Lish went over an
hollered { Nose m told him they's all
cleared out, and nobody shouldn't
tech him IL he'd come out. But he
never showed himself; an Lish lit a
candle an went all over the house,
from garrit { suller, but he couldn't
find nothin' o. Nose nowhere; but
jest as was a-goin' { give it up, he
heard Nose call in kind Of a scarf
whisper;
"'Lish, is 1t you? BE they all
gomez
"An' as true as ye live, there was
Nose down on all fours s-a-crawlin' out
OF hogshead way in under the suller
stairs. He was all covered with ashes
an dirt an he shook Jest like a pop
pie leaf He was scarf all but 10 death,
ar hung c Lish so, not to leave him
alone, that he had TO fetch him home
with him. He put him in the bed up
garrit. n / never knew nothin' about
IL till morning. or there'd a-been
music. ye better b'leve. / jest made
Lisb take that bed out inter the yard.