Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-07-25
LOWLAND FOLKS.

The "Hines Place." as it was called,
was a squatter's farm. That is, Tom
Hines had dumped his wagon load Of
household goods down by the highway
at certain spot, built brush shanty to
shelter his family for a few days, and
eventually erected a rude log cabin, and
there he had stuck for the last fifteen
wears. He had brushed" over two or
three acres Of land around the house and
raised a little corn and a few bushels Of
potatoes, and found him sitting on his
doorstep as good natured and content as
a house cat after full meal.
Powerful glad to see yer-powerful
glad" he said as we shook hands. ''The
stage driver was a-saying you'd be along
today, and / was sorter on the watch.
You thar, jenny"
A woman appeared in answer TO the
call, and the man said:
"Jenny, this is he I'm. Stranger, Jen's
my ole woman. We've got boy named
Moses, but he's off arter roots. Now
come right in and feel home made"
The cabin consisted of one room about
sixteen feet square. There was fire.
place, two beds made of poles, rude
shelf on which were few dishes, an old
clock which did not go, rifle resting
on deer horns, few garments hanging
20 pegs and a photograph Of Cleveland
tackled to the logs. The cash inventory,
outside of the rifle, would not have been
s.. expected to hear the woman begin
the usual "nagging" after bit, and the
man to start off with excuses, but moth
ing of the sort took place. On the con-
trary, as soon as | had been furnished
with bite of cold bacon and corn bread,
and washed it down with summer
tonic made of roots, we went out for
smoke, and Hines inquired:
"How ar We fndin' the people along
the road?"
Much discouraged"
cover WHAT
eOh, the weather and so on"
That's jis' like 'em, the onery, fault
findersl When it isn't one thing it's an
other. Stranger, kin ye expect to find
better weather than this outside of
heaven?
Hardly"
"Thats what I say. Ye found most
of 'em lazy and shuckless, I reckon"
"Yes.''
"Well, it's nobody's fault but thar
own. Things don't look very peart
around yere, do they"'
"Wel, no."
"Thar's reasons fur it. In the fust
place I'm a squatter. Can't tell when
Ill hev to pull up and git. Tharfore, We
can't expect me to rush things. In the
next place we hev 'nuff to eat and war,
and that's all we want. Wei is pore folks,
and we is satisfied to be-
There are very few that way"
'Zactly, stranger, and that's what
ais this nashun. Thar hain't huff phil
osophy about common folks. Now, then,
s'posin' the president should pint me
postmaster down at Red Bridge? 1 can't
read nor write, an can't talk grammar,
an I'd jist feel emery mean all the time.
S'posen that Jay Gould should send me
down a kerridge an bosses as free gift?
Hev got airy place to stable them HOSES
an put that kerridge? How would l
look ridin' round these yere parts in
thousand dollar rig!''
"Then you don't want to be rich?''
Eyes, do. but faint fur me. When
got growed up to 81, an found myself
pizen pore, an homely, an long shanked,
an ignerent, l knowed figures an riches
wasn't fur me. l cut my sticks acordin'.
That's jist the way with Jen, too. Jen,
come out we're an talk"
The woman came out, lighted her pipe
and sat down, and her husband con-
Sinued:
"Jcn, heun thinks it mighty quare
that we don't yarn fur bizness an riches.
Tell heun how you feel about it.
You was pizen pore an ignerent,"
she said as she looked over 20 him, IAN
was all that billed down an mo-, too.
knowed right off that riches wasn't fur
us, an so didn't yarn fur 'en."
And you are content to live as you do?"
''Pooty nigh, stranger-pooty nigh. II
l had a huh pound of sixty cent tea an
five pounds Of brown sugar in the cabin
all TO once wouldn't trade places with
any woman in the state"
Eye see, it's ike this" said the hus-
band as he dug up the soil with a stick
If we was wantin' we'd hev to hev
fine house. Then we'd hev 10 furnish it
an git hired help. Then we'd hev to hev
watches an diamonds an SIGH, an good
clothes, an go to the theatre, an travel
around, an keep dressed up, an talk
sweet, an so whaT' would the comfort
come in? Its too much TO put on q pus-
sons shoulders
He I'm IS jist right" added the wife.
"We's pore an can't sit no better of.