Milford chronicle., 1888-10-05
HE WASN'T FIFTEEN.


"Cribbins to you, stranger"
"And cTibbins to you, my child"
The term "cribbins" is often used in
the place Of "Hello" or "H5w are your
The meaning is that YOU have arrived at
a crib or feeding place and are welcome.
"And how are pap and mamY ! asked
as we shook hands.
MANS dun gone and got mad, and
pap's cryin'. Can't you hear her2 Nam
shouldn't jaw bone pap all the time. Pap
does best he kin"
could hear the shrill tones of q wo-
mans voice as we drew nearer, and when
we reached the door I halted in embar-
rassment, seeing that the family skeleton
was ont.
"Oh! mamr called the girl whose name
was Mary.
"You shetP replied the woman, whose
back was toward us.
"Oh nam, but yere's a goerP (tEav-
eler).
The mother came to the door. surveyed
me for a moment, and then extended her
hand and said:
"Cribbins to you, stranger. Jim, yere's
goer. Come yere and clutch"
A tall, thin, cadaverous locking 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"
"Ohi shucksW exclaimed the WIFE
"you come right inl It'snothin' TO speak
Of, was dun tellin' Jim what q pore
wuthless critter he was"
Stranger, Jim Porter gins ye cribbins
with all his heart, added the man, and we
went ia.
The situation seemed to strike Mary all
in heap, and after a hearty laugh she
said:
Pears so titterish that he'un caught
nam coon KILN dad"
"You shetw called the mother; eff
was coon KILN dad he desarved it,"
I'm leave it to heun if 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 a laugh. ''Aiams a great
getter (bustler) Dads a great sitter.
Wes pore and that makes man mad, but
dad says wes bound to be pore, and so he
don't worry"
That's it, honey" said the woman;
"and now, stranger want TO hev a leetle
buzz (tallS) with you. want to tell you
all about Jim"
''And want to tell you all about her, Z"
added the husband.
"And I want to tell ye all about the
hull passle of 'eml" chuckled Mary in
high feather.
The mother jumped for her, but the
girl skipped out doors with shout, and
then we prepared for the talk. / gave
Jim a 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 yere hills, an heun is all
to blame fur it"
Now, Pollyl' chided the husband
Deed ye ar, jim. We've bin hitched
fifteen years. We cum right yere to this
very shakedown fifteen years ago, an
yero we ar today. We did hev a little
sunthin' to begin on, but it's all gone
now. Stranger, I hewitt got but one
towel in this yere cabin, an that's got a
hole into It'll"
"Shuclks, Polly Who wants to use
towels?"
owe had three new sheets when we
cum yere-reg'lar sheets fur the bed,
continued the wife, "but whar' ar they
now2 We had four pillar cases, but
they's done gone. We had cups and sas-
sers, but ye can't find EN- now. Stran-
ger, look about ye an see how pore an
downridden we ar"
AN it's my fault, of coursep said the
husband beginning to cry.
That's what Ill always grip by stick
20 G re.'I },
rich folks afore this"
Shuo,.5, POily!'
"Ohl it amt no use of hetchin' (scof-
fing), Jim. If 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, but we'uns
goes down hill every day We hain't got
nuthin', an we can't git nuthin' an the
Lord doan' Eeer 70 mo- about us than so
many onery skunks"
With that she burst out crying and
Jim wept the harder, anil Mary looked in
at the door and seriously observed:
Stranger, ye want to talk to pap
powerful sassy. He's tryin' to be fitteu,
an everybody knows he never will be
ftten."
That's what Gils him, said the wife
as she chol1ed back her tears.
What's he trying to be itten for?" /
asked.
''To spread the gospil, stranger. He's
got his nose in that ar Bible all day long.
He wants to be fitten to preach, but 10
never kin be. If he wouldn't try to DO
ftten he'd go to work and airn sunthin'."
"Why can't l be fitten2" asked jim.
"Wasnt Moses, st. John and Paul fitten%
''Yes, but they wasn't pore, ignorant
squatters, an you know it. TLey had
calls"
can haven't got a CALI Didn't hear
a voice in my dreams a-sayin': Jim Porter,
the Lord calls ye to labor IN his tan yard.
Fitten yerself an go forth. ~
"Shucksw called Mary from the door.
Pore critterP sighed the wife.
''l'll leave it to the stranger If kin bo
ftten," said Jim, and he went over and
got his Bible and opened it and began to
read:
80, give thanks, thanks, unto the
Lord, for he-he-is-is-g-O-o d, good;
be-be-beeausehi his mercy, mercy
He was two minutes getting that far,
and he closed the book and said:
Stranger, be honest an squar with
me. Am l fitten? Will ever be fittenl"
You are no more fitten to 60 out and
preach than coon is to sing psalms" I
replied.
II said SO. Jim Porter-tole ye so all
Everybody Likes