The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-09-08
THE MAN WHO WASN'T FIFTEEN.
BY NJ. QUAD.

The next afternoon I reached Por- ter's place, SO called, though there was only single cabin and rough shed for the mule. I happened in at an unfortunate moment. A girl about fourteen years of age saw me coming up the trail, and she came down a bit to meet me. She was a veritable elfin in look, bareheaded, barefooted, ragged and her tangled hair flying around her head. She had a finger in her mouth as she came up, but she took it out to say:
 "Cribbins to you, stranger"
 "And cribbins to you, my child"
 The term "cribbins" is often used in the place of "Hello" or "How are you?" The meaning is that you have arrived at crib or feeding place and are welcome.
 "And how are pap and mam?" 1 asked as we shook hands.
 "Mam's dun gone and got mad, and pap's cryin'. Can't you hear her? Nam shouldn't jaw bone pap all the time. Pap does hest he kin"
 COulu uCdI LuO 5uK1ll tOuC6 Ol d woman's voice as we drew nearer, and when we reached the door I halted in embarrassment, seeing that the family skeleton was out.
 "Oh, mann !" called the girl whose name was Mary.
 "You shet!" replied the woman, whose back was towards us.
 "Oh, mann, but yere's a goer p' (traveler).
 The mother came to the door, sur veyed me for a moment, and then ex- tended her hand and said
 "Cribbins to you, stranger. Jim, yere's goer. Come yere and clutch J A tall, thin, cadaverous- looking man came forward, wiped his eyes with a rag, blew his nose several times, and held out his hand and said
 "Gripety-to- clutch, and cribbins to you, stranger. Pete Farrell was along this morning, and he said you was maxim this way"
 "Perhaps had better go on."
 "Oh shucks!" exclaimed the wife, "you come right inl It's nothin' to speak of, was dun tellin' Jim what a pore wuthless critter he was."
 Stranger, Jim Porter gins ye crib bins with all his heart," added the man and we went in.
 The situation seemed to strike Mary all in heap and after 8 hearty laugh she said:
 "Pears so titterish that he'un caught mann coon- killin' dad?"
 "You shet 1" called the mother, Eff I was coon- killin' dad he desarved it 1"
 'Pll leave it to he'un if I do," put in the husband.
 "It's this way, explained the girl as she stood up to motion it off, and her face covered with laugh. "Mam's a great getter (bustler). Dads a great sitter. We's pore and that makes mann mad, but dad says we's bound to be pore, and so he don't worry"
 "That's it, honey" said the woman, "and now, stranger, want to tell you all about Jim."
 "And want to tell you all about her," added the husband.
 "And I want to tell ye about the hull passle of lem I" chuckled Mary in high feather.
 The mother jumped for her, but the girl skipped out doors with a shout, and there we prepared for the talk. I gave Jim a cigar, the wife lighted her pipe, and when the smoke got to curling up sine began.
 Stranger, we ar the most shuck- less passle in these yere hills, an he'un is all to blame fur it.n
 "Now Polly p chided the husband.
 "Deed ye ar, Jim. We've bin hitched fifteen years. We come right yere to this very shake-down fifteen years ago, an' yere we ar to-day. We did hev little sunthin' to begin on, but it's all gone now. Stranger, | hevn't got but one towel in this yere cabin, an that's got hole into itp
 "Shucks, Polly! Who wants to use towels7"
 "We had three new sheets when we cum yere-reg'hr sheets fur the bed, " continued the wife, 3but whar' ar they now7 We had four pillsr-casos, but they's dun gone. We had cups and msssrs, but ye can't find lem now. Stranger, look about ye an see how pore an' down-ridden we ar '~