Wichita eagle., 1888-05-25
A CRACKER SKETCH.


ragged honeysuckle vine at one side OF
the door. which is never closed. winter or
summer, few stunted rose bushes Dor
! dering the path of white sand that glis-
tened blndingly in the sun Of a 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, "Hel-lo" He heard sonor-
GUS growl from within the house, as if an
immense, Ill natured African hon had
been disturbed from an afternoon sIesta;
then q 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
A few moments later there protruded
from the open door an enormous corn cob
pipe, from which the smoke was curling
| in lazy blue column AS the pipe with.
! it seemed. several sections of stem. grad
ually made itself visible. it became evil
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 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 it's accustomed
place between the old cracker mother
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 lazily up as the
stranger sits in silence under close scru-
tiny from the eyes above the primitive
pipe as well as from 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 a corner Of
the building with the force and volume OF
lawn sprinkler. heavy quid of tobacco
is flung out among the stunted rose bushes,
and an old man--dwarfsd 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 -touable-ight, mister"
The stranger lights" and enters the
house. which. after the glaring senni-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 homeiy surroundings, a rare vision Of
girlish loveliness-
As the stranger bowed she smiled bash
fully and said Good mawnin'," though
makes him acquainted. "
The young lady whom the mother calls
'Soonie" brings him directly a drink of
cool spring water in 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 Zine Guv'nor
Brown" but he never came back; along
that road later on came one division of
Sherman's 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 viii &c carried In
rough pine cox. on a 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, misterls
failing to use the name after obtaining it.
And THAT mout be your business,
uisssrr' ciingirg still to his favorite title.
~ he a Yantoa Y1iSfarf'
While gratifying his hosts curiosity
the visitor glances curiously about the
room on his own account. About the
open fireplace, at which the family cook
ing is done. are ranged the only cooking
vessels known in crackerdom-an oven to
bake bread. a frying pan in which they
spoil about au meats. deep pot TO bell
greens" and coffee pot IN which they
compound black decoction. strong and
bitter. and which they drink enormously.
unassisted with either sugar or milk;
strings Of red pepper hang IN long fes-
toons from the rafters overhead, along
with home raised hams, ears Of popcorn
and bags of unknown contents; on pegs
about the walls hang the entire ward
robes of all the family Two tail beds fill
the rear of the cabin. and under one of
these Watch is growing at the Strangers
voice and sleepily scratching feas-
Soonie is preparing supper. frequently
casting expectant glances up the sandy
road
1t is Saturday afternoon, and her sweet
heart will soon come whistling merily
from among the pines. arrayed in a suit
Of new clothes. with white shirt and red