San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-06-19
A CRACKER SKETCH.

lapldated worm renee around IL.
ragged honeysuckle vine at one side of
the door. which is never closed winter or
summer. q few stunted rose bushes Dor
dering the path Of white sand that glis-
tened blndingly in the sun of midsum-
mer day. from the broken gate to the
rickety doorstep
A traveller drew his horse up at the
gate, and. after the fashion Of the coun-
try. shouted, Hell lol" He heard a sonor-
Gus growl from within the house. as if an
immense, i'll natured African lion had
been disturbed from an afternoon siesta;
then shrill. shattered voice commanded,
You. Watch. git right back thar, and
the great dog Immediately retired to his
favorite couch beneath the high. incur
tanned bedstead
few moments later there protruded
from the open door an enormous corn cob
in lazy blue column. As the pipe with.
it seemed, several sections of stem, grad
ually made itself visible. it became evi-
dent that the other end disappeared in an
old woman's mouth-a dry. expression
less mouth. surrounded with ever widen
ing circles of wrinkles. as is the center
Of a tree. which circles took in a long,
sharp nose, hooked chin, two bright,
inquisitive eyes. and finally disappeared
under the folds of a cotton handkerchief
bound over snowy hair.
Then the handle of the pipe was with
an effort extracted from its accustomed
place between the old cracker mothers
lips as she called. "Ole man. ole man.
here's sum un as wanster see you.
The pipe is replaced and the thin col
umn of blue smoke curls lazly up as the
stranger sits in silence under close scru-
tiny from the eyes above the primitive
pipe as we'll as from a pair of bright,
starry orbs, dimly visible through crack
between two logs of the cabin.
Presently thick stream of dark yellow
fluid is projected from around corner of
the building with the force and volume Of
a lawn sprinkler, heavy quid of tobacco
is flung out among the stunted rose bushes,
and an old man-dwarfed in appearance,
with lean and slender frame, yellow skin,
thick gray hair locks. from which projects
an aquiline nose and peer two ferret like
and furtive eyes-comes slowly slouching
into view He wears patched and darned
brown jeans clothes. and, as it is summer,
he does not wear any shoes at all. He
speaks first. saying in breath:
Good ven'-tollable-light mister"
The stranger lights" and enters the
house. which. after the glaring semi-path
outside. looks as cool and gloomy as a
grotto There he came face to face with
the girl of the starry eyes, who indeed
appears, perhaps from the contrast with
her homely surroundings. rare vision Of
girlish loneliness.
As the stranger bowed she smiled bash
fully and said Good mawnin'," though
it is late in the afternoon, but no one
makes him acquainted
The young lady whom the mother calls
"Soonie" brings him directly drink of
cool spring water in a small long handled
gourd, which is white and as light as cork.
and which seems to impart an agreeable
flavor and sweetness to the water: but as
the weary traveller meets Soonie's hand in
taking the gourd and her eyes while drink
ing. it may be that the virtue did not all
lie in the gourd
The mother sits beside the doorway,
knitting smoking and gazing down the
lonely sandy road as she has done every
day these last fifty years Along that
road, she tells the stranger. her old
man brought her to this home the day
they were married-only he wasn't an old
man then. but one of the finest boys in
the country; along that road her only son
Benny marched away to 'jine Guv'nor
Brown. but he never came back: along
that road later on came one division of
Sherman conquering hosts as they swept
over the already desolated country on to
the sea. and along that road some day in
the near future she will be carried in q
rough pine box. on q jolting OK cart, up
to the burying ground at New Prospect
church and laid to rest. Old man Stubs,
with similar thoughts. perhaps. sits near
her industriously chewing new tobacco
cud and splitting with deadly precision at
the lazy flies basking in the sun on the
doorstep. and asking at intervals, like
minute guns
And what did you say your name mout
be. mister" though the guest had not as
yet mentioned it,
And you are from-where. mister2'
failing to use the name after obtaining it.
And what mout be your business,
mister olinging still to his favorite title.
And be you Yankee, misterr''
While gratifying his hosts curiosity