, 1886-05-20
ARKANSAW PINEWOODS.

Hello! This is Mr.. johnson, 1 sup
pose: Jones is my name"
~Waal, no, this amt Mister johnson.
2Iy name is T4iSe Johnson
You live here. 4Ir. Johnson"
Wall, I can't says l live, but stays
hyar."
night with you:7
Purity bad, sur, purity bad. We air
mighty pore folks, an got pore ways, but
ef you kin put up with our fiNin's, You
kin stay en- welcome. Jest git down en-
take ont yer bosses. Turn 'em in that
lot thar, you'll lind sum fodder en- shucks
up thar, en- you kin feed them to suit
yerself."
After feeding lay team, 1 turned
toward the house As l entered. l was
greeted by the smell OF fried bacon. the
yclping of 4 NANCY hound, and the
squaIEiug of two or three children. The
lady of the house." a tall, angular,
hatChgt-faced woman, made low court
esy, and pointing 10 a broken-back chair,
invited me TO take Il cheer by the fire"
She soon announced supper by saving in
stage whisper: "'Iige, yer supper's
reddy."
"Ccme, stranger, draw up yer cheer en-
take a seat at the table en- eat a snack.
We hain't much, but yer welcome. Ez
the sayin' is, pore folks is got pore ways,
en- rich people IS got mean uns.' Heg
this cup? No, don't pass il, jest keep it."
"Thet's the only CHIME cup we've got,
'Lige he drinks his coffee outen goard,
he sez it gives people the despepsy to
drink coffee outen chinie cup. But
tells him it's bekase he's too mortal stingy
to buy more. Help yerself to sum Nv
that fiOur-bread, stranger en- hey sum NV
the fry Lige'd set thar en- let yer
starve before he'd AK yer. Lige, pass
them 1ap-over pies they air mighty
good eff l doc say it myself. Hev more
stranger, you hain't eat huff to keep
sparrar alive. If you won't hev emmy
more. Jest push back yer cheer, en- go
TO the fire. Stranger, what mount be yer
name:"
Jones'"
Now yer not akin to them Joneses
over in Dog Holler, air yer:"
mo, don't think L am. l am from
Tennessee.
From Tennysee? Thet's mighty fine
country, haint it:'
"Yes, it's a fine country"
ave hsv mighty pore country hyar,
stranger. l bTeve the good Lord hez
sont cuss on this country sense the war.
The lam don't nigh perduce like it uster
| The peach trees hardly ever hev emmy
peaches on 'e1n. En- the bees don't half
full up ther STAINS with honey. Every
- 20, I'll
En- yer say yer from Tcnnysee? Did yer
ever heam tell Nv feller by the name
Nv Joke Hawkins up thar"
mo, think not"
Jake he moved up in thet neck NV
| woods, en- I lowed mebby You he'd seed
| him. Jake he ester court me when wuz
a gurrul. mind the day when me en-
Iige wuz merried. l he'd prommust
| Jake ter hev him. Gentlemen, whew,
Jake cum thet evening en- found he'd
| took Lige wuz mad ez a vet hen. l never
| did see Just such a mad man in all my
! born days. He ra'red en- he charged, en-
| lowed he would tex old Betsy, thet wuz
| his rifle gun, en- shoot sumbudy's eyes
| orlten ther heads. When heard thet, I
| Jest got riled up an went out thar wbar
| the men folks wuz tryin' to git Jake ter
hush, en- 1 jest walked up ter him en-
shuck my fist in his face en- told him. ter
| git, en- thet purity quick, er would I.etch
him by the h'ar en- jirk him bald-he:aded.
You oughter seed him hustle.
Stranger, you want old enough ter be
in the war, wuz We? Well, you escaped
a power NV trubble, l tell ye One day,
| enduring the war, ! wuz settnl' right
hyar singin' ter the baby, when heerd
a man hoiler out thar at the gate En-
when went to the dore, l hope may
! die, eff thar warn't Jake Hawkins
a-settin' a-straddle NV the poi.est hoss I
ever seed. Yer yaller dorg' sez |, what
| do you want? Miss johnson see he, Tn
powerful hongry-rm narely starved,
en- l want to git a mouthful NV vittles eff
you ken spar it We'll, Jake sez /.
| when l ricomember how YOU cut up
Jack when merried, hit makes me feel
as if oughten ter give you NO vittles.'
But then got to thinking nlehby he did
uster love me, en- give him n pone NV
bread and piece Nv middlin' meat.
| 'Thankee, Miss Johnson lie sed ez he
rid off, zen eff I kin help you at emmy
time, you kin count on Jake Hawkins ez
doin' his SHARE
| "Well, sur, times got mighty hard; en-
my vittles wuz gittin' powerful low.
'Lige wuz off in the war a-fightin', en- it
| wuZ nip en- tuck with me ter make
tongue en- buckle meet, ez the sayin' is.
To make matters worse, Mandy-we al
lsrs called her 'Sis'-taken Gick. en-
thought she wuz goin'ter die out. Thet's
| her 1-Spfttnf in Sha l.
Stranger, never 'spected ter see thet gal
live ter hev bows. Boys is got to comm
ter see her right reg'la now, NV SUNDAYS.
Well, sur, one day he'd scraped up the
last dustin Nv meal outen the meal chist,
en- parched the last grain NV rye ter make
coffee; en- says 1 ter myself, 'ef the good
Lord don't send us somethn' ter eat, me
en- my young uns is goners.' Well. sur.
went to the door ter see eff the ASH hon
per wuz runnin', en- hope may never
see the back Nv my he'd ag'in eff I
didn't see Jake Hawkins cum rackin' up
the road, astraddle NV thet same ole pore
loss, en- when l seed him, sed ter nv
| self, 'ef you air q CONAN arter srmcthin'
| ter eat agin, you'll miss it this time.
| Mister Hawkins
| well, sur, Jake rid up, he did, en- he
sed, Miss Johnson, hyar is piece Nv
meat fur ye,'-I wuz to takin' on surprise
l couldn't say nuthin'-I thought ez
mebby you might be a needin' sumthin'
ter eat while Iige was gone, en- hope
you'll take it fur the sake Nv the good
times me en- You he'd together when we
wuz youngsters CROWN, up together.
When Jake sed that he turned en- rid off
he did, en- never hev set my two eyes
on him sense. But hev never fureot
Inn. liearn people say be moved VI
INTO Tennysee. Now, mister, eff you
should ever seed Jake, en- in yore travel.
tell him you seed me, en- sed how,lv
en- you kin tell him, eff he's got erry bo,
ter send hum down this way a corirtin'
Tell him he kim hev Mandy-tbat,s s;.,-