Wichita eagle., 1888-09-16
HE WASN'T FIFTEEN.

Single CABIN and n rough Sneu LOT Ine
muln. l happened in at an unfortunate
moment. A girl about IA years of age
saw me coming up the trail, and she came
down bit to meet me. She was ver-
liable elfn in look. bareheaded, barc
footed, 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 "Hellol" or "How are your"
The meaning is that you have arrived at
a crib or feeding place and are welcome.
and how are pap and MANI" ! asked
as we shook hands.
MANS 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 best he kin"
could hear the shrill tones Of wo-
mans voice as we drew nearer, and when
we reached the door / halted in embar-
rassment. seeing that the family skeleton
was out.
"Ohl MANI called the girl whose name
was Mary
"You shetr replied the woman, whose
back was toward us.
ooh! mann, but yere's goerp Grat.
eler).
The mother came to the door, surveyed
me for moment, and then extended her
hand and said:
''Cribbins to you, stranger. jim, yere's
q goer. Come yere and clutch"
A tall, thin, cadaverous looking man
came forward, wiped his eyes with 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"
ooh! shucksp' exclaimed the wife,
''you come right ini It's nothin' to speak
of, | was dun tellin' Jim what pore
wuthless critter he was
Stranger, Jim Porter gins We cribbins
with all his heart, added the man, and we
went in.
The situation seemed to strike Mary all
in heap, and after a hearty laugh she
said:
Pears so titterish that he'un caught
mann coon KILN dad!"
@'You shetl' called the mother; eff
was coon KILN dad he deserved itl'
III leave it to heun if l 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 great
getter (bustler). Dads a great sitter.
Yves pore and that makes man mad but
dad says Yves bound TO be pore. and SO he
don't worry"
That's it, honey" said the woman:
land now, stranger, want to hev leetie
buzz (talk) with you. | want to tell you
ell about Jim"
And l want to tell you all about her."
added the husband.
And | want to tell ye all about the
hull passle of emf chuckled Mary ir
high feather.
The mother jumped for her. but tao
Girl skipped out doors with shout, and
then we prepared for the talk. l gave
Jim cigar, the wife lighted her pipe,
and when the smoke got to curling up she
began
Stranger, we ar the most shuckless
passle in these we're hills, an he'un is all
~ blame fur it"
SNow, Polly!" chided the husband.
Deed We ar, jim We've bin hitched
fifteen years. We cum right yere to this
very shakedown fifteen years ago, an
we're we ar today. We did hev little
sunthin' to begin on, but it's all gone
now. Stranger, | hevn't got but one
towel in this yero cabin, an that's got
hole into it!'
''Shucks, PoIyl Who wants 10 use
towels?"
I'VE had three new sheets when we
cum yere-reg'lar sheets far the bed"
continued the wife. but whar' ar they
now? We had foEr pillar cases, but
they's done gone. We had cups and sas-
sers, but We can't find 'em now. Strsn-
ger, look about We an see how pore an
Gownridden we ar"
An it's my fault, of course" said the
husband, beginning to cry
That's what I'll always grip by stick
toy. Jim. If you was glitter we'd bin
rich folks afore this"
''Shucks, Pollyl'
"Ohl it amt no use of hetchin' (scof.
fngl, jim II it wasn't for me an the
gal you'd starve to death. You began to
sot almost as soon as we got spiced, an
you've got wuss every year. tell ye,
stranger, it keeps me clean beat. Other
folks git along and go ahead, bat we'uns
goes down hill every day. We hain't got
nuthin'. an we can't git nuthin', an the
Lord doan' keer no mo- about US than so
many onery skunksf
With that she burst out crying and
Jim wept the harder, and Mary looked i'll
ct the door and seriously observed:
} Stranger, We want to talk to pap
powerful sassy. He's tryin' to be fifteen,
an everybody knows he never will be
fifteen"
That's what ais him." said the vito
rs she choked back her tears
Whats he trying to be ftten for?" /
asked.
ITO spread the gospil. stranger. He's
got his nose in that ar Bible all day long.
He wants TO be fifteen to preach, but he
never kin be. If he wouldn't try TO be
itten he'd go to work and arm sunthin'."
why can't l be ftten?" asked Jim.
Wasn't Moses. ST. John and Paul ftten?"
yes, but they wasn't pore, ignorant
souatters. an you know it. They had
calls"
~ haven't got CALI Didn't hear
voice in my dreams a-sayin': Jim Porter,
Rapidly Firing Artillery.
On the occasion Of q lecture delivered At