Sharp County record., 1888-05-17
A FAMILY AFFAIR.
The Downtroddenest, Mournfulest
Couple in Tennessee.

just on the divide of a Tennessee
mountain the hind wheels of the buck
board dropped into n rut. the axle
broke with smash, and after spend
inc ten minutes in solemn thought, the
driver said:
"Well, I'll have to get the consarned
thing down to Tompkinsville for re-
pairs, and you'd better stay all night
at yon cabin"
Perhaps they can't accommodate
me-"
There's no perhaps about it. Folks
as has got house are bound to keep
folks as has broke down. "
Invent over to the cabin, which was
arude log structure, and the only one
within four miles. The woman saw
me coming and stood in the open door.
Her husband saw me coming and sat
down on log. The five or six chill
dren saw me coming, and arranged
themselves along the opening in the
brush fence which answered for a gate,
As l came up approached the man
and explained the nature of the accI-
dent and asked to stay all night,
IS ranger, if it depended on me, I'd
say yes" he replied, as he crossed his
legs and tried to put on an injured
look. But it don't depend on me; |
don't amount to shucks around we're
no mo-.
Now, Ezekiel, what dye talk like
that furP' demanded the barefooted
wife as she came down to the log.
"Who's said you wasn't boss! Who's
tried to take the lead over you?
You hev. an right afore the chill
dren, too! You said wasn't fitted to
drive hogs!'
"Shoo, Ezekiel! you began it by say
ING J6 Fas 9sss s1trAEAHpnftt JSgHH 1t aIIas begin
every thing! Nobody else never be-
gins nuthin'. and nobody else is never
to blame!"
But this ere stranger wants tc
stay all night. It's comm night and
we can't say no"
well, | calkerlate he kin stay. A
month ago | could hev taken him by
the hand and told him to make my
house his home, but now hain't got
no more rights around yere, Pm only
n sighpher now"
The wife took my sachel into the
cabin and l sat down on the log with
Zeke and offered him n cigar. At the
same time the seven children came
and stood in n row before us, and
called out as in one voice:
"The feller has dun gin pap a
cigar!"
Yes, children" said the old man,
rs he scratched q match on his star
board quarter and lit the weed, '.your
pap has got a cigar It's the fust
cheerin' thing that has come to him
fur twentv-one years. and it's proof
that he hain't quite forgotten by all
the world. What are ye standin' here
lookin' at? Whar's yer manners"
'Hain't got none!' called three Of
them at once.
mo, s'pose not, and can't blame
ye-not bit. Children as come up
without any father can't be s'pected
to hev manners. Whar' ye from,
strangerp'
Bristol"
Right smart huddle, I've heard, but
I've never bin thar. Hear 'em say
any thing about me?'
No"
mo? Well, s'pose they've heard
of me, but didn't want to say any
thing to a stranger. I'm the man who
had forty-two biles on his back in one
winter"
you did?'
"Yes; and never got the least SYM
pathy from my family. I've also had
rheumatism, lung fever, lame back,
fever-sOre, consumption and yaller
fever Not one of the family shed a
tear"
rs it possible!"
"And l broke my leg, lost two
hundred-dollar mule by pizan, he'd my
barn burn up, lost farm on 4 mort
gage, and buried two children.
well. you have suffered"
Suffered? Stranger, excuse these
tears; but yours are the first kind
words I've heard since the war
closed"
Pap is bellering mar shouted the
children, as they ran for the house,
and the woman presently rushed out
and said:
Now thar, Z9kiel, you git. ard
you thar, stranger, come in 10
smackri
Didn't tell you sor' exclaimed
lekiel. as he made bolt for the woods.
I'm the discouragedest, downtrod-
oenest. unfortunatest man in all ere
atl0n, and i m coin o IN bopc, r,vsolf,i